Our family has a tradition of making these peppermint patties yearly. While they take a little bit of time, they are corn syrup free, easy to set out for a party or give as a gift. Small boxes make delightful packaging for mints. You can make them mini or you can make them chunky. They can take on a hand rolled & smushed look as you let your children work along side of you or you can perfect their shape with a cookie cutter. Either way, the flavor is exceptional and the time together irreplaceable!
Peppermint Patties
1 medium potato, baked, peeled and still warm
1-2 small bags of powdered organic cane juice
Peppermint essential oil to taste
5-6 Fair Trade Dark Chocolate bars-the less sweet, the better
(The original recipe calls for Bakers Unsweetened Chocolate Sqaures-1 or 2 boxes)
Parchment paper
In a food processor blend the warm, peeled potato on high until it is smooth. Add powdered cane juice until it becomes thick play dough consistency. You don't want it too stick or too crumbly. Add a few drops of water if it becomes too dry. Add peppermint essential oil to taste. 15-20 drops is a normal amount but it all depends on the size of your potato, the amount of powdered cane juice it was able to absorb, etc. Roll a small ball of dough in your hands then gently flatten it into a disc. The smaller the discs, the more chocolate you will need to coat them. Lay each disc on parchment paper. Let them air dry for fifteen minutes. Flip them and let them dry for an additional fifteen minutes. While they are drying use a double boiler method to melt the chocolate. If you are using chocolate bars, do not over cook them or they will get thick! Dip each peppermint disc into the chocolate with a fork and replace it onto the parchment to dry. Once they are solid, wrap each one in a small piece of aluminum foil. Store them in the fridge. ENJOY making this new family memory!
*2021 Update: In the past we have powdered sucanut or coconut sugar but it is never quite as smooth. This year I came across powdered date sugar at a local health food store. It is as smooth as traditional powdered sugar and made a pleasing texture. The sweetness is more palatable for those watching their sugar. Adding a little powdered xylitol from birch would probably take the slight date flavored edge off and make them less "lara bar" tasting and more peppermint patty tasting.
I also opted to add a little raw cacao butter to my melted chocolate to firm up the candies a bit more. This year I found organic unsweetened bakers type chocolate at a local grocery store. The old recipe calls for a little parafin wax. Not wanting to use paraffin, we've used beeswax in the past but it is hard to judge how much and too much is... interesting. Mostly we opt out of adding it but utilizing the cacao butter this year has been a very pleasing balance. Have fun experimenting!
We also enjoy making these with melted carob chips!