Melt-in-your-mouth old-fashioned cream cheese mints are easy to make with only 4 ingredients. It’s simple to change candy flavor or color for any special holiday or occasion.
If you love classic homemade candy recipes, add divinity candy or this sweet hard candy to your holiday treat list.
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Old-Fashioned Cream Cheese Mints
These cream cheese mints are often in pastel colors and called cream cheese wedding mints or baby shower mints. They are the kind of nostalgic treat you’d expect to find in grandma’s candy dish along with rocky road candy and homemade caramels.
They are so easy to make, require no time in the oven and can be prepped in only 10 minutes! Even the kids can have fun making these. When wrapped up in a little decorative packaging, they make the perfect neighbor Christmas gift or party favor!
Cream Cheese Mints Recipe Ingredients
With only 5 ingredients, this traditional candy is a straightforward recipe.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Cream cheese: Here are tips on how to soften cream cheese if you forgot to take it out earlier. Having it soft is key! Use full fat brick-style cream cheese not spreadable from a tub, which contains too much water.
- Butter: You’ll be creaming the butter too, so softened butter is best to use.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners sugar, this is what adds the yummy, sweet element and also helps preserve and solidify the candy (similar to cream cheese frosting).
- Peppermint extract: I prefer peppermint over mint and ensure you use an extract not essential oils. Use less or more to taste but be careful not too add to much or it will taste like toothpaste.
- Food coloring: Have fun with it. If you choose to use food coloring for added flare, you can use one, two, or a few. Gel food coloring is more concentrated than liquid food coloring, so you’ll need less of it to make them vibrant.
How to Make Cream Cheese Mints
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat them both until creamy and smooth. Turn the mixer on low and gradually add 1 cup of powdered sugar as you mix. Add in the extract and the rest of the powdered sugar. It should be the consistency of play-dough.
If you plan on adding some color, divide the dough equally into the number of colors you plan to use. Drop the food coloring into each bowl and mix until the desired color has been reached. Cover each bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Scoop out 1 teaspoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Place it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dip a fork into powdered sugar and gently press it into the ball to flatten it. Repeat with all remaining dough. Allow them to dry for 2 hours at room temperature.
How to Mold Into Shapes
These cream cheese mints are often molded into fun shapes that are are perfect for baby showers or wedding showers.
To use candy molds like flowers, candy canes for a Christmas dessert board, or other festive designs, roll dough balls in powdered sugar and press the dough into the molds. Remove and lay on the prepared baking sheet to set.
Recipe Tips
- If your dough mixture is sticky, add more powdered sugar until it feels like play dough.
- To avoid the ridges from the fork prongs, you can use the bottom of a glass to flatten it instead.
- Cream cheese butter mints are meant to be firm, so give them the time they need to set. They won’t make great gifts if they’re all melted into one lump!
- Peppermint extract is not mint extract! Mint is usually reserved for savory pairings, whereas peppermint is perfect in sweets.
- Color and flavor. Add a pinch of vanilla extract to balance the peppermint or try almond extract, lemon or orange extract. Use gel color to make them any color you like from pastels, to white or even rainbow.
Looking for more peppermint dessert recipes? Try peppermint bark, peppermint Oreo balls, and chocolate mint cookies with cake mix!
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Cream Cheese Mints
Video
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar , divided, plus more for pressing
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract , plus an additional 1/2 teaspoon if desired
- Food coloring , optional
Instructions
- Cream butter and cream cheese. In a large bowl, beat 4 ounces cream cheese and 1 Tablespoon butter until smooth with an electric mixer.
- Add powdered sugar. Keep the mixer on low and gradually add in 1 cup powdered sugar. Continuing to mix, add the extract and the remaining 3 cups powdered sugar. If the mixture is still sticky add a little more powdered sugar. It should be the consistency of playdough.
- Divide into bowls and add colors Divide into separate bowls (depending on how many colors you'd like). Mix in desired food coloring until well combined. For darker colors that use more food coloring, you may have to add a bit more powdered sugar to keep the mixture from becoming gummy. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Roll into balls. Roll 1 teaspoon dough into small balls and place on parchment paper. Dip a fork into powdered sugar and gently press on top to flatten each ball. Let dry 2 to 3 hours at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Despite their name, they do not taste like cheese! There is a slight tangy element, but it’s there to help with consistency. The powdered sugar is front and center, so they are sweet!
Depending on what flavor, and how much of it you use, will also determine what it ends up tasting like.
As mentioned above you could use a candy mold which makes them very festive for showers and holidays. You could also roll the dough into a log and and cut into squares like a butter mint. These are so versatile!
When stored properly in an airtight container in the fridge, they will stay fresh for up to 1 month. I like to separate the layers with wax paper so they do not stick together when stored.
Definitely! They can be kept in the freezer for 3 months. Double the batch and keep some for later!
Categorized as: 5 Ingredients Or Less, American, Candy + Fudge, Christmas, Desserts, Easter, Freezer-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Kid-Friendly, No-Bake, Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
These are always so fun to make & a must on your holiday table! They are soft & taste so good!!
Love these SO much! We made a big batch of them and gave them out as gifts!
What a fun gift idea! I’m so happy you enjoy the recipe :)
I love that melt in your mouth goodness! Perfect addition to our holiday list!
They’re so yummy! I’m glad you love them :)
Awesome
A little banana flavoring instead of mint gives them a flavor similar to orange circus peanut candies. So good! Almond flavoring is also good. My family loves these mints.
Delicious! My first time making these. They’re coated in powdered sugar since my fork would not unstick from them like I asked it to lol. ❤️❤️Thank you for the recipe, I’ve always wanted to know how to make these 😊
So glad to hear Tracey! Thanks for your review :)
I made these today and they are absolutely delicious! My BF prefers extra minty-ness, so I put an extra teaspoon of peppermint in, and they are perfect for us. I even “dimpled” a few and added melted, dark chocolate and those are definitely our fave :) My one issue/question is how hard they should actually be??? It’s been 5 hours and the mints are still semi soft. Should I add more powdered sugar to firm them up? I only completed a small batch to start so that I didn’t waste the rest if my 1st attempt didn’t turn out…thankfully! ;) Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! They shouldn’t get too hard (they are a softer mint). Love the idea of dark chocolate :)
these are amazing and all my friends had no clue that I made them! thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks for sharing, Jess. Yes, these are even better than store bought.
Just like my grandma made- but even better! Thank you so much!
That is a wonderful compliment. Thanks, Jen!
We enjoyed these cute cream cheese mints last weekend! They’re so good and sweet. Surely, I’ll have this treat added to our Christmas celebration. Highly recommended!
Glad you liked them, Sharina. These are also great to add to a charcuterie board!
if i make these a day or two in advance should they be refrigerated because of the cream cheese? if so would the moisture in the fridge ruin them?
Typically I like to leave them out 24 hours to harden and then I move to the refrigerator. Then refrigerate or freeze well :)
Could you please add this instruction to the main recipe? Then others will see it in case they are planning to store the mints in fridge or freezer. Thanks!
Peppermint bothers my stomach, so I substituted orange extract and they turned out “melt in your mouth” good. I may try some other flavoring next time. Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds delicious! So glad to hear! :)