Old Fashioned Butter Mints Recipe To Make For Party Favors and Treats (2024)

December 20, 2020 By Brandy 24 Comments

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Use this old-fashioned butter mints recipe to make your own delicious mints for weddings, showers or parties! Beautiful pastel colors and deliciously minty!

I love making candy. Be sure to try our English toffee recipe as well as our homemade tootsie rolls!This post was originally shared in 2012 and now includes a step by step video.

What Are Butter Mints?

Butter mints are often served at weddings and parties. They come in a variety of colors and are hard in texture until you pop them in your mouth. Then they become soft and melt in your mouth.

My kids and I LOVE old-fashioned butter mints.I remember my grandparents putting butter mints out for my aunt’s wedding when I was a child. She had two receptions, and I think most of my memories revolve around playing with my cousins and eating the butter mints and mixed nuts off of the tables. With 7 daughters, they went through a lot of butter mints for all of those wedding receptions.

My kids ate these homemade butter mints right up. They said they were just right in the minty-flavored department. They had fun choosing what colors to make them and a few are swirled with 2 colors.

Flavoring Butter Mints

I use peppermint extract. I also have peppermint flavoring oils (NOT to be confused with essential oil). The flavoring oils are more potent and require less, but the flavor is very similar.

You can flavor these using any flavor of extract you like, but peppermint is my favorite.

Storing Mints

There aren’t any preservatives in homemade butter mints and they are slightly softer than their store-bought counterparts. The butter will make them soften and stick together so it is best to store them in the refrigerator after drying out.

Old-Fashioned Butter Mints Recipe

recipe adapted from Averie Cooks

Old Fashioned Butter Mints

Use this old-fashionedbutter mints recipeto make your own delicious mints for weddings, showers or parties! Beautiful pastel colors and deliciously minty!

4.65 from 28 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 portions

Calories: 178kcal

Equipment

mixing bowl
electric mixer
Pizza Cutter
cutting board
measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter softened
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon extract peppermint, cinnamon, lemon, etc.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring variety of colors

Instructions

Beat butter using electric mixer until smooth, 30-45 seconds.
Add powdered sugar, milk, peppermint extract (or any other kind of extract) and vanilla, and mix until a dough forms. Add an additional 1/4 cup of powdered sugar if the dough is too sticky.
Divide dough into 3 or 4 portions for coloring. Add a few drops of coloring and knead into dough.
Tip: If you have a Kitchenaid mixer you can use the paddle attachment to color the dough or use gloves to color the dough by hand to save your fingers from staining.
Pinch off a 2" ball of colored dough and roll out into long ropes. Cut each rope into tiny bite sized pieces using a pizza cutter on a cutting board.
See Also
Orange Marmalade Recipe - With and Without Pectin 28 Old-School Jewish Recipes Your Grandma Used to Make, from Latkes to Matzoh Ball Soup 15 Traditional Norwegian Recipes 30 Best Scandinavian Recipes
Let candy dry on baking sheet for 24 hours.

Notes

Tthe colored dough will look swirly, and not be solid in color. That's normal.

Finished mints can be refrigerated for several weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcal

Brandy

Website | + posts

Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Mary says
July 27, 2012 at 1:59 am
So glad that you made these. I have been wanting to try the recipe, but wasn’t sure how well they’d come out. Yippee…I’ll have to make these soon.
Reply
Melissa says
July 28, 2012 at 6:14 am
Life. Changing. I had NO idea you could make butter mints and I have a good working knowledge of candy! I’m so pleased that you shared this!
Reply
Erin Alldredge says
August 4, 2012 at 6:28 pm
My hubby really loves mints. Whenever we find a good mint at a restaurant we always sneak a huge handful. I’ll have to try these for sure. I’d love it if you shared this at my link party. http://acraftycook.blogspot.com/2012/08/1-month-of-fun-august-link-party.html
Reply
The Daily Smash says
August 6, 2012 at 8:15 pm
Yummy these look great.. What a great blog it makes me hungry lol check out my food blog if you get a min and have not done it already..
http://www.thedailysmash101.blogspot.com
Reply
Melissa Lind says
See Also
Ultimate Fudge Recipe | Carnation
August 13, 2012 at 3:45 am
Mmmmmm. I am excited to try these! 😀
Melissa http://www.mywatermelonmoon.com, I am (now) a follower and I would appreciate you following along with me too! Have a fabulous day!
Reply
Renee Hagloch says
September 1, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Yummy! My recipe for mints is very similar but I use cream cheese. I would love for you link this up at my first LINK PARTY!
http://www.thecreativeorchard.blogspot.com/2012/08/tutorial-link-party.html
Reply
Megan @ PolishTheStars.com says
September 1, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Yum! I have always loved eating these when they are served at parties but I never learned to make them myself. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks!
Reply
Paula says
September 5, 2012 at 5:11 pm
I could seriously eat buttermints by the pound! What a great recipe! We’d love for you to share this at our party! http://housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/2012/09/riverton-housewives-round-up-31.html
Reply
Hannah Harper says
October 13, 2012 at 4:13 am
WOW! These look amazing! I have to try them. I wonder if you could use a piping bag with a large tip, like a star tip, and make a cool shape…
Reply
Jo and Sue says
December 13, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Aaaaaw…I remember these from when I was little. My grandma used to have these on her table whenever we went to visit her. I will have to give these a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Reply
Laura says
April 20, 2013 at 1:31 am
Oh. my. gosh. I love those mints. I will HAVE to make some. I am pinning this immediately! Thanks for sharing!
Laura @ The Experimental Home
Reply
Gentle Joy Homemaker says
June 3, 2017 at 6:37 am
Those look great…. I have never made them, but need to. 🙂
Reply
Donna @ Modern on Monticello says
June 3, 2017 at 6:43 pm
I have always loved butter mints since I was a kid and my mom used to make them for weddings. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Reply
Kim says
June 5, 2017 at 3:41 pm
These looks so yummy!Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Have a great week!
Kim
Reply
roseannmhampton says
June 5, 2017 at 6:50 pm
My mom used to have butter mints every time we had company over for dinner! These look delicious!
Reply
Amy says
June 6, 2017 at 10:21 am
These butter mints caught my eye since I have always loved them. When I clicked for the recipe, it said that that link was no longer available. I was dissapointed. Maybe I will try back again and see if I can get it. I found you at Tasty Tuesdays link party.
Reply
Miz Helen says
June 13, 2017 at 9:42 am
I just love Butter Mints and a perfect mint for the June celebrations! Your post is awesome and thanks so much for sharing it with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great day and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Reply
Robin says
August 28, 2021 at 1:42 pm

These are my favorite even as a kid. I added 1 teaspoon mint instead of half and go the perfect mint! Thank you again for sharing! I will be posting on my food page and will be giving you credit 😉
Reply
- Brandy says
  August 31, 2021 at 8:44 pm
  So glad to hear!! Thank you!
  Reply
Deanna Grelinger says
July 27, 2022 at 11:31 am
My niece is using a dark green for one of her wedding colors. Has anyone tried to dye these mints darker colors?
Reply
Lily Johnson says
December 7, 2022 at 10:54 am

These were AMAZING!!!!!
Reply
- Brandy says
  December 7, 2022 at 3:48 pm
  So glad to hear, Lily!
  Reply
Anna Kinopka says
December 18, 2022 at 8:45 pm

I just made your mints for my Christmas goodie gift packs. Thank you soooooo much! Simple, easy, and FABULOUS! Next I’ll try another fun flavor!
Reply
- Brandy says
  December 18, 2022 at 8:59 pm
  Love it! Let me know what flavor you end up making next!
  Reply

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Old Fashioned Butter Mints Recipe To Make For Party Favors and Treats (2024)

FAQs

What are buttermints made of? ›

This nostalgic treat used to be very popular dating clear back to 1893! They're made with simple ingredients like butter, powdered sugar, cream or half and half, a pinch of salt, vanilla and some flavoring. Extracts work fine but I feel they keep their best flavor when you use candy oils.

Get More Info Here ›

How long do buttermints stay fresh? ›

BEST ANSWER: The buttermints have a shelf life of 240 days.

Know More ›

How to make breath mints at home? ›

Instructions:

Put the water in a double boiler. ...
Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the water. ...
Stir in the corn syrup, and warm on the stove over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture turns clear.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups (170 g) powdered sugar. ...
Once the texture is soft and stretchy, your gum paste is ready.

More items...

Get More Info ›

Why is it called a butter mint? ›

Soft mints, such as "dinner mints" and "butter mints", are soft candies, often with a higher butter content, that dissolve more readily inside one's mouth.

Read On ›

What are the ingredients in party sweets buttermint? ›

Sugar, Water, Invert Sugar, Contains Less than 2% of Each of the Following: Corn Syrup, Palm Oil (Adds a Trivial Amount of Fat), Sorbitol, Butter with Natural Flavor (Adds a Trivial Amount of Fat) (Pasteurized Cream, Natural Flavor), Salt, Peppermint Oil, Soy Lecithin (Adds a Trivial Amount of Fat), Sodium Benzoate ...

Is it OK to eat a lot of breath mints? ›

The occasional sugary mint here or there won't do much harm. However, if you catch yourself habitually popping mints after every meal and throughout the day that might be a potential problem for your teeth and mouth.

Discover More ›

What does buttermint taste like? ›

If you've ever been to a fair-to-middling dining establishment, you recognize these mints. The resemblance doesn't extend to flavor, however; buttery, sweet and rich, they taste like little bites of frosting.

Read On ›

What is the candy with butter in the name? ›

Butter Candy

Peanut Butter Candy.
Butter Toffee.
Butterscotch Candy.
Butter Rum Candy.

Get More Info Here ›

Can you freeze buttermints? ›

If you want to store butter mints for a longer time, just place the container in your freezer. (Again, make sure to use an airtight container. A freezer bag works too!) They should stay good for several months.

What is butter cookie made of? ›

Traditionally, butter cookies are made with very simple ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. But they are so easy to change up with different flavorings and extracts to create flavored butter cookies.