St. Patty's Day Peppermint Patties

These yummy york-like treats are fairly simple to make and much less expensive than the packaged treats.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Green food tint if desired

Coating:

3 cups of chocolate chips

2 teaspoons shortening

I do advise using a mixer if you have one, this can get tough to mix towards the end.

Combine sweetened condensed milk, butter, extract, tint if using, and start with a cup of powdered sugar. Run the mixer, watching it form a thick dough adding the next cup of powdered sugar and working up to the 3 1/2 cups. You should be able to grab a bit of dough and have it hold together as a ball. You can add a bit more powdered sugar to achieve this if needed.

On a large baking sheet, covered wax paper, roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or small glass, press each ball flat. They'll look something like this:

See how they vary in size? It doesn't matter because you're not baking them. If your house is like my house, some will like being able to get a smaller piece or a bigger piece.

You'll leave these just like they are, uncovered. Let one side dry for about a half an hour, then turn each patty over. Continue this a couple of times, it takes around two hours to dry. This is necessary before you dip them in chocolate, otherwise they may fall apart.

After drying, melt chocolate chips and shortening on the stove on low or in the microwave at 45 second intervals, stirring just until it is melted.

Using a couple of forks for turning and lifting, dip each patty in chocolate, wiping the excess on the edge of the bowl and place them back onto the wax paper.

Place the chocolate covered patties in the fridge until chocolate has hardened, usually 20-30 minutes. Take them out and these will keep at room temperature, although you can keep them in the fridge if you like them cold.

I put some in a glass canning jar with a bit of fabric under the lid and tied a ribbon around it to give as a gift.

Enjoy!