Peppermint Patties

Here is a not-so easy (and maybe not worth it!) after dinner treat. Of course one problem I ran into was the dough. It was quite tasty. I kept licking my fingers and then running to the sink to wash my hands. So do yourself a favor: don't even try the dough until you have finished forming the patties!

It is crucial that the patties be dry and firm when you paint them with chocolate. (If it is warm and humid you may have trouble making these.) The hardest, and most time consuming, part about this recipe is coating the patties in chocolate.

You may not think these are worth the effort--but those that eat them will think them divine.

Ingredients (Makes approximately 65)
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/4 teaspoons peppermint extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar
9 oz. semisweet chocolate
 2-3 tablespoons butter

Directions
 In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer (fitted with paddle and then switched to hook), combine condensed milk and peppermint extract. Mix in confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, to form a stiff dough that is no longer sticky. At 5 cups sugar it will become difficult to mix so start using your hands. At 6 cups it will stop sticking and become easy to knead.

Form into 1/2 inch balls, place on waxed paper, and flatten with fingers to form patties. Let patties dry at room temperature three hours, turning once. 

In a double boiler melt the chocolate and butter. Place a patty on a fork. Holding the patty over the double boiler, use a silicone pastry brush and paint the top side of the patty. Flip over the patty and paint the other side (make sure to include the sides). Slide from fork onto waxed paper. (I flip the wax paper I used for drying the patties over to the clean side). Let dry until the chocolate firms up-- a couple of hours. 

Pairing Suggestions: Try with a cup of Vietnamese ice coffee (just make sure you saved a bit of that sweetened condensed milk!). You could also pair these peppermint patties with a Spanish muscatel. Or a rich Russian Imperial Stout.