Cream Cheese Mints

Cream Cheese Mints melt in your mouth with a sweet peppermint flavor. They’re an old-fashioned holiday candy recipe that is a favorite for many people.

Kept pure white or colored however you like, pressed into molds or simply rolled and pressed with a fork, however you make these mints, they’re one of the easiest candy recipes of all time.

This recipe brings back a flood of memories for me. I remember sneaking to the dessert table more than a few times during my cousin’s wedding reception when I was a little girl and discovering these amazing little mints.

Wedding Mints

The mints I first tasted at my cousin Helene’s wedding were sweet minty delights that melted in my mouth. I was completely obsessed at first bite. I’d never had them before and they were irresistible!

After discovering cream cheese mints, I ate myself sick on them almost every time they were within reach. I grew older but my inability to control myself around these mints remained.

Years later, I discovered how easy they were to make when my friend Augusta shared her cream cheese wedding mints recipe with me.

I couldn’t believe how simple it was to make these candies! There are just three ingredients and you can dress them up however you like.

Cream Cheese Mints Recipe

Thanks to that childhood memory of gorging myself on Cream Cheese Mints at a wedding reception, this recipe for cream cheese mints is what I think of as a classic wedding mint.

Homemade mints are so much easier to make than I ever imagined. Unlike many homemade candies, cream cheese mints and old-fashioned butter mints don’t require any fancy ingredients or special equipment.

A combo of these mints on a dessert table is the perfect finishing touch for a holiday party. They’ll make a great addition to your cookie trays too.

You’ll only need three ingredients to make these cream cheese mints:

• cream cheese
• powdered sugar
• peppermint extract

That simple combination of ingredients creates a creamy sweet base that’s delicious just as is or as a canvas for adding fun extras.

Feel free to play with the recipe and find your favorite way to make them. You can press them into these silicone molds, roll them in sugar, or add food coloring if desired.

No matter how you present, style or decorate them, Cream Cheese Mints are a delightful treat. Cool, sweet, and creamy enough to dissolve on your tongue, these homemade mints are every bit as delicious as those candies I remember from childhood.

In my book, you don’t need any special occasion to make these mints. They’re just as good to nibble on for an afternoon pick-me-up or an after-dinner treat as they are at a party or reception.

If you’re just as delighted as I was to find out that homemade mints are not intimidating, complicated, or difficult to make, I know you’ll want to play with making all kinds of variations!

These Homemade Junior Mints take this Cream Cheese Mint base and cover them in melted chocolate. They are definitely on my list for snacks to make alongside a bowl of popcorn the next time we have a movie night.

Speaking of desserts with chocolate and peppermint, be sure to give these 3 Ingredient Homemade Thin Mints a try, too. No more waiting for Girl Scout cookie season to enjoy those famous cookies.

How To Make Cream Cheese Mints

The first step when making cream cheese mints is bringing your cream cheese to room temperature. Once it is soft and pliable, beat the cream cheese with a handheld mixer (or in a stand mixer) until completely smooth.

Then add half of the powdered sugar and the peppermint extract. Beat again to incorporate the sugar fully into the cream cheese.

Every time I include peppermint extract in a recipe, I caution you to be extra careful when measuring the extract. Even the slightest amount of extra mint flavor can result in accidentally making candies that taste more like toothpaste than peppermints.

Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat again until well combined. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly to press together, add just a half teaspoon of water to the bowl. Beat again and repeat ONLY as needed, taking care to add the tiniest bit of water possible.

To create round mints, use your hand or a small scoop to shape the cream cheese mixture into 1/2-inch balls. Place the balls on a tray or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper then press each ball with a fork to flatten.

(You can also dip each ball into colored sugar or sprinkles before flattening, if you like!)

Chill your mints until ready to serve. These morsels keep well in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for two months.

If you enjoy making your own mints and candy, be sure to check out some more of the other homemade treats I’ve shared here.

These Homemade Almond Joys with Dark Chocolate are even better than store-bought coconut candies and they put a smile on everyone’s face. I make them every year around Easter and Christmas.

Along with coconut candies, I can’t let a holiday season go by without whipping up a batch (or 12) of my 5 Minute Peppermint Bark.

If, after all that, you still can’t get enough of the chocolate and peppermint combo (I know I can’t), move along to Chocolate Covered Candy Cane Marshmallows. They’re festive, easy to make, and beloved by kids and grown-ups alike.

{originally published 12/5/13 – notes and photos updated 12/8/22}