Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mints

I have another pumpkin treat idea for you today. It’s so simple but sure to delight children and adults alike. It’s this recipe for pumpkin cream cheese mints.

I saw this idea somewhere on Pinterest last year and then adapted the technique to my cream cheese mint recipe that I love. I made them for the first time for my in-laws surprise anniversary party last year. They were a hit! These mints are quite easy to make but make a great fall themed trea

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The recipe only uses a handful of simple ingredients – powdered sugar, cream cheese, pretzels, food dye and flavored extract.

There are 2 flavoring options.

You can use any pure extract flavoring you choose. Almond is my favorite for these mints while my brother prefers butter extract. Vanilla works nicely too as does peppermint. Simply buy pure extract at your grocery store or online. I like the Watkins brand myself

You can also buy candy flavoring which is much more concentrated. It only takes a drop or two to flavor the whole batch so if you go this route, adjust your recipe accordingly. I’ve bought candy flavorings at our local bulk food store but you can also find them on Amazon. If you are going this route, I like the LorAnn brand for candy flavoring oils.

Because the concentration is different, the cost is pretty comparable. The recipe below uses measurements for extract. If you are using candy oils add one or two drops and taste for strength of flavor. You can always add more but you can’t take any away!

Ingredients:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract (or any extract flavoring of your choice)
3 cups powdered sugar
Orange food dye
Colored orange sugar
Stick pretzels

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and extract. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add in a toothpick full of orange food dye. Blend until smooth.

With your hands, roll cream cheese dough into 1/2 inch size balls (about the size of a nickel). Roll the balls in orange colored sugar. Place on an baking sheet lined with waxed paper, and flatten with a fork.

Take a stick pretzel and break off the top third of the pretzel. Gently press the pretzel into the top of the mint while at the same time making an indention in the bottom of the mint with your finger or another pretzel. (I’m sorry I don’t have a picture of this for you since both my hands were occupied with mints. It is simpler than it sounds. I promise!) You want the pretzel stem to go down at least one quarter of the way into the mint so it is secure. You do not have to make the indention at the bottom of the mint but I think they look more like pumpkins this way.

Store mints in an airtight container in the freezer or refrigerator. Depending on the size of the mints you roll, this recipe yields around 3 dozen mints.

Additional Notes:

This recipe uses a 1 to 1 ratio of 1 ounce cream cheese to 1 cup powdered sugar. If you would like to make more mints with this recipe, simply increase both ingredients equally, and adjust your flavor accordingly.

I highly recommend you use the Wilton concentrated food dyes for this recipe. Actually, I recommend you use these anytime you need to dye or color something. These work a hundred times better than the liquid food coloring you buy at the store! You can buy them at Michaels, Hobby Lobby or on Amazon. Like with the candy oils, they are so concentrated, a tiny toothpick of color will dye your cream cheese mixture the perfect shade of pumpkin orange.

You can buy colored sugar for this recipe or simple do what I do. Add a couple drops of Wilton food dye to regular sugar and stir with a spoon to dye the sugar yourself. It’s much cheaper to do it this way! You can use white sugar but the orange really makes the pumpkins stand out.

Cream cheese mints freeze great but do be aware that the pretzels will go stale in the freezer. Since the pretzel really is more for the stem effect, if this doesn’t bother you, feel free to make them ahead of time and freeze them.

Have you made cream cheese mints before?  Do you have any other pumpkin themed ideas to share?

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mints

A fun fall twist on delicious cream cheese mints. These pumpkin cream cheese mints are a festive treat that is sure to be enjoyed by all!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract (or extract flavoring of your choice)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • Orange food dye
  • Colored orange sugar
  • Stick pretzels

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and extract.
  2. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth.
  3. Add in a toothpick full of orange food dye. Blend until smooth.
  4. With your hands, roll cream cheese dough into 1/2 inch size balls (about the size of a nickel). Roll the balls in orange colored sugar. Place on an baking sheet lined with waxed paper, and flatten with a fork.
  5. Take a stick pretzel and break off the top third of the pretzel. Gently press the pretzel into the top of the mint while at the same time making an indention in the bottom of the mint with your finger or another pretzel. You want the pretzel stem to go down at least one quarter of the way into the mint so it is secure.
  6. Store mints in an airtight container in the freezer or refrigerator. Depending on the size of the mints you roll, this recipe yields around 3 dozen mints.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1

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9 Comments

  1. Pingback: 55+ Family-Friendly Halloween Party Ideas | Hunny I'm Home
  2. I bet these are a tasty little treat Kristen. Plus, they’re so stinkin cute! My husband and I are working on eating less gluten, so I’d love to try these, minus the pretzels. I’m a big fan of cream cheese, and I just love the smell of almond extract. The extract seems like a great addition to the cream cheese.

    1. Thanks, Tiffany! Almond is my favorite too. Actually, the original mint recipe is just plain circles (without the pretzels) so already gluten free! They are a tasty little treat!

  3. Oh Yum! I really admire women who create such cute edibles (that’d be you!) My kids would probably fall off their chairs if I whipped up something like this. I think I’ll try it 🙂

    1. You can do it, Janeen! 🙂 It’s really very simple…or you could put the kids to work (if you’re really feeling brave) and let them try. They are so yummy!

  4. My grandmother used to make mints for special occasions and for each family wedding. She had passed away before my wedding, but my mother continued the tradition. Thanks for the sweet reminder today!

  5. These are just so cute 🙂 I have never made those before and to be honest, I have hardly made anything out of mint. But you definitely got me inspired 🙂

    1. Thanks, Reelika! I am actually not a mint person either, hence the reason I use almond extract – or vanilla or even butter flavoring. There are dozens of candy oil flavorings if you want to try this recipe. I’m sure you could find one to your liking. It is a fun recipe, and I’m glad I could inspire you! 🙂

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