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These simple Grinch-themed Christmas cream cheese mints are super cute and made with only six ingredients. The classic Christmas mints are dyed a Grinchy green and topped with a red heart sprinkle.
Christmas Mint Candy Recipe
Christmas cream cheese mints are a festive take on an old-fashioned candy. Often reserved for wedding showers, baby showers, and Easter, we’re giving this batch a Grinchy upgrade.
With the simple addition of neon green food coloring and a single heart sprinkle, these adorable cream cheese mints have the Grinch written all over them!
Easy, no-bake treats that are made with a handful of ingredients means not only are they so fun to look at but they can be made in a pinch too.
These are the type of irresistible Christmas mints you look forward to seeing in a candy dish!
They’re buttery, melt in your mouth, and creamy as can be with a refreshing peppermint flavor that makes them super addicting.
Serve them alongside Grinch Oreo Truffles!
Why you’ll love Grinch Cream Cheese Mints
Incredibly easy – Made with a handful of ingredients and just 15 minutes of prep time. The rest is hands-off chill time!
Make ahead and freezer-friendly – These freeze very well for up to 1 year and stay fresh for weeks!
Delicious – Soft and chewy, buttery and creamy with the flavor of peppermint is exactly why these timeless candies are so popular.
Can match any theme – We’re making the green today, but with a switch in food coloring these can be made for any occasion.
Equipment you’ll need
- Heart Sprinkles – If you can’t find these in the store (Walmart carries them), you can order them.
- Green Food Coloring – Neon green is the color shown.
- Silicone Mold – If you don’t want to press the mints down with a fork, you can use a mint mold.
- Small Cookie Scoop – Helps to quickly and evenly divide up the dough.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Cream Cheese – Use the cream cheese from a block, not the container. Bring it to room temperature ahead of time that way it blends easily and doesn’t leave behind lumps..
- Unsalted Butter – You also want to bring the butter to room temperature early enough so that it can cream nicely. We’re using unsalted because this is a sweet candy and you can’t always control the amount of salt there is in each stick of butter.
- Peppermint Extract – Peppermint extract is not the same as “mint extract”. Keep in mind they’re not the same – you want peppermint.
- Powdered Sugar – This is what gives the candy its sweetness. Powdered sugar also helps the candy set and acts as a preservative which helps the candy (that contains dairy) last for weeks. Sometimes called confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar – all the same thing.
- Green Food Coloring & Red Sprinkles – You can purchase red heart-shaped sprinkles at Walmart. You can also find “ Grinch Sprinkles” on Amazon. I used a neon green food coloring. If you think they’re too “yellow”, add one drop of traditional green food coloring.
How to make Grinch Cream Cheese Mints
- STEP ONE: To a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, butter, mint extract, and food coloring.
- STEP TWO: Then, add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix everything until combined. Continue adding the powdered sugar until you get a dough-like consistency that shouldn’t be sticky.
- STEP THREE: Roll the dough into 1/2” balls and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a fork to press each one down. This is what makes those recognizable grooves on top. Then top with a red heart sprinkle.
- STEP FOUR: Finally, refrigerate for 1 hour until they have set before diving in!
What to serve with Grinch Cream Cheese Mints
Mints are always a welcome addition to any Christmas dessert board or candy dish.
When I serve them for a crowd, I like to make sure to have a few other festive-themed treats. No bake melted reindeer bark, chocolate cherry mice, gingerbread cookies, snowman Oreo balls, and a drunk Rudolph milkshake to wash it all down!
Possible Substitutions/Additions ❤️
- You can also use a cream cheese mint mold instead of pressing them down with a fork. These can come in a variety of designs like Christmas trees, candy canes, flowers, Santa Claus, you name it! Of course, they may no longer be Grinch-y but that’s ok, there’s plenty of room for all kinds of designs!
- Add a drop of vanilla in there if you like a little extra depth of flavor.
- The food coloring is optional! I mean, they are Grinch mints, so it’s nice to have, but if you don’t have any, this cream cheese mints recipe is delicious as is, even without any design or color.
- For an alternative idea to these Christmas mints, you can leave some without food coloring (white), and then make some red, and the others green for a variety of Christmas colors. They look so nice on a dessert tray!
- If salted butter is what you have on hand, you can go ahead and use it.
How store Grinch Cream Cheese Mints
How to store leftovers
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.
If you’ve got more than a single layer, I would suggest separating them with parchment or wax paper so they don’t stick together.
How long will cream cheese mints last in the fridge?
When stored properly, they can last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Can I freeze Christmas mints?
They can last up to 1 year in the freezer. Talk about getting a head start on your holiday desserts!
Bring them to room temperature 1 hour before serving.
FAQs
Can I keep Grinch cream cheese mints at room temperature?
Yes, you can keep them at room temperature in an airtight container, but there’s a greater chance of them becoming soft too quickly. It’s up to you how you prefer to eat them!
What is the difference between peppermint extract and mint extract?
Mint is a combination of peppermint and spearmint, which some people find a bit like toothpaste. Spearmint is what you’d usually find in minty desserts, but depending on your tastes, either will work.
Whatever you use, try and use the good quality stuff. Pure extract rather than anything artificial.
Why only cream cheese from a block?
The spreadable kind has more water in it which doesn’t set as well. It will change the consistency of your dough and the texture of the candy.
Need more candy recipes? Try these:
Soft Chewy Chocolate Espresso Caramels
Click here for my entire collection of dessert recipes.
Grinch Christmas Cream Cheese Mints
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 5 drops neon green food coloring
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- red heart sprinkles
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese, butter, peppermint extract, and food coloring. Mix together.4 ounces cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, 5 drops neon green food coloring
- Add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, and mix until you get a dough-like consistency that isn’t sticky.4 cups powdered sugar
- Roll the dough into ½-inch balls and place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Press each mint down with a fork.
- Top with a heart sprinkle.red heart sprinkles
- Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Needed a no bake recipe for cookie exchange – These we’re perfect!
Thanks, Julie!
Would you be able to use salted butter if you don’t have unsalted butter?
Yes & it should be fine. They’re plenty sweet.
We made these over the holidays and everyone got a kick out of them! Yum
Yay, thanks for reporting back! 🙂
I love how your recipe(s) has instructions and reiterates the measurements for me. I don’t have to toggle back and forth. Yay for great thinking. Thank you.
I’ve been testing that so thank you for the feedback!
We make these without the mint, as no one in the household is a fan of mint flavors. They are so delicious without too!