Super flavorful, easy and inexpensive, homemade butter mints make a great gift packaged in individual bags or containers.
This quick and easy recipe for making your own butter mints (mind-blowing to me when I first made them – who knew?) was originally published the first year of this blog, back in 2009. It has been consistently one of my most popular pins on Pinterest – even with the old, small, photos. Guess everyone else is pretty amazed you can make your own mints, too!
This little recipe for homemade butter mints is amazing! I’ve always loved butter mints and never realized how easy (and inexpensive) they were to make.
And I get to decide what’s in them! Not only that, they are melt-in-your-mouth good, too.
These butter mints make fantastic gifts for teachers, postal workers, and extended family as well as mints for weddings or just for keeping your own candy bowl filled.
And at around a $2.00 cost to make a batch of 4-5 dozen mints, it’s inexpensive as well as special and unique!
If you’re thinking you don’t have the time to make mints – well you may be right, depending on your season of life.
BUT this may also be the one thing you do have time for: it took me about 30 minutes to make with no more work involved, since the mints just air dry after that.
Oh, and maybe I didn’t emphasize enough how good these are? Smooth, creamy, and perfectly minty – they may spoil you for those hard store-bought mints forever!
How to Make Homemade Butter Mints
Ingredients
You only need four ingredients for this recipe:
- butter
- powdered sugar
- milk
- mint extract
Directions
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
When all the ingredients were mixed (I used my stand mixer), it looked like frosting and honestly, I wondered how I was going to knead it without it sticking to everything.
After sprinkling a lot of powdered sugar on a cutting board and on top of the dough, it came together surprisingly well without sticking to my hands or the board.
It’s then really easy to knead a couple more minutes – just keep adding a bit more powdered sugar as you’re kneading it until it’s smooth.
To shape the mints:
- Portion off about an 1/8 cup amount of dough to roll into ropes, keeping the remaining dough under a lightly damp cloth to keep it from drying out.
- Roll the portion of dough into a rope, cutting as needed if it gets too long in order to get them about 1/2-inch thick.
- Then comes the fun part- using a sharp knife, cut them into little “pillows.” These do not have to be perfect- anything from 1/2″ to 3/4″ is fine.
- Transfer them to a parchment-lined cookie sheet to dry, uncovered, for two to three days.
Yes, days.
You will have to test them at the 2-day mark (tough job, right?) to see if they’re a consistency you like.
We like ours a little less soft, so I find that 3 days is better actually.
Obviously this is not one of those last-minute kind of gifts- it does need to be planned out a little.
And then you have to hide them from your family as they are sitting out to dry, or they will slowly be whittled away every time they walk past them.
“But mom, I’m just testing them for you to see if they’re ready!”
Right.
Of course you can add food coloring to color the mints, I just choose to leave that out so that they are as real as possible for us.
No judging here, though – do what you want!
Easy Homemade Butter Mints
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 1 pound confectioners sugar plus extra for dusting
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon pure mint extract
- food coloring optional
Instructions
- In large bowl, beat butter until creamy. With mixer on low, beat in sugar, cream and extract until creamy and smooth.*
- Turn sugar mixture out onto a work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar; knead until smooth and satiny. Cover the dough with a slightly damp towel to keep it from drying out.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners. Lightly dust work surface with confectioners' sugar and roll out 1β8 cupfuls of the mint mixture into about 1/2-in.-thick ropes. Cut ropes into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces.
- Carefully transfer mints to prepared baking sheet with a spatula (the mints will be soft). Repeat with remaining dough.
- Let air-dry at room temperature for 2 days until firm enough to handle. Transfer mints to covered containers or bags.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Women’s Day
Other easy homemade candies you may like:
Classic Chocolate Cream Cheese Mints Updated With Dark Chocolate
Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Healthy Homemade Honey Sweetened Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
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Jaime E. Allen says
Could you use a low-temp dehydrator to quicken the drying process?
Jami says
I haven’t tried that, but you may be able to. Maybe test a few and see?
Jen Beck says
We live on a dairy farm and I’m constantly looking for ways to utilize the fresh, raw milk. I stumbled upon this recipe the other day and thought I would try fresh cream in the recipe. Wow! These things are amazing!!! I know what everyone is getting for Christmas this year! Thanks for a great recipe π
Jami says
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Jen, especially when you can use your own cream – so cool!
Patty says
Where’s the ingredient list? I’ve searched the entire post multiple times but I can’t find the amounts to use.
Jami says
Click the arrow for the printable recipe and all the ingredients and directions are there!
Mimi says
What can I do if my mints wonβt dry?
Jami says
I’ve never had that happen in all the years I’ve made them, Mimi! Do you like in a place with higher humidity? Keep leaving them out and try to find a drier area? Sorry, I don’t know. π
Mimi says
Can you use powdered milk like Nido and mix?
Jami says
I haven’t done that, so I don’t know. I’d worry it would be more liquidy?