When the holiday season rolls around, I’m always looking for something festive to make in outrageous quantities—without a lot of fuss. Cookie swaps are the name of the game in this regard, with seemingly endless recipes from which to borrow inspiration, bake, and share, but I personally struggle with not eating all the cookies before or even during the swap, which is a big no-no. In an effort to offset this temptation, I find it helpful to have other equally festive sweet treats on hand that aren’t cookies. This is where Cream Cheese Mints come in.
What Are Cream Cheese Mints?
Cream cheese mints are much like Southern buttermints, a soft, melt-in-your-mouth treat made with sugar and butter or cream. Cream cheese mints are a bit easier to handle, and they have a slight tang to them (thanks to the cream cheese). Both varieties are rolled out, shaped, and left to dry at room temperature to allow the soft exterior to harden. These mints are often mixed with food coloring, making them popular at holidays and celebrations including baby showers, weddings, and Christmas gatherings.
Creator @cookingwithcarli shared a video about these mints, claiming that they are the easiest Christmas treats ever—and she might be right. While she uses a stand-mixer to whip them up, it’s not a requirement. You can also use an electric hand mixer or good old-fashioned elbow grease and a spatula to form the dough-like mixture.
Where Are Cream Cheese Mints From?
Cream cheese mints are the sort of thing you remember eating, but never really knew the magic within. Vaguely familiar with them, but curious still, I immediately consulted some of the best sources I have on the ground: my high school group chat. Together, we went to high school in Virginia, but have sprawling families across the country.
“Never knew they had cream cheese in them, but definitely had them,” my friend Lauren said, following up, “Didn’t they have these at Cracker Barrel?”
“My very southern and rural Virginia family always had a bowl of those at their houses,” says my friend Jonathan, who also admits not knowing exactly what was in them. “I honestly never knew they had cream cheese in them, but that makes more sense texture-wise.”
Our friends at “Southern Living” have shared recipes for both Cream Cheese Mints and Buttermints, versions of the same. But after chatting with some Midwest-based colleagues who recognize this unique recipe, it became clear that the tradition of making these mints is common—and fondly remembered—across both regions.
“We spent a whole weekend making cream cheese mints for my brother’s wedding, just for them to be the first thing to run out of at the reception,” says Jenny Wentworth, who is based in Iowa. “We had plenty of buffet leftovers, but no mints in sight….They have always been such a Midwestern thing to me.”
While it has been forever since she’s had them, our Newsletter Editorial Director Cally Rhine remembers them being a “a staple at every wedding and baby shower growing up” in southwest Missouri.
This much is true, whether you’re in the South or the southern Midwest: They’re always a little hard on the exterior—that’s from letting them dry at room temperature—with a “melt-in-your-mouth” soft interior, which is sweet but a little tangy from the cream cheese. And as it turns out, they’re much easier to make than you think.
How To Make Cream Cheese Mints
With just a few ingredients and even fewer steps, this recipe is an easy one to whip up in large quantities. It’s also relatively kid-friendly. An extra set of hands—or more—can help stir, roll, and shape the mints, which are extremely forgiving to various shapes and mistakes, and they can easily be re-rolled again and again.
These little mints come together quickly—all you need is a large bowl, softened cream cheese, a bit of butter, and confectioners’ sugar. A drop of peppermint oil lends some festive flavor, and the option to use food coloring.
- Combine cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Stir these ingredients until combined and no sugar clumps remain.
- Add peppermint oil and food coloring, if desired. If you’d like to incorporate different colors or flavors, divide the mixture into separate bowls and add food coloring—or flavorings—as desired.
- Shape mints. Roll the cream cheese mixture into small balls, about 1/2-inch wide. Place on wax paper. (If you have a small cookie press or design, you can press that into the mint for a little flourish at this stage.)
- Let mints dry. Let the mints dry at room temperature for about 2 hours, then transfer to the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container or bag until ready to serve.
Praise From The Allrecipes Community
- “These are the type of mints I remember making as a girl helping mom with baby and bridal showers. Made for my sister in law’s 60th birthday party and they were a hit. Freeze well to pull out for later too.” —Sherry
- “I have been making these since I received the recipe card in a mail pack 20 years ago. My children are all grown up and still come home at Christmas and look for these. These are an essential part of Christmas, light little bites are perfect to finish off supper, or to have in pretty crystal dishes scattered around the house.” —Dragonladylewis
- “So old school…My mom made these growing up and we loved loved them. She had a bunch of different molds (leafs, hearts, etc) and she’d also make different flavored ones such as vanilla, red hot cinnamon, etc., not just mint, and she’d add food coloring to match (green for mint “leaves,” etc.). We didn’t get as many as we wanted because she made them for bridge parties or garden club meetings.” —Derek
Get the recipe: Cream Cheese Mints