Homemade Peppermint Patties

My grandson, Maddox, grabbing a sample!

I love making candy!...and this combination of peppermint and chocolate is addicting. It is also a favorite of my eldest daughter, Laurel. She loves this flavor combination and usually finds some form of said candy in her stocking at Christmas. Yes! We know you can buy this year-round, but she tries not to consume goodies that often... (I can't take the credit for her good eating habits...I eat candy whenever I can get my hands on it!)

I came across this recipe a few years ago, but only made it for the first time last year. (Laurel lived in AZ at the time,..so she missed out!) I kept telling her how yummy they had tasted, but she could only take my word for it! So I finally decided to make them again yesterday, giving her the chance to finally taste-test the recipe. I'm pretty sure it was a winner....I went looking for one this morning...only to find an empty dish! (No, she didn't eat them all...I think she had help from her sister & hubby!!)

The following recipe is a newer one for me, but definitely a keeper!

1 egg white

4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

½ tsp. peppermint oil or extract

powdered sugar for dusting

1-12oz bag semisweet chocolate chips

1. In metal or glass bowl, beat the egg white until frothy but not stiff.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar while blending with an electric mixer on medium speed.

3. Add corn syrup and peppermint oil or extract and knead the mixture with your hands until it has the smooth consistency of dough. Add more powdered sugar if necessary, until mixture is no longer sticky.

4. On a flat surface heavily sprinkled with powdered sugar, roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness.

5. Using a cookie cutter or similar circular item measuring 2 ½” in diameter, punch out circles, laying them on a cookie sheet covered with waxed or parchment paper. Refrigerate approximately 45 minutes.

6. Melt chocolate in microwave 30 seconds at a time (2 minutes maximum) until stirred smooth.

7. Take only a few cold candy centers out of the refrigerator at a time. (You may need to work with two trays in order to switch off.)

8. Slide a dinner fork under the cold candy center and submerge the candy into the melted chocolate. (This takes about 1-2 seconds.) Remember to work quickly. The centers will immediately start to soften, then melt, within 3-4 seconds of being in the hot dipping chocolate. Lift out of chocolate, tapping fork 3 to 5 times on side of bowl with fork tines and candy still above the bowl. As you tap you are allowing the dripping chocolate to fall back into bowl.

9. Set your dipped candy on a waxed paper or parchment covered cookie sheet, angling the fork so that the candy slides off onto the paper. You may need to use another fork to ‘help’ slide the candy off, but keep in mind that the more it’s handled, the messier it will look once it has hardened.

10. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

11. Store in an air-tight container. I cut a sheet of waxed paper into squares and placed a square between each of the patties as I stacked them into the container. ENJOY!