There is an art to making candy and these butter mints are no exception. The recipe is simple. The method is straightforward, but the nature of the candy is extremely finicky. Making butter mints requires practice and patience – but the result is worth every bit of effort.
Making butter mints requires a few candy making essential tools – a marble slab or counter top, a heavy sauce pan, a digital thermometer, a good bench scraper, and a brush to wash the sides of the pan. You’ll also find a dropper helpful for distributing the peppermint oil.
The ingredients are simple – water, sugar, butter, and peppermint oil. Just keep in mind – the better the ingredients, the yummier your candy will be. So use high-quality butter. And only use pure peppermint oil. No extracts, flavors, or imitation peppermint.
You should note that butter mints are very fussy. Weather can heavily impact the success of this candy. So, if it is raining or snowing, do not attempt to make butter mints. Also, refrain from doing other cooking while prepping your candy. No soup! No boiling water! Keep the oven off! A cool kitchen will also contribute to success, because it will aid the candy in cooling quickly.
Richard Port is the author of this recipe. He teaches classes at Orson Gygi. He has perfected this recipe and generously offered to share. It is hard to find a recipe that uses the old candy making methods, and we are so grateful to him for sharing his hard work and expertise.
He loves to teach candy making beginners and experts alike. Whether this is your first foray into candy or not, you’ll find this recipe to be thorough and helpful. Just know this – if your first batch of butter mints does not succeed, don’t give up! With a little practice, you’ll learn how to make this classically delicious candy!
In a heavy pan, add the 1 cup of water, 3 cups of sugar, and 1 cube of butter. Place lid on and. heat on medium heat until this comes to a boil and has climbed the sides of the pan. Remove the lid and wash the sides of the pan down. Make sure you wash the sides well, you can not have any sugar crystals. Clip the thermometer to the post and watch. Now, this candy is never stirred. You just don't need to. You might be tempted and I don't know if it would hurt, but there is no need. While this is cooking, prepare the marble slab. Take a cube of butter and divide into 1/5ths. Now take one of these and butter the slab in an area about the size of an 18" circle. Also, butter the dough knife. Have the peppermint oil ready next to the marble slab. Prepare the container by placing one piece of wrap on the bottom of the container and set aside. Watch the thermometer an when it reaches 256 degrees, pull off the heat immediately. Pour onto the buttered portion of the marble slab. DO NOT SCRAPE THE BOTTOM! Place the pan in the sink and start filling with water. Add six drops of peppermint oil to the candy. When the bubbles have all gone, start working with the dough knife. Pull the edges into the center and working around the candy, fold onto itself and flatten out then fold and keep moving. Do this until you are able to pick up. Form into a log and start pulling. You want to pull as into as long as your hands can reach. Fold into thirds, then pull and fold again. Remember, the part in your hands will need to be worked in as well. Keep pulling, folding, and twisting. You will notice the color start to change. It will lighten and start getting a dull finish. Sometimes this can take about 10 minutes. When you can't pull easily (this knowledge comes with experience) pull into pieces about 24 inches long and line up on your slab. The ropes should be slightly thicker than a finger. Add a twist to the ropes. Now, start cutting into 1" - 1.5" pieces. Place into your container. Make a layer, then place a layer of Saran Wrap. Repeat until all the pieces have been cut. Top with two layers of Saran Wrap and cover with an airtight lid. Rest for 24 hours. The candy starts rock hard, but after sitting in the container for 24 hours, it will then melt in your mouth. There! You did it! Good Job This candy is very fussy and 100% affected by weather. If it is raining or snowing, do not attempt to try to make this candy. With experience and practice, you will be making wonderful butter mints. Butter Mints
(10 votes, average: 4.40 out of 5)
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Watch this video and you can make Buttermints right along with Richard and Heather. It’s as close as we can get to having you here in the Gygi kitchen!
This recipe is part of our Annual Gygi Chocolate Extravaganza. Check out all the classes (hands on, demo and virtual options!)
Nicole Dodd
December 11, 2022 at 4:12 pmThis is GOLD! We have been trying to replicate making butter mints we used to make with our dear Uncle Bill, -we have his recipe (very rough instructions!) and we have not had success! We realize now, it was the weather- We tried batch after batch and would never have had any success, because it was raining!!
My question is…any recommendations for making these at altitude?? (Breckenridge) We plan to make theses while we are there for Christmas.We usual make them at
london
December 13, 2022 at 2:16 pmWeather and elevation are both important factors. Breckenridge is 9600 feet above sea level, so that will definitely factor in. You will have to decrease your temperature about six to eight degrees from what is written. You can also experiment with decreasing the cook time as well. Good luck!
Michael
December 21, 2020 at 8:09 amI have made buttermints for years with success and failure. When I have “success” they are grainy, rarely are they very smooth and creamy as they should be and I do not know why. My other issue is that it sticks to my fingers quite a bit while pulling and sometimes to the point that I can’t even pull it. I noticed in the video that it sticks to your fingers in the beginning a little bit, but then stops. I have buttered my fingers excessively and that does not help. Thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Trudy
December 4, 2020 at 2:55 pmI loved watching the video and all the tips provided. I made them after the video and they turned out great. Excited to make more this afternoon.
Mandy Hansen
November 13, 2020 at 11:12 pmMy great grandmother made these and I have been trying to master the art of buttermint making for years. I was so happy to happen upon this video. I have a question for Richard Port. Sometimes after letting them mellow for the 24 hours some of my batches come out more crunchy than that melt in your mouth texture. Can you tell me what step I am possibly getting wrong to make this happen? Thank you!