It's National Peppermint Patty Day...
Not the Peanuts character...
Not this one...
...the Candy
...this one.
The York Peppermint Pattie is the most popular commercial product on the market today, but when it was introduced there were many competing versions. Candy confections were a regional business in the early 20th century, with many local versions of the chocolate & peppermint candy to be found.
In 1920, the York Cone Company (a regional maker of ice cream cones based in York, PA) introduced their version - the Peppermint Pattie. York's version was different than the others. It was firm and crispy, while all the others were soft and chewy.
“A former employee and York resident Phil Kollin remembered the final (sample) test the pattie went through before it left the factory. “It was a snap test. If the candy didn’t break clean in the middle, it was a second.””
It remained a regional product until the company was acquired by Peter Paul in 1972 and launched nationally. Peter Paul merged with Cadbury in 1978. The York Peppermint Pattie is currently a product of the Hershey Company following their acquisition of Cadbury Schweppes in 1988.
Of course, you could make your own if you were so inclined.
Peppermint Patties Recipe
Ingredients:
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon peppermint extract
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 24 -32 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 -6 tablespoons shortening
Directions:
Combine the sweetened condensed milk and peppermint extract.
Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat.
Knead on a surface sprinkled with more sugar until dough is stiff. (The stiffer the better when it come to the dipping part!) Add more sugar while kneading if the dough is sticky.
Roll 1/4 inch thick.
Cut into approximately 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch circles. If they are much bigger than that they fall apart when you dip them.
Let the cut patties dry for at least 2 hours on *each* side. They need to be really dry.
Melt chocolate & shortening it a double boiler; stirring constantly until smooth. Using 1 Tbls of shortening for every 6 oz. of chocolate. Keep chocolate hot for dipping.
Dip patties in melted chocolate. The method my friend has found to work best: she places them on a long 3-tined fork, puts them in the chocolate (it should be no more than 1 1/2 inches deep), flips them over to coat the other side, lifts them out again with the fork underneath the patty, shakes the fork to shake off the excess chocolate & then places the patty on waxed paper to harden.
Thanks to Food.com for the recipe