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Peppermint Cream Chocolate Coated

A confection of peppermint-flavored cream balls coated in melted chocolate.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓

Peppermint Cream Chocolate Coated

Ingredients

Directions

Make the centres

  1. Mix the cream of tartar with the icing sugar.

  2. Add the cream gradually, mixing with the back of a wooden spoon until smooth and firm.

  3. Add the oil of peppermint and let it stand for 1 hour.

  4. Roll the mixture into small balls using your hands and let them dry.

Coat and set

  1. Grate the chocolate and place it in a double boiler over boiling water to dissolve without stirring.

  2. Dip each ball in the melted chocolate using a wire fork, coating them well.

  3. Place the coated balls on waxed paper to dry for several hours, ensuring they do not touch.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  2. Cream + chocolatetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,466 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  3. Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,404 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Peppermint + chocolatetop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together448 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Cream + pepperminttop 20% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together632 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Icing sugar
Forms the bulk of the soft, sweet centre that holds the balls together.
Thick cream
Adds moisture so the sugar mixture becomes smooth and firm enough to roll.
Mexican chocolate
Forms the outer coating that sets firm and gives the balls their rich flavour.
Cream of tartar
Adds a slight acidity that helps keep the sugar centre smooth rather than grainy.

The step that matters

Dissolving the chocolate over boiling water without stirring. Chocolate that is overheated or stirred too early can seize or lose its gloss. Gentle, undisturbed melting in a double boiler keeps it fluid and smooth for an even coating.

Swap the peppermint

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, cream, chocolate):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Nutmegfits better
  3. Peppermintthe original
  4. Gingerfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, cream, chocolate. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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