Butter Mints

Much like with the cream cheese mints that I shared just a little while ago, I would bet you’ve had these butter mints before. They’re very similar, actually, only made (surprise) without the cream cheese and with more butter. Who would’ve thought, right? Simple to make with just 6 ingredients, butter mints are soft, creamy, melt-in-your mouth little mints that make great after dinner mints. They’re also very popular at bridal showers, baby showers, and weddings, and you might have even heard them called “wedding mints” before. If Zach had it his way we would have a never-ending supply of them in the house. He doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth but the man could eat buttermints all day, every day. A single batch makes about 200 (yes, two hundred!) but he’s a very dedicated mint fan and works his way through quickly.

What are Butter Mints Made of?

Butter (well of course, right?). I like to use unsalted butter and then add salt for flavor. You can read more about why I choose to do it this way in my salted vs. unsalted butter post. Salt. Just a pinch. See above! Powdered sugar. You will need a lot of powdered sugar to make butter mints. Peppermint extract. As with my cream cheese mints, I recommend using a peppermint extract and not a “mint” extract, which to me tastes more like toothpaste. If you like a stronger mint flavor you can certainly increase the amount, but start with less and then add more as needed. Vanilla extract. Just a splash adds a great depth of flavor to these mints. Heavy cream. This isn’t necessarily a standard butter mint ingredient, but it’s one I really love to use. It helps make these melt-in-your-mouth mints even smoother and creamier. You only need a tiny bit for today’s recipe.

And, of course, there’s the optional ingredient of food coloring. I used a drop of red liquid food coloring to color these mints pink. While I usually prefer gel food coloring, the liquid colors work well here to give our mints a pretty, classic, pastel appearance.

How to Make Butter Mints

Butter mints are incredibly simple to make. It’s almost like making a minty vanilla frosting, only thicker. Because the “dough” (batter?) will becomes so thick (due to all the sugar we’re adding) I strongly recommend that you use a stand mixer or electric mixer. You’ll combine all your ingredients and stir until they’re completely combined and you have a stiff but smooth, playdough-like consistency. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently so all of the sugar becomes absorbed. This recipe calls for 4 cups of powdered sugar, but if you find that the dough is still sticky after adding all of your sugar simply continue to add more until you reach the desired consistency. On the other hand, if your dough is crumbly and just not coming together no matter how much you stir, you can salvage things by adding a splash more heavy cream (just a teaspoon or two at a time).

How to Store Butter Mints:

Once prepared, butter mints can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. For best results store in a cool, dry place. They will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a month, or in the freezer for several months.

Enjoy!