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Homemade Butter Mints are old-fashioned, buttery, sweet, minty candies that melt in your mouth like no store-bought candy you have ever tasted.
I’ll go ahead and tell you that these innocent looking mints are absurdly addictive. I found myself walking through the kitchen several times today, just to taste one more, and then one more.
I used to love after-dinner mints, but I haven’t had one in years. The last ones I tried were dry to the point of being crunchy and the taste was so toothpaste-like I decided not to buy them again. These are nothing like that!
I found this recipe for Old Fashioned Butter Mints over at Averie Cooks and it’s a keeper! I’ve played with it a bit to make a chocolate mint as well and you’re going to love both versions.
Don’t be intimidated by the idea that this is candy making. These mints took far less time to make than I expected. (seriously, it was well under an hour from start to finish!) If you can roll play-dough, you can make these homemade butter mints!
If you’re looking for a few more sweet treats to make, these Cream Cheese Mints are beyond easy to make and they disappear almost as fast as you can make them. Old Fashioned Potato Candy is another fun candy to make that only requires a few minutes of effort in the kitchen. (I promise you can’t taste the potato at all!)
Homemade Butter Mints & Chocolate Butter Mints
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk or this homemade substitute for condensed milk
- 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar *
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract **
- Optional: 1/4 cup cocoa powder * reduce the powdered sugar by the amount of cocoa used
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the soft butter and salt. Beat for a moment to combine. Add the condensed milk and beat again to combine. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, beating to combine thoroughly. Add the peppermint, taste and adjust as needed. The dough will be mostly crumbs, but should stick together when squeezed into a ball. It should not be sticky at all.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and pull off golf ball size sections. (At this point, you can also wrap the dough tightly and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to roll them out.) Roll each ball out into a long skinny strip about 1/2" in diameter. Slice the strips into tiny mint-size pieces. I used a pizza cutter to easily roll back and forth and slice them quickly.
- Alternative method (for the impatient): Roll the dough out to approximately 1/4" thick. Use a knife or pizza cutter to slice the dough into 1/2" (or smaller) squares. They might not be as cute or as authentic looking, but it will only take a couple minutes to cut out all of the mints.
- Spread the soft pieces across a baking sheet and allow them to sit at room temperature overnight. You could speed up the process and put them in the refrigerator uncovered. Mine were fine on the counter though. When they have hardened enough to store, transfer the mints to an airtight container. Enjoy!
To Make Chocolate Butter Mints
- Reduce the powdered sugar by the amount of cocoa powder in the recipe. Whisk the cocoa powder into the powdered sugar first, before adding the powdered sugar to the recipe. You can skip this step, but it will take a little longer to combine the cocoa powder into the finished dough.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 3/29/13 – recipe notes and photos updated 12/23/17}
Oh my gosh…Mary…it's a good thing you don't live closer to me, I would run to your house and hug you!! I ADORE butter mints… and now a recipe that I can make right at home? I think I'm in heaven 🙂
My mom used to make homemade mints and freeze them. These sound great and are on my list for the next baby or wedding shower! Happy Easter Mary.
Oh yum! My family would love these!
These look wonderful, I've never made homemade mints of any kind, and I wonder if you could roll out the 'dough' and cut them into little bunnies? I have a collection of tiny cutters that I never get to use!
Yes! You definitely could do that. I'd be sure to keep them pretty small though. I used a knife to just cut the last batch into squares, so shapes could easily work. This is an unbelievably easy recipe. If you can create the shape with playdough, you could probably create it with this dough.
You're really speaking to me with this one! I LOVE butter mints and my mouth is watering just thinking about how much better these are than the ones at a restaraunt or the store. 🙂
I'm so glad you liked my recipe! Your mints turned out so pretty and makes me wish I had a few right in front of me!
Oh yum! I tried out a butter mint recipe recently and they only used regular milk to moisten. They never did get very hard and I thought to combine the recipe with a condensed milk mint I had made before that did harden up. Now I know it will work. 😉 They sure were delicious regardless!
OMG – they look beyond delicious. Perhaps I should just cut to the chase and adhere them directly to my thighs! 🙂
I always loved eating these at my Grandpa's house growing up as a little girl, I haven''t had them in years though! I need to try this recipe, so fantastic to know that they can be made at home from scratch. Thanks for sharing!
mine turned out sticky 🙁
I am so sorry that yours turned out sticky! The humidity and temperature in the kitchen can affect them that way. If you decide to try again, simply add additional powdered sugar, until you have the desired texture. It shouldn't take more than a couple tablespoons to achieve the right consistency.
I love soft mints! Pinning this to make later
I love butter mints so I had to try this recipe. The hardest thing about it was waiting for the mints to harden (although they don't get as hard as store bought my family really liked the texture). I made the regular, chocolate, and I decided to get a little crazy and make 1/2 a batch and add 1 T. of lemon juice, I had to add extra powdered sugar to make up for the extra liquid and they were so yummy! Thanks for posting!
Made these last night. Super easy and delicious! Took under 30 minutes from start to finish. Thanks for a fun recipe. Just found your blog and love all of the practical recipe tips and "from scratch" base. 🙂
Do these need to be refrigerated?
Refrigeration isn't required, but if you live in a warm climate I would recommend it. I keep mine in the refrigerator most of the time, because the container starts to develop moisture on the inside after a couple days at room temperature.
Great – thank you so much!
Thank you for the recipe!! I am working on a Sweet Table for my niece's wedding, so plan to make these and cut out little hearts 🙂
If they are kept in an airtight container, how many days in advance can I make them?
I've kept a batch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. My kitchen is warmer than most, so after a few days, they became moist in the container. I keep them in the fridge, if it is more than a day or two now. Hope that helps!
I have used large-diameter straws to cut out small mints.
can u use regular salt??
Regular salt should work fine, just reduce the amount by half. Hope that helps!
This idea is majorly ingenious! These look like they should be in a gift shop or something, beautiful!
Is the butter regular salted butter or unsalted? I don't have kosher salt..just sea salt and table salt. Would either of those work?
Hi Bianca,
Fine sea salt or table salt will be fine, just reduce the amount slightly. (I'd add just a pinch, maybe 1/8 teaspoon and then taste and adjust if needed.) I use regular butter, not unsalted.
Hope that helps!
Mary