Peppermint: The herb used throughout the year as a means to make our breath smell better suddenly becomes a star during the Christmas holiday season. It is finally that time of year y’all! Have you headed over to Williams Sonoma for some peppermint bark or switched out your usual cup of coffee for a peppermint mocha? If you are a fan of peppermint during the holiday season, try out our classic peppermint creams recipe!

Note: If you are interested in other peppermint recipes, try out our peppermint swirl marshmallows! They are delicious treats and are a perfect addition to your winter-time hot chocolate.

What Are Peppermint Creams?

Peppermint creams originated somewhere in the United Kingdom years ago. Traditionally made with confectioners (powdered) sugar and egg whites, these soft and creamy candies are then flavored with peppermint extract. For those needing a flavor reference point, they can somewhat closely compare to the feel and taste of York Peppermint Patties created by The Hershey Company in the United States.

Peppermint creams next to homemade origami ornaments. — Peppermint Creams Are Extremely Easy to Make!

How Do You Make Peppermint Creams?

The most basic and traditional peppermint creams recipe only requires three ingredients: egg whites, confectioners sugar, and peppermint oil or extract. Simply start by whisking the egg whites by hand until they are frothy and foaming–this typically takes less than a minute. Then, set the egg whites aside while you sift the confectioners sugar into a bowl. Add the whisked egg whites into the bowl of sugar. Start by mixing with a wooden spoon and then with your hands until it forms a stiff dough. Add the peppermint extract to taste. Finally, turn onto your worktop dusted with confectioners sugar. Work the dough until it is smooth. Roll out and cut your disks!

It is easy enough, is it not?!

Just let them sit at room temperature overnight so they can harden. Then store in an airtight container for up to a month!

Peppermint creams with candles and ornaments. — Do You Love Holiday Treats?

What If You Do Not Want to Use Egg Whites?

For some, the idea of using uncooked egg whites can seem a bit scary. I understand that feeling. Though the potential for salmonella is quite low, you can switch out the eggs for condensed or regular milk if you are worried about the potential health risks when making our peppermint creams recipe.

Note 1: If you want to learn more as to why salmonella is so rare, I recommend checking out this article.

Note 2: Please remember that I am not a medical professional or expert in this field. That being said, I want to state that the potential for health risks is greater in women who are pregnant and those who are in an immune-compromised situation. If you fall into either of these categories I recommend using options other than the egg whites recipe.

Peppermint creams with ornaments. — My Sister Made Me These Beautiful Ornaments.

Peppermint Extract Variants

You can change up the flavoring when making a peppermint creams recipe. Peppermint creams have a minty flavor from the peppermint oil or extract. If you want the flavor to be even stronger, try adding spearmint or wintergreen extracts to your creams. This way, you can feel even more of that cool and refreshing feeling when breathing in.

Carving A Journey’s Peppermint Creams Recipe

When deciding on my Christmas treats, I was inspired to make peppermint creams from the Latest U.K. Country Living Christmas. Inside they have a wonderful recipe! I took that recipe and tweaked it a bit to make our variation.

We make our recipe the traditional way with egg whites and confectioners sugar. Then, when mixing in the peppermint extract, we also mix in some red food coloring. The red food coloring gives our peppermint creams a bit of a “candy cane” feel.

White chocolate and dark chocolate peppermint creams. — Do You Like White Chocolate or Dark Chocolate More?

Using chocolate melts, we dipped our peppermint creams into white, milk, and dark chocolates. They are so pretty! The chocolate adds further creamy and yummy flavoring. Our peppermint creams recipe takes thirty minutes to make (though they need to sit overnight).

We hope you enjoy our holiday and Christmas season peppermint creams recipe! Below are some items that can help you make your peppermint creams:

Food Coloring: To make your cookies pretty!
White Chocolate Melts, Milk Chocolate Melts, Dark Chocolate Melts: To dip your peppermint creams.
Circular Cookie Cutters: To shape you peppermint creams.

If You Would Like More Holiday Recipes:

Carving A Journey has many different holiday and Christmas treats. Try our recipes of:

White and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Creams — You Can Dip or Sprinkle Chocolate! OR, Try Without Chocolate!

Let us know if you try making our peppermint creams recipe! Because they are easy and quick to make, you will have time to make your family’s traditional cookies as well. You never know, peppermint creams may turn into a family tradition. They will in our home!

Feel free to email us at [email protected] for any questions, recommendations, or stories. We love hearing from you! You can also follow us at @carvingajourney on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Finally, you can subscribe to our blog by joining our mailing list.