Yummies: Cream Cheese Mints

As far back as I can remember cream cheese mints have always been a part of weddings, graduations, baby showers, any sort of celebration. It wasn’t until recently that I was shocked (and slightly horrified) to find out that a few of my co-workers didn’t know what such things were! Who doesn’t know what these delectable creamy pieces of perfection are?! Man, they are missing out. Are they just a regional item – the verdict is still out on this but many say these are a Midwest thing.

With only a few ingredients (cream cheese, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, mint or other flavoring, food coloring)* cream cheese mints are easy to prep that’s for sure but they can be a tad time consuming if you choose to use a rubber mold for a special shape. I liken them to making cut-out cookies – they seem like a great idea at the beginning, in the middle of making them you wonder what they heck you were thinking, and at the end you are rewarded for your hard work with a yummy & beautiful treat.

photo via Skip To My Lou

This may be why I have only made them twice in my life. The first time was for my high school graduation – I begged my mom to make them to which she kindly (or not so kindly) said “yeah right – if you want them ask grandma.” My grandma agreed as long as I made them with her. We were successful and if I remember correctly had a couple of ice cream buckets full of the classic rose shaped mints – yum! This past spring I helped host a baby shower and again thought CREAM CHEESE MINTS! This time I was on my own. An owl themed shower had to have owl shaped mints right? I did a simple search, ordered my mold which was here in no time and I was set. I won’t go into details but I don’t have grandma’s touch and the mints weren’t going as planned – I ditched the idea of owl mints and opted to roll the mints into balls and flatten them with a fork similar to peanut butter cookies. I think they actually looked more classy. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the finished product – but be assured they were cute & yummy.

A nice little addition to any celebration really, colors & shapes are endless and you can choose a different flavor than mint if you like – totally customizable! Just be sure to give yourself some time – these mints are totally okay going into the freezer or refrigerator for a bit if you choose to make them a couple of weeks ahead of time (I actually like them when they are cold & firm). Enjoy and eat one for me!

 

*the recipe is very simple, I looked at a couple of recipes and used them as guidelines but didn’t follow any exactly.