Today’s Spotlight is in the Peppermint Patty.

Peppermint Patty brings up a number of possible thoughts. These include:

• York Peppermint Patty – A round, flat candy with a sweet, white, minty filling encased in dark chocolate. The candy was invented in 1920 and is currently made by the Hershey company.
• Peppermint Patties – A type of soft, circle-shaped sweet sold in the US. The candy has a creamy peppermint center with a semi-sweet chocolate coating.
• Comic strip character – Peppermint Patty: A freckled and frequently bewildered tomboy who referred to Charlie Brown as “Chuck”. She is a star athlete, especially in baseball.

For today’s purpose we will focus on the edible ones.

Here are some types of peppermint patties:

• York Peppermint Patties: A dark chocolate candy with a peppermint filling. They are available in bite-sized miniatures.
• York THiNS Peppermint Patties: A dark chocolate candy with a peppermint filling.
• York Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties: A dark chocolate candy with a peppermint filling.
• Fresh Peppermint Pattie Cookies: Cookies with Hershey’s chocolate and York patties.

(generic) Peppermint patties are soft, round candies with a peppermint filling and a dark chocolate coating. Some say they are buttery and creamy, like junior mints. Others say they have a “cool” peppermint flavor that tingles the mouth.

Peppermint patties are made with a simple recipe of:

• Corn syrup, Butter, Powdered sugar, Peppermint extract.

Some say peppermint patties are one of the healthiest confectioneries.

The white stuff in a York Peppermint Patty is a layer of peppermint-flavored cream. The cream is then dipped in chocolate.

Other ingredients in a York Peppermint Patty include:

• Confectioner’s sugar, Peppermint extract, Corn syrup, Vegetable shortening, Milk fat, Egg whites, Cocoa butter, Lecithin (soy, Oil of peppermint, PGPR, Natural flavor.

York Peppermint Patties are not vegan. York Peppermint Patties are covered in dark chocolate.

The chocolate contains:

• Cocoa
• Semi-sweet chocolate
• Cocoa butter
• Natural flavor

York Peppermint Patties have 70% less fat than other leading chocolate candy brands.

 

History

Charles M. Schulz modeled Peppermint Patty after his cousin, Patricia Swanson. Schulz also named his earlier character Patty after Swanson.  Schulz said he named Peppermint Patty after a dish of peppermint candies in his office. He also said the character was inspired by the Women’s Liberation Movement of the late 1960s. Peppermint Patty first appeared in Peanuts on August 22, 1966. But wait… we are focusing today on the editable patties.

The history of this cool treat goes back all the way to 1920 when Henry Kessler opened the York Cone Company, in York, Pennsylvania. About 20 years later, the peppermint patty was introduced. According to Penn State University, before the creation of Peppermint Patties, the idea of peppermint covered with chocolate was not very popular. Kessler was able to figure out how to prevent the patty of the candy from becoming gooey.

These parties are made from dark chocolate which covers a white, round granular peppermint mixture. When the confection first came out, each patty had to pass something called the snap test. If the candy didn’t break cleanly down the middle, it wasn’t packed for sale.

Here is some history on York Peppermint Patties:

• Invented: In 1940 by Henry Kessler at the York Cone Company in York, Pennsylvania.
• Sold: In the Northeastern United States, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Florida.
• Nationally launched: In 1975 by Peter Paul.
• Merged: With The Hershey Company in 1988.
• Estimated production: 1.5 billion York Peppermint Patties are made every year.

The York Cone Company originally made ice cream cones and waffles. Kessler wanted to expand the business and invented a new candy that combined chocolate and peppermint. He named the new creation the “York Peppermint Pattie”.

The name York Peppermint Patty comes from the town they originated (York, Pa.) and the soft gummy payment center, which is the patty. The York Cone Company merged with the Hershey Company back in 1988.

 

Here are some fun facts about peppermint patties:

• The first peppermint patties were made in 1840 by the Quiggin family on the Isle of Man.
• The York Cone Company merged with The Hershey Company in 1988.
• The slogan for York Peppermint Patties is “Get the Sensation”.
• A regular-size York Peppermint Patty has 150 calories or less.
• The Hershey Company moved production of York Peppermint Patties to Monterey, Mexico.

Here is a Peppermint Patty recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1½ tsp peppermint extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar.
• 8 ounces dark chocolate chopped.
• 2 tsp oil

 

Instructions:

1. In a medium size bowl mix the sweetened condensed milk, peppermint extract, and powdered sugar together until thick dough forms.
2. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on a flat clean work surface and place the peppermint dough on the sugar. Using a rolling pin roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness.
3. Using a medicine cup or other round object, cut out 1-inch circles from the dough. Place onto a wax paper covered baking sheet.
4. Place the peppermint patties into the fridge and allow them to cool for about 30 minutes.
5. Place the chocolate in a heat safe bowl. Add the oil. Heat the chocolate in the microwave in 15 second intervals until the chocolate is fully melted. Stir until smooth.
6. Using a fork dip the peppermint patties into the melted chocolate and place back on the wax paper covered baking sheet.
7. Once all patties have been coated place the tray back in the fridge and allow the chocolate to set for another 30 minutes.
8. Store the peppermint patties in the fridge until ready to be served.
9. Enjoy!

 

Here are some tips for making peppermint patties:

• Stir the ingredients together until a dough forms.
• Use a cookie cutter to cut out rounds of the peppermint mixture.
• Store peppermint patties in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for at least a month.

 

Consumption

According to Hershey, around 1.5 billion York Peppermint Patties are made every year. In 2020, 3.47 million Americans consumed five or more servings of York Peppermint Patties.

Pearson’s makes more than half a billion mint patties every year. If you stacked them straight up in the air, you’d have 3125 miles of mints.

 

Celebrating Peppermint Patties

February 11 has been set aside as the National Peppermint Patty Day. You can celebrate by enjoying some of these minty treats. Let us know in the comments if you have ever tried to make your own peppermint patties at home.