One of my husband’s favorite candies is the York Peppermint Patty. This minty-chocolate treat might not be the most popular candy bar on the market, but it’s not that far of a stretch from his favorite ice cream, mint chocolate chip.
But take a look at this ingredient list:
sugar, corn syrup, semi- sweet chocolate (chocolate, sugar, cocoa, milk fat, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, PGPR, emulsifier, vanillian, artificial flavor), invert sugar, egg whites, and oil of peppermint
Gross, huh? I mean, lots of dieters LOVE York peppermint patties because they’re “OMG FAT FREE!” but with sugar in their ingredient list four times, they’re far from “good for you.” So I set out to make a much more nourishing, high-fat, low-sugar version.
And it is delicious.
The filling is simple. About a cup of coconut butter (I made my own by processing Organic Coconut Chips in my food processor until the oil released and the coconut became slightly doughy), with a few drops of peppermint extract and a touch of honey.
Next time, I’ll leave out the honey because the sugar in the dark chocolate coating was plenty of sweetness for me.
I made the patties about an inch and a half across, squeezing the “dough” tightly to shape it, placing them on a parchment-covered cookie sheet (you can use a silpat if you have one). When they were all shaped, I put the baking sheet in the freezer for just a couple of minutes.
While the patties were cooling down, I melted some chocolate – maybe a cup of dark chocolate, maybe a little less. You can use a double-boiler, but it works fine to do it in the microwave. Just microwave for 15 seconds, then stir, microwave another 15 seconds and stir. You want it to get to the point where there are still chocolate “lumps” in the melted part, that will melt as you stir… you don’t want them to melt in the microwave.
I hope that made sense. Basically: err on the side of under-“melted” and if you can’t get the pieces to combine by stirring, pop it in for another short period of time (even 5 seconds toward the end).
Then pull the cold patties out from the freezer, and coat each one with chocolate before placing them back on the parchment. Chill for another couple minutes to set the chocolate, and enjoy them cold from the fridge.
In a cooler climate or a better-air-conditioned house (we are trying to not go overboard with the cooling!) these might survive without becoming too sticky on your counter top… we just kept them in the fridge and enjoyed them cold though, which was very refreshing!
I see mounds/almond joy in my future… (would mix in shredded coconut with the coconut butter for a less creamy texture, leave out the mint, etc).
Homemade York Peppermint Patties Recipe
- 1 cup coconut butter
- few drops peppermint oil
- small amount of honey – optional
- 2/3 cup – 1 cup dark chocolate
This recipe makes about 16 peppermint patties, if yours are the same size mine were.
- Combine the first 3 ingredients thoroughly. Then shape into 1.5” patties with your hands and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze.
- Meanwhile, melt your chocolate however you like to do it.
- Dip the mint patties into the chocolate, covering thoroughly. Then place back onto the baking sheet.
- Refrigerate or freeze until set, then remove from parchment.
- Eat!
Hi! I'm Emily. I'm a Navy wife and stay at home mom of two beautiful children. I cook simple, delicious, grain-free recipes, do crafts, decorate my home on a budget, and keep a happy household. I tandem breastfeed, babywear, cloth diaper, practice elimination communication, homebirth, and co-sleep, but I'm not a hippie.
[...] http://www.joyfulabode.com/2010/06/10/homemade-york-peppermint-patty-recipe/ [...]
[...] SHOUT OUT to the blog that I got the idea from! I love her blog! [...]
I tried making these from another paleo blogger’s recipe, but I think I may have frozen the filling for too long before coating with chocolate – the melted chocolate kept sliding off the frozen filling. I also used coconut oil for the filling, which was pricey and hard to handle. They tasted delicious, though, so I absolutely can NOT wait to try your recipe! It sounds amazing, and so much easier. Thanks! (PS – I’ve been stalking your blog all morning, and I have the grain-free breakfast cookies in my oven right now!)
Made these today and they turned out really well! I accidentally processed the coconut shreds too long (well actually they just got done faster than I assumed they would) so it was a bit soupy but I popped it in the fridge for a bit and it hardened up enough for me to form.
Was not sure how much peppermint extract to put in so I only did 2 drops, wasn’t enough but I was afraid it would be gross if I put in too much. I used a tsp measuring spoon and got about 22.
Everyone in the fam (including the 11 and 6 yr old) are fighting over how to divide them up. Definitely making these again!
WOW! I love when people cite how “healthy” something is because it’s low in fat, completely ignoring the sugar content. I’m glad you pointed out what a fallacy that is. I was planning on trying to find a way to make peppermint patties without adding any refined sugar–thanks for paving the way!
all the different types of sugar they make now & add to everything is part of the reason diabetes is on the rise. fat ain’t that bad for you, just keep track on which fats are better…but sugar in any form can be devastating, health wise. just my 2 cents worth
luv these!
i love these thanks so much for the recipe these are the best!
Why are the small York Peppermint Patties made in Mexico when we all thought that Hershey, Pa and the surrounding area needs employment? I was most disappointed on Halloween night (after eating about eight of the small ones) to discover even more jobs have left the U.S. Additionally, while Hershey may have excellent quality assurance in the U.S., all locales outside our borders (particularly south of it) are suspect.
[...] homemade York Peppermint Patties from Joyful Abode via Craft [...]
[...] joyfulabode.com via TheOutlawMom on [...]
Wow, yours look even better than the real thing! Making some homemade Mounds bars was definitely the first thing I thought of after seeing these. Mmm.
[...] made some delicious recipes, ones that I would like to share: Zucchini Fritters, Homemade Granola, Homemade Peppermint Patties, Black Bean and Corn Casserole (a favorite) and Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits (for four-legged [...]
of all the recipes I’m come across today in searching for a york peppermint pattie, yours looks the best and the ingredients are singing to me…although I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to find coconut butter. Can’t wait to try this. I have a little boy who will be very happy if I can pull this off.
here it is! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000VWLQE6/joyfabod-20/
Emily: I hope you read your comments. I am at home with the flu today and went online to research the ingredient PGPR. It is in the ingredient list of a name brand peppermint patty. Your website popped up and I am ever grateful. I have been recently discovered I have an intolerace to gluten, and most grains, and your recipies sound wonderful. Thank you. I can tell you love what you do. I cannot wait to get well and try this recipie. Rebecca in Texas.
Rebecca, I’m so glad you found my site! I hope you enjoy the recipes.
yum!!! im definitely going to make these soon. I will probably write a post about it on my blog (and I will link back to your original post of course). Question: What kind of blender or food processor did you use to blend up the coconut chunks? and can you do it with fresh coconut meat? have you ever tried that?
very good information for panic away
As a diabetic, a low sugar higher fat version is (slightly) better for me – but I am going to try and come up with a low sugar AND low fat version based on the recipe idea you kindly shared here.
Wish me luck
so what, it’s going to be made of protein only? air? haha.
Why fear fat though? If it’s from a healthy source, and it’s a naturally occurring, stable fat like that of coconut… it’s not going to hurt you. You need fat!
I’ll second that… Fat is essential! And coconut fat is incredibly healthy
Avoid things like trans fats, and animal fats (but especially trans fats.) Fats from various plant sources like nuts, seeds, avocados, coconuts, olive, and grape seed are much better for you.
[...] Homemade york peppermint patties. Need. [...]
Hi Emily! Are you sure you’re not a hippie? You sound like one to me
You don’t have to be embarrassed about it. Or are hippie and Navy wife mutually exclusive?
Anyway, thanks for posting this. I just tried making some peanut butter cups for the first time, and they came out pretty well. Then I got a hankering for peppermint patties, so I started looking up recipes, and most of them basically call for pure sugar as the filling! There are some that mix baked potato in with the sugar, but that still doesn’t go very far to balance it out. I love coconut, so this should be a great way to make it more healthy.
I had never even heard of coconut butter before. I’ve been wanting to try using coconut oil, but it is so expensive! So I’m going to try your food processor method – I sure hope my processor is up to the task! I looked all over the net for some reasonably priced coconut, and I finally wound up buying a couple cases from http://tropicsbest.com/dried-coconut-2.html. The shipping costs more than the coconut does, but the total for one 12-lb. case is about 27 bucks including shipping, and for 24 lb. it’s about 46, so that’s right around $2/lb. Nothing else I found even comes close to that deal. So as soon as my coconut shows up, I will be trying to make some peppermint patties. Then I’m going to work on figuring out what else I can do with dried coconut. I wonder if there’s any way to isolate the oil from it at home. I would also love to make my own coconut milk and coconut iced cream.
By the way, I see that you are grain-free. If you are doing this to avoid gluten for health reasons, I recommend that you try going without dairy and soy as well – they are all very similar proteins and can all cause leaky gut syndrome. Peace.
Hi Matt. The peanut butter cups sound really good.
I keep meaning to make some! And homemade almond joys, similar to these peppermint patties, though of course without the mint, and with an almond.
I buy my coconut from tropical traditions – you can find a review of it, with purchasing info in the “reviews” tab. It’s very good and inexpensive, and they often have sales and/or free shipping.
I think it would be way too much trouble to isolate the oil on your own – it’s so cheap to buy! Click “Joyful Stuff” for a link for the kind I use.
We are soy free other than the occasional soy sauce! (If you’re avoiding soy though, you may wish to avoid peanuts / peanut butter and all other legumes because of similar issues.)I haven’t worked up the commitment to try a dairy-free month though, but intend to eventually to see if I feel awesome or not. Some people aren’t affected by dairy, while others are – but the only way to really tell is by cutting it out totally for a while, then re-introducing it.
PS Coconut butter is also called coconut cream concentrate.
mmm….I just love all things coconut! These patties look amazing! I can’t wait to try them!
Emily. I tried this recipe a while ago. Was awesome, but can’t wait to try them with the coconut creme you keep talking about.
Jen