Description
These Christmas Cream Cheese Mints are delightful, creamy, and festive treats perfect for the holiday season. Softened cream cheese is blended with mint extract and powdered sugar to form a smooth dough, shaped into bite-sized balls, rolled in sugary sprinkles, and chilled until perfectly set. Their melt-in-your-mouth texture and cheerful look make them an ideal homemade gift or a decorative addition to any holiday dessert tray.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 1/2 tsp mint extract
- 1 tbsp milk
Coating
- 1/4 cup holiday sprinkles, divided
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar or powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese and mint extract: Using a hand mixer on low speed, blend the softened cream cheese and mint extract together in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
- Add powdered sugar and milk: Gradually blend in 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk, mixing until the mixture is smooth but not overmixed to maintain the right texture.
- Mix in sprinkles and more sugar: Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of holiday sprinkles, mixing on low to combine evenly.
- Knead the dough: Using your hands, knead in the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar until the dough becomes consistent, smooth, and no longer sticky. If still sticky, add more powdered sugar as needed until the dough can be rolled into balls.
- Prepare coating mixture: In a small separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar (granulated or powdered) and 2 tablespoons of holiday sprinkles for rolling the mints.
- Shape and coat mints: Form the dough into 3/4-inch balls and gently roll each ball in the prepared sugar and sprinkle mixture to coat evenly.
- Chill mints: Place the coated balls onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- Flatten mints: Once chilled, remove the mints from the refrigerator and gently flatten each ball with a fork to create a traditional mint shape.
- Store the mints: Let the mints sit at room temperature briefly to harden slightly, then transfer them to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- The total yield depends on the size of the mints; this recipe makes approximately 60 to 80 mints.
- Be careful not to overmix after adding the milk to preserve a good texture.
- If the dough is sticky, add powdered sugar gradually until it forms a manageable consistency.
- Store mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for optimal freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mint (approx. 5 g)
- Calories: 40
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 1.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
