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Cream Cheese Mints are the dainty, melt-in-your-mouth candies that show up at every wedding, baby shower, and holiday party, and they take just a few simple ingredients to make at home. I started piping them with my girls one December afternoon, and decorating little trees and flowers turned into our favorite holiday tradition. They are as fun to make as our candied grapes.
Just cream cheese, powdered sugar, and a touch of mint extract whip into a sweet, creamy dough you can tint any color, pipe into pretty shapes, and let set into soft, old-fashioned mints.
Cream Cheese Mints Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 16 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 6 hours 16 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 75 mints
- ⚡ Calories: 26kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth mint candies
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a no-bake treat like our mint fudge
Quick Answer
Beat softened cream cheese with powdered sugar until the mixture is thick like frosting and holds its shape. Mix in mint extract to taste, then add food coloring for the color you want. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe small shapes onto a parchment-lined tray. Decorate with sprinkles, then let the mints sit at room temperature for about 6 hours until they firm up on the outside but stay soft and creamy inside.
Jump to:
- Cream Cheese Mints Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Cream Cheese Mints
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Cream Cheese Mints FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Holiday Treats
- Best Old Fashioned Cream Cheese Mints
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Only a few ingredients. Cream cheese, powdered sugar, and mint extract are all you need for these classic party mints.
- No baking required. These mints set at room temperature, so there is no oven and no candy thermometer involved.
- Pipeable dough. The cream cheese and powdered sugar whip into a thick dough that holds its shape through a star tip.
- Endlessly customizable. Tint them any color and pipe any shape to match a wedding, shower, or holiday theme.
- That signature texture. Resting lets the mints firm up outside while staying soft and creamy in the center.
- Make-ahead and giftable. They keep beautifully, so you can make big batches ahead for parties or edible gifts.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are the classic party and wedding mint, made easily at home with just a few ingredients.
- They are completely no-bake and fun to decorate, like our Christmas cupcakes.
- You can tint and shape them any way you like, so one recipe works for every occasion.
Key Ingredients
Here is what you need for cream cheese mints. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- Cream cheese: Softened so it whips smooth, it gives the mints their signature creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the mints and thickens the dough so it holds its piped shape.
- Mint extract: Just a little gives that classic cool, minty flavor. Add to taste.
- Food coloring: Tint the dough any color you like to match your party or holiday theme.
- Sprinkles: Optional, for decorating the piped mints with fun little details.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These cream cheese mints are easy to make your own. Here are a few ideas.
- Change the color: Tint them pink, blue, pastel, or any shade to fit a wedding or shower.
- Switch the flavor: Use vanilla, almond, or lemon extract instead of mint.
- Use a mold: Press the dough into rubber candy molds for old-fashioned shapes.
- Roll and stamp: Roll the dough into balls, flatten with a fork, and skip the piping bag.
- Make more holiday treats: Love minty desserts? Try our no bake mint chocolate cheesecake next.
How to Make Cream Cheese Mints
- Beat the softened cream cheese with the powdered sugar until the mixture feels like thick frosting and holds its shape.
- Mix in a quarter teaspoon of mint extract, taste, and add a little more if you like a stronger mint flavor.
- Mix in the food coloring a little at a time until you reach the color you want.
- Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe shapes onto a parchment-lined tray, add sprinkles, then let the mints set at room temperature about 6 hours.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soften the cream cheese. Room-temperature cream cheese whips smooth so there are no lumps in the dough.
- Add sugar gradually. Beat in the powdered sugar a bit at a time until the dough is thick and pipeable.
- Taste the mint. Mint extract is strong, so start with a little and add more to taste.
- Use gel food coloring. Gel colors give vibrant shades without thinning the dough like liquid can.
- Let them set fully. About 6 hours at room temperature gives the mints their firm outside and soft center.
- Pipe onto parchment. A parchment-lined tray keeps the mints from sticking as they set.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Cream cheese mints are a beautiful addition to any dessert or candy table at weddings, baby showers, and holiday parties. Pile them in a pretty dish or arrange them by color.
They make lovely homemade gifts boxed up alongside our fudge and other candies.
Serve them as part of a festive spread with our peppermint cheesecake and Christmas cupcakes.
Cream Cheese Mints FAQs
Cream cheese mints are soft, sweet candies made from cream cheese, powdered sugar, and mint extract. The dough is tinted, piped or pressed into shapes, and left to set at room temperature. They have a firm outside and a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth center, and are a classic at weddings, showers, and holidays.
Let the piped mints sit at room temperature for about 6 hours. After that, the outside firms up while the inside stays soft and creamy. For a firmer mint, you can leave them out a little longer.
Because they are made with cream cheese, store the mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Yes, they are perfect for making ahead. Prepare them several days before your event and keep them refrigerated. This makes them ideal for weddings, showers, and holiday parties when you are prepping a lot in advance.
Absolutely. Roll the dough into small balls, press them into rubber candy molds dusted with powdered sugar, then pop them out. You can also roll balls and flatten them with a fork for a simple old-fashioned look.
The dough likely needs more powdered sugar. Add it a little at a time until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape. If it is too stiff, a tiny bit more cream cheese will loosen it back up.
Love easy no-bake candy? Try our mint fudge next.
Balance the sweets with a bowl of my savory spiced nuts.
Add my chocolate covered Ritz crackers to the cookie tray, sweet, salty, and minty in one bite.
My christmas fudge brings the same make ahead ease with a showstopper tree design.
Pour mugs of my grinch hot cocoa and watch the kids’ eyes go wide.
My make ahead eggnog pudding shots chill happily until the guests arrive.
Santa’s plate needs my buttercream filled christmas sandwich cookies.
Best Old Fashioned Cream Cheese Mints
Ingredients
- 6 ounces softened cream cheese
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon mint extract
- Green food coloring as desired
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine the softened cream cheese with the powdered sugar. The texture should feel like thick frosting and should hold shape.
- Mix in a quarter teaspoon of mint extract, give the mixture a taste and add additional mint extract as needed.
- Mix in the green food coloring to create desired green color.
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
- Pipe the batter into the desired shape, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Add details with your sprinkles.
- Let the mints sit at room temperature for approx 6 hours. After 6 hours the mints should be hardened on the outside but soft and creamy on the inside.
Nutrition
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