Peppermint Patties

[Shel_B]

This morning fortune was kind enough to bless me with a small, bite-sized York peppermint patty  http://www.hersheys.com/york/products/york-snack-size.aspx.  Interesting concept, but one that can certainly be improved upon, (not as gummy, brighter, more peppermint flavor).  I'd like to give it a try in a couple of weeks.  So, how might I make the peppermint filling?

 

Ingredients listed on the website:

 

SUGAR; CORN SYRUP; SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE ( CHOCOLATE; SUGAR; COCOA; MILK FAT; COCOA BUTTER; SOY LECITHIN; PGPR, EMULSIFIER; VANILLIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR) ; INVERT SUGAR; EGG WHITES; OIL OF PEPPERMINT; MI LK

Edited September 14, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[Jim D.]

Here's a recipe using fondant:  http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Peppermint-Patties

 

And here's one from Epicurious.com:  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peppermint-Patties-240935  (this one calls for tempering the chocolate)

[Kerry Beal]

Most of us use either recipes and techniques from Chocolot's classic book "Candymaking" or Grewling's Chocolates and Confections or his Chocolates and Confections at Home.

[ChefPip]

There was a time before York began a big advertising campaign that a candy company known as "Ludens" had one of the best

Peppermint Patty candies going.   It was known as the Melloment Patty and there are other makers who still produce something similar.  Pearson's is one example of it.

 

York's texture so solid and seems like a piece of compressed confectioners sugar with Peppermint flavoring in it.

 

I'm a firm believer in, "To each his or her own" so I would wish you the best.

 

Ludens is known now more for cough drops but at one time they produced several forms of candy.

 

I'd offer you this link to review from epicurious.

 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peppermint-Patties-240935

 

 

I've wondered about this for some time myself.  I know invertase is used in making chocolate covered cherries.  Those are stored for a week or two so that the enzyme melts the sugar to a liquid inside the chocolate shell.   My thought is to only use the smallest amount of it and allow the patties to be stored in the refrigerator for a couple weeks so the patty will have a creamier texture and not be so chalky as York's. .

[Chocolot]

ChefPip, you are correct about the invertase softening the patty. That is what Greweling uses, and I think his is very good. The amount of invertase doesn't vary the softness, only the speed of softening. If you use a little, it will take longer, a lot will soften faster.

[ChefPip]

Good point Chocolot.  I've considered doing this during the Holiday Season in past years. The use of invertase has been an idea

that I've kept on the back burner but when I saw Shel's thread I thought I'd see if anyone else has considered it. 

 

What you are saying is quite helpful in realizing that there may be a limit to the time such confections can be kept on hand. Still there is the amount of time needed for the center to become softer than the York example, but not too liquid. 

 

That may just take some experimenting and record keeping where the candy is kept at a constant temperature in a cool place.

 

Then if it's as good as I can imagine, it may not exceed it's "best consumed before" date.

[Shel_B]

Here's a recipe using fondant:  http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Peppermint-Patties

 

And here's one from Epicurious.com:  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peppermint-Patties-240935 (this one calls for tempering the chocolate)

 

Thanks for the pointers.  The Epicurious recipe seems most interesting to me at this point.

[Shel_B]

I've wondered about this for some time myself.  I know invertase is used in making chocolate covered cherries.  Those are stored for a week or two so that the enzyme melts the sugar to a liquid inside the chocolate shell.   My thought is to only use the smallest amount of it and allow the patties to be stored in the refrigerator for a couple weeks so the patty will have a creamier texture and not be so chalky as York's. .

 

I have no idea what you are talking about.  Don't even know what invertase is ...

[curls]

Non-scientific answer on invertase... it liquifies the sugars. So, using invertase on a chocolate dipped peppermint patty will give you a texture similar to an After Eight Mint. Not using invertase, you will have a peppermint patty.

Invertase is used for most cherry cordials. The filling starts out as a solid then converts to a liquid center.

For the scientific explanation, check out the recommended Grewling cookbook.

[pastrygirl]

Would more fat make it more tender?  I'm thinking of butter mints, now I want to try a peppermint butter mint piped onto a circle of chocolate then dipped.  Or what if you used coconut oil, like in a meltaway?

Edited September 16, 2014 by pastrygirl (log)

[ChefPip]

Shel,  if there are any cake and candy supply stores in your area, you may be able to find some invertase there.  You'll probably be there looking dipping dipping chocolate, flavorings and so forth anyways. 

 

The reason invertase would even be used at all is to get a softer creamier patty inside the chocolate covering.  Again, this may or may not be of interest to you but I thought it may be of interest to you and others in the thread to bring it up.

 

I used to enjoy the Luden's Mellowmint patties before York aggressively took the market with advertising campaigns for a product I never thought was as good.  To me the solid patty was more about it's endurance for shipping over long distances and storage durability.

 

I figured a small quantity of invertase in the sugar patty would render a more pleasant "melt away" mouth texture to the confection.  

 

You could get some "After Eight" mints and some small "York's" and do a taste comparison if you wish and see what you think

of the two qualities.

 

In my view York creatd a product that was more focused on durability for storage and shipping and with their advertising

managed to position the product so favorably in the minds of the consumer.  For these reasons I think it is why York has become a favorite with retailers.   But for me the After Eight chocolate covered peppermint confection is the superior form

of this type of candy. 

Edited September 16, 2014 by ChefPip (log)

[Chocolot]

Grewelings recipe is excellent and I recommend it highly. He uses fresh mint and invertase. It takes a few weeks, but it softens beautifully. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

York was better before Hershey bought them.  In my opinion.

[ChefPip]

In the late 70's I had tried both the York and Ludens pepperming candies.  York was an obscure brand that was just out there

on the shelves.  Perhaps Peter Paul secured an Ad Agency to market or re-market their product.

 

The over the top Ad's brought York to where they all but ran other products like Luden's out of the market.

 

Ad's like these made York a commercial success even though many felt it was a hyped inferior product.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HItVDGs49o

Edited September 16, 2014 by ChefPip (log)

[Bill Klapp]

There was a time before York began a big advertising campaign that a candy company known as "Ludens" had one of the best

Peppermint Patty candies going.   It was known as the Melloment Patty and there are other makers who still produce something similar.  Pearson's is one example of it.

 

York's texture so solid and seems like a piece of compressed confectioners sugar with Peppermint flavoring in it.

 

I'm a firm believer in, "To each his or her own" so I would wish you the best.

 

Ludens is known now more for cough drops but at one time they produced several forms of candy.

 

I'd offer you this link to review from epicurious.

 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peppermint-Patties-240935

 

 

I've wondered about this for some time myself.  I know invertase is used in making chocolate covered cherries.  Those are stored for a week or two so that the enzyme melts the sugar to a liquid inside the chocolate shell.   My thought is to only use the smallest amount of it and allow the patties to be stored in the refrigerator for a couple weeks so the patty will have a creamier texture and not be so chalky as York's. .

I agree that Pearson's and After Eight are both winners.  They lean toward liquid rather than the chalky fondant of York's, which I have always found to be dreadful (but yet the perfect peppermint patty for palates that can eat Hershey's chocolate bars!).  Both also get it right with an ultra-thin chocolate coating of decent quality.  I also suggest looking at a Cella chocolate-covered cherry label to see how it maintains clear liquidity rather than the thick white sugar goo of other chocolate-covered cherries...

Edited September 16, 2014 by Bill Klapp (log)

[Shel_B]

Non-scientific answer on invertase... it liquifies the sugars. So, using invertase on a chocolate dipped peppermint patty will give you a texture similar to an After Eight Mint. Not using invertase, you will have a peppermint patty.

Invertase is used for most cherry cordials. The filling starts out as a solid then converts to a liquid center.

For the scientific explanation, check out the recommended Grewling cookbook.

 

Don't need a scientific answer ... you did good!

[Shel_B]

I'm not going to run out and by Greweling's book, or seek out invertase at this point.  I'll start with the Epicurious recipe and see if I want to explore the idea further.  But thanks for the ideas.  Seems like the book would be worth having should I decide to explore making candy in greater depth.  And thanks, too, for the education on invertase.

[ChefPip]

 

They lean toward liquid rather than the chalky fondant of York's, which I have always found to be dreadful (but yet the perfect peppermint patty for palates that can eat Hershey's chocolate bars!).

 

Interesting point Bill. 

 

I've often wondered if York isn't using the "Hershey Tropical chocolate" (of Military Ration fame) to coat those patties.

 

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhcjau44it1qzvu9x.png. 

 

When I began to study chocolate some time back I read a book titled:"Chocolate - A Healthy Passion" by Monica Bearden which

reviewed different nations chocolate and what qualities sets them apart.  It was a surprise to see how Hershey isn't held in very

high esteem anywhere other than the USA.  Since that time I've tried to purchase chocolate bars from all the different countries

where the sample was made in that country.  Often various brands have their production taking place in other countries where the labor is less expensive.  I've tried to stay with 70% cocoa content as those are most common. That had me shopping when I traveled and was close to some ethnic communities of German, Swiss, and Italian people to find these samples.

 

One of the least acceptable chocolate substitutes I've found is "Carob".  It's usually found in health food stores and is good for those with allergies to chocolate.  I understand that during WW2 the Military made carob coated pitted prunes for the GI's in the field.  It was a thinly disguised way to get something into them that was "good for them" and could still be called candy..

 

 

But it in the end it will all depend on what one's goal is in making such confections.  If it's Mom or Grand Mother making a sweet for the kids, I'm sure they will be delighted and show no evidence of chocolate snobbery. 

[GRiker]

I've wanted to make peppermint patties for a while but was intimidated since I'd never made fondant before.  I'd been looking online for non-fondant based recipes but knew they weren't quite what I was looking for when they dipped their frozen patties into melted chocolate chips!  I'm so glad to be able to read old threads.  Thank you @Chocolot and @Kerry Beal for the recommendation for Greweling.    This week I finally decided to give it a go.  I used Grewelings recipe subbing peppermint oil for the fresh mint and omitting the invertase as I don't have any on hand.  

 

The whole process was very satisfying and delicious.  I don't have a fondant funnel, so I just used a 1/2 T measure.  That worked but I had very different sized circles.  I'd like to figure out how to make a more uniform circle without acquiring another piece of equipment.  Any suggestions?  

 

I dipped them in Guittard Onyx 72% which complimented the mint nicely.  One of my sons called them "crispy".  They are more like a traditional York patty.  I am going to get some invertase to try for another option.  I'm not too patient, so I'm sure I'll opt for more invertase over less so as to not have to wait so long.

 

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by GRiker (log)

[minas6907]

@GRikerThose look great, I wouldnt have thought that was your first try making them.

For more uniformity, I use silicone molds. The fondant sets up fairly quickly and you can easily pop them out. I suppose it depends on the quantities that your making, but thats the first thing that comes to mind when you ask about more uniform circles. I dont recall where I got them from, I feel like it was JB Prince, but I dont see them, but I think these are the same ones:

https://www.pastrychef.com/SILICONE-MOLD--WAFER_p_2245.html

 

Additionally, about the confectionery funnel, those can get pretty expensive, depending on the brand, but I'd keep an eye out on ebay, you should be able to find a stainless funnel in the $40 range. Again, it depends on the quantities that you make, but after I got my first one (I got 2) I wish I gotten it much earlier.