Why would anyone want to make his/her/their own peppermint patties, you ask? Well, David Lebovitz makes them to add to the ice cream whose recipes he provides in his wonderful ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop. I happened to have nothing to do one day and no reason to make any ice cream for anybody (which was sad) and saw that I had the ingredients to make these patties, so I did. The result is… unconventional, but delicious. Note that you need to dry out the filling for at least eight hours before proceeding with the recipe.
2 c. icing sugar
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 teaspoons water
Scant 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract or oil
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used a Lindt dark chocolate bar, I think, and then maybe a milk chocolate one when the dark chocolate ran out before I’d covered all the mint filling -- classic)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust it with about 1 Tbsp. of icing sugar.
In a bowl, mix the corn syrup, water, and mint extract or oil. Gradually stir in the remaining icing sugar. As the mixture thickens, knead it with your hands until it forms a smooth ball (it will seem dry at first, but it will come together).
Pat the dough out onto the sugar-covered parchment about 1/3 in. thick and let it dry, uncovered, for at least 8 hours or overnight. You can shape it into a disk, or use a cookie cutter to cut disks, as I did (with magnificent results! ;)).
When it has dried out for that amount of time, melt the chocolate in a clean, absolutely dry bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat. Line a dinner plate with plastic wrap or parchment. Cut the disk neatly into triangular wedges, or cut it into rounds that probably won’t stay that way, like I did, and brush off any excess sugar. Using two forks (I used tongs, actually), dip each wedge into the chocolate, turning to ensure that it’s completely covered, then transfer each piece to the lined dinner plate. (“Since they’re going to be chopped up, don’t worry if they aren’t museum quality,” says Lebovitz, who must have once been to a peppermint patty museum somewhere.)
Chill the patties in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate has firmed up, then chop it into bite-sized pieces if you’re stirring it into ice cream. They can be stored in the fridge or freezer, properly wrapped, for up to one month.
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