HOMEMADE PEPPERMINT PATTIES or JR MINTS

Homemade Peppermint Patties or JR MINTS
(this is the fast way, you can also roll it out and cut out your circles if you want them perfect and round.. these go so fast, there really isn’t any reason to do that unless you want to impress LOL )

6 cups confectioners sugar

4 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons water
3 teaspoon peppermint extract
2-3 tablespoon vegetable shortening
melted chocolate and paraffin wax for gloss

If using stand mixer, use paddle attachment, beat confectioners sugar together with corn syrup, water, peppermint extract and vegetable shortening until just combined. 

Rake the bottom with your spatula to get the crumbs off the bottom. The mixture will be very crumbly. 

at this point you can take out and knead but I just keep in my bowl and change my mixer attachment to the bread kneader. Let it knead in the mixing bowl till comes together nice and smooth or you can Dust a work surface with a little confectioners sugar, kneading until smooth (this will take a few minutes). 

Shape dough into a log, the bigger the log the bigger the peppermint Pattie.. I am making mine small like mints today to stretch it further.

Wrap tightly in parchment paper or plastic wrap and freeze until very firm, about 20 minutes.

Remove dough and slice into rounds using a sharp knife.  Place rounds onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze again until firm, for at least 15 minutes.

While dough is chilling, melt chocolate in a double boiler

Cover another baking sheet with parchment paper.  Remove patties from freezer one at a time and submerge into melted chocolate

Coat quickly and allow excess chocolate to drip off.  Place on parchment paper lined pan can sprinkle with crushed candy canes if desire I don’t usually. 

I let them chill in freezer till set up .. Store in fridge, between wax paper in an airtight container.  Bring to room temperature before serving.