These mint disks are adapted from a recipe passed on to me by Elizabeth Falkner, the owner of San Francisco’s deservedly popular Citizen Cake bakery. The mixture is simple to put together, and you can adjust the mint flavor to your liking. Taste a bit and add more if you wish, as mint extracts and oils vary. I make my Peppermint Patties very minty, which is especially important when they’re crumbled into deep, dark chocolate ice cream, a combination I call “The Girl Scout Cookie Effect.”

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 cups (450 g) chopped candies

　　2 cups (225 g) confectioners’ sugar

　　3 tablespoons (45 ml) light corn syrup

　　2 teaspoons water

　　Scant 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract or oil

　　6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

　　

Step 1

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper and dust it with about 1 tablespoon of the confectioners’ sugar.

　　

Step 2

In a bowl, mix the corn syrup, water, and mint extract or oil. Gradually stir in the remaining confectioners’ sugar. As the mixture thickens, knead it with your hands until it forms a smooth ball (it will seem dry at first, but it will come together).

　　

Step 3

Pat the dough out onto the sugar-dusted baking sheet about 1/3 inch (1 cm) thick and let it dry, uncovered, for at least 8 hours or overnight.

　　

Step 4

Melt the chocolate in a clean, absolutely dry bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat. Line a dinner plate with plastic wrap. Cut the mint disk into 6 triangular wedges, as if cutting a pie, and brush off any excess powered sugar. Using 2 forks, dip each wedge in the chocolate, turning it over to coat both sides, then transfer each piece to the plastic-lined dinner plate. (Since they’re going to be chopped up, don’t worry if they’re not museum quality.)

　　

Step 5

Chill in the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate has firmed up, then chop into bite-sized pieces.

　　

Mixing Them In

Step 6

Fold the Peppermint Patty pieces into 1 quart (1 liter) of ice cream as you remove it from the machine.

　　

Storage

Step 7

Peppermint Patties can be stored in the freezer or refrigerator, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.

　　The Perfect Scoop