To keep these feeling fresh even when you bring them to every family dinner, you can switch up the colors and shapes with almost no extra effort. For holidays, go with seasonal colors—soft green and white for Christmas, pink and white for Valentine’s Day, or pastels for baby showers and Easter. If you don’t love strong mint, cut the peppermint extract down to 1/4 teaspoon and add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract for a milder, creamy-mint flavor. You can also swap peppermint for spearmint or use lemon extract for a citrus version that still uses the same basic formula. For texture, roll the balls in a little extra powdered sugar before flattening, or lightly press them into granulated sugar so they get a sparkly finish. If you have silicone candy molds, press the dough into them for easy little shapes—hearts, flowers, or shells—then pop them out and let them dry on a tray. For make-ahead prep, mix and color the dough the night before, cover each color tightly in plastic wrap, and roll and shape the mints the next day when you have a few spare minutes. They’re very forgiving, so you can scale the recipe up or down depending on how many people your mother-in-law has invited this time.
