Holiday Goat Butter Mints

Reading Time: 3 minutes
Like many candies, butter mints seemed to be one of those mystical treats sold only in cellophane packaging. Then I visited my dad in Salmon, Idaho. For several years, an Amish market had operated at the edge of town, and it had become so popular among Salmonites that it expanded each year and offered more goods. Dad requested that I stop at the Amish store and pick up some butter mints for him.
I purchased a few bags for him and one bag of butter mints for me. They were divine! So, on the way back out of town after the visit, I stopped and purchased more mints for my trip.
I’ve learned to make many foods based on what I found at that store. Products sold at Amish markets prove that we can also make them at home, without sophisticated high-end machinery. Plus, they always taste far better than if they had been mass-produced in factories.
Butter mints are easier than I had even imagined. They’re just butter, sugar, flavoring, and a little salt. Maybe some color, but only if you want.
Last year, I tried my hand at goat milk butter mints. I had just churned butter, so it was already soft enough for the recipe. They came together perfectly with crème de menthe flavoring oil. I posted a photo on my Instagram page and got immediate requests for the recipe. Some friends asked to taste the mints, but I had to decline. We had eaten them all, and I had to make more.
Whether you churn goat or cow butter, or you purchase butter from the store, I hope you enjoy this incredibly simple and customizable recipe. These mints make the perfect gifts — if you don’t eat them all first.

Butter Mints Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp flavoring oil OR 1 tsp flavoring extract
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar plus 1/2-1 cup for rolling
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Optional: 1 to 5 drops gel food coloring
Instructions:
- Cream the butter in a stand mixer or by hand until soft and fluffy.
- Add the salt and flavoring and mix thoroughly.
- Add the confectioner’s sugar, the cream, and the food coloring if desired, then keep mixing until everything comes together into a soft dough.
- Without allowing the dough to dry out, separate into balls about the size of a large egg. Roll each ball out, on a baking mat or cabinet well-coated in confectioner’s sugar, until it becomes a “rope” about ½ inch thick. If the dough is too sticky, just sprinkle more sugar onto the rolling surface.
- Cut the ropes into individual pieces. I find it’s easiest to lay all the ropes side-by-side then us a pizza cutter to slice through them all at once.
- Pour a liberal amount of confectioner’s sugar into a large bowl. Using a spatula or silicon scraper, lift the mints and drop them into the bowl. Gently toss until all sides are coated in sugar.
- Pour mints in a single layer onto a baking sheet or other shallow pan. Place in a protected, room-temperature location — such as inside a cupboard — for two days, tossing about once a day to expose more surfaces to the air.
- Store in an airtight container — if you don’t eat them immediately.
This recipe makes about a quart of candies.
Originally published in the November/December 2022 issue of Goat Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.