Makes about 150, 1-inch diameter mints
Ingredients:
8 ounces soft cream cheese (I used Philadelphia regular)
6 tablespoons soft butter (I used unsalted)
3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract (NOT mint extract)
2 pounds sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 drops red or green food coloring (Mine is pretty strong, so I used only one)
Method:
Melt the cream cheese with the butter in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat, leaving the pan on the burner, and stir in about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, food coloring, and vanilla. (My note: Add peppermint here as well.) Stir in the rest of the sugar until well blended.
Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper. Push mint mixture into a pastry bag, icing syringe or squeeze bottle with a decorative tip. Create desired shapes for mints. Let set 1 hour.
Store between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or in the freezer up to 4 months. Do not store at room temperature.
Suggestion: These mints set up fast so fill 2 or more pastry bags (maybe each a different color), get help from a friend and create mint shapes on separate baking sheets. I topped these with Andes Mint chips. Change the color to match your theme/color scheme.