Peppermint patties

It's cold today - very cold. It's a good day to catch up inside on work. I decided to give these peppermint patties a try now that I finally found peppermint extract... it took me weeks to find it, but I finally found it at Walmart of all places. Never mind the four big grocery stores I went to.

They are actually fairly easy to make, just a bit messy. Alright, I'm not going to lie, these are very, very, messy and my kitchen looks like a bomb of chocolate and powdered sugar exploded in it.

It did actually.

However after all the fuss, and the disappointment that mine are not as pretty as the picture on my recipe passed... and they finished getting firmed up... they were worth it. They taste exactly like a peppermint pattie you would buy at the store. Exactly like them. It's quite amazing.

So if you really love peppermint patties, or feel like making a good mess in your kitchen, try these. I think these would make lovely gifts too, something special.

This recipe comes from Gourmet, and I found it on eatliverun.com

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 1/2 tbs corn syrup

1 1/2 tbs water

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 tbs shortening

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate

2 tbs butter

Mix together the confectioners sugar, corn syrup, water, peppermint extract, and shortening until combined. Scoop out and knead on a confectioners sugar dusted counter - until the mixture is a smooth white ball. You'll need a lot of confectioners sugar - trust me.

Roll the ball out to 1/4 inch thick using a rolling pin, or just your hands. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Using a small circular cookie cutter (this didn't work for me, I used my hands and made the balls and then flattened them) punch circles into the peppermint "dough." Freeze again for 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, melt your chocolate and butter over low heat.

Let it cool slightly, so it's still soft but not super hot.

Drop the peppermints in and smooth the chocolate over the tops to coat well. Lay each patty on wax paper and freeze until firm, about 15-20 minutes. Store in fridge.

Now "dropping" the peppermints into the chocolate didn't work nicely for me, I had to just coat them, and then make a new ball and flatten it again as nicely as possible. It worked for me, although messy.

Will I make these again? Yes. Even with the mess, they were worth it, and next time I'll be better prepared for the mess, and have things set up so I'm not running around like a crazy person. I'm sure it would have been entertaining to watch though. I love baking but candy making is a whole other world, let me tell you!