DIY peppermint patties

These homemade peppermint patties were, without a doubt, one of the easiest and most rewarding candy-making recipes I've tried. The centers are softer than the York candies and taste a lot better, in my opinion — creamy and rich and intensely minty. And the chocolate is much better too. Instead of the thin and bitter possibly-not-real-chocolate coating, you can use whatever your heart desires, in this case, a hunk of bittersweet loveliness from Sahadi's.

Last night, I made a triple batch with a friend who likes playing around with food coloring. We left one third alone, which didn't make it into any of the photographs, colored one (quite) green, and attempted to color one red. My plan was to bring some along to a couple of festive occasions coming up in the next week or so, but only if I don't eat them all first.
DIY peppermint patties
from TheKitchn

2 cups powdered sugar
1.5 tbsp softened butter
2 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cream
8 ounces (about 1-1/3 cup) dark chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable shortening

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper or a silpat. In a blender, cream together the sugar, butter, extracts, and cream on low speed. After the ingredients are combined, raise the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes until mixture holds together very well and is creamy, not powdery.

Using a teaspoon, roll the candy into small balls and flatten them on the wax paper or silpat with the palm of your hand into patty shapes. When done, put them in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the chopped chocolate and the shortening in the microwave or over a double boiler.

Using dipping tools or two dinner forks, dip the patties into the chocolate one by one. Drag them across the lip of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Return them to the wax paper or silpat, and place back in the refrigerator to set the candies. They should be ready to eat in a few hours.

And that's it! Due to the dairy ingredient, these need to be kept in the refrigerator. Layer the patties between sheets of parchment in an airtight container. They'll last for a month.