No Bake Marshmallow M&M Mint Balls

Use melted peppermint flavoured marshmallows in this recipe for even more minty flavour! Prepared with cocoa, graham crumbs, and coconut, these No Bake Marshmallow M&M Mint Balls are sure to please and delight the peppermint lover in your family!

Out of all of the cookies I’m sharing in this latest holiday series, it’s a safe bet that this particular cookie might just be one of my personal favourites. It has everything I look for in a no-bake treat. Not only are they easy to make, but they are super freezer-friendly, and they are made with marshmallows and sweetened condensed milk. Those two ingredients rarely disappoint when they’re together. I’m talking about these No Bake Marshmallow M&M Mint Balls, Dear Reader!

If you make these, you will need to prepare the cookie batter and let it chill. You must know by now that I completely despise having to chill cookie dough, but for these cookies, I can make an exception. Cooling the dough is imperative because if you don’t, the batter will be too soft to roll into nice uniform balls.

The first time I made these, I was sure that they were going to taste much like Traditional Newfoundland Snowballs, but I was quite surprised when they didn’t taste like them at all. These have a softer texture and most certainly have a flavour all their own. The addition of the marshmallows and the graham crumbs gives them a slight smores taste with a minty flavour profile. And, unlike snowballs, these do not have oats, so they are smoother.

I’m going to tell you all about this cookie recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the cookie recipes! Before I get into today’s recipe, let me make mention of the three previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifle Series and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Breads and Loaves. Next was my 12 Squares and Bars Series, which was Volume 2 of that particular series.  

And now, I’m starting on this new series, which is the seventh annual instalment! I cannot believe that this is the seventh year in a row that I’ve shared Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! But, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 7! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family. 

Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series! Even though this is the fourth series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Marshmallows – Every kid loves the taste and texture of a marshmallow!  They are soft and puffy with just the right amount of sweetness and vanilla flavour.  I used peppermint-flavoured marshmallows.
• Canned Sweetened Condensed Milk – This recipe has not been tested with low-fat condensed milk.  Depending on where you live, the size of the can may differ.  Be sure to have the full 14 ounces!
• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! Use salted or unsalted. It won’t matter.
• Peppermint Extract  
• Graham Crumbs – Easily found in the baking section of any grocery store, these are crushed graham crackers.  You can use whole crackers and crush them yourself using a food processor.
• Cocoa Powder – Cocoa powder is an unsweetened chocolate product which adds deep chocolate flavour to desserts and beverages.  Use a good quality cocoa powder, not the kind we used to stir into milk as kids!
• Coconut – Baking coconut comes in sweetened and unsweetened and in different sizes.  Unless otherwise stated, use unsweetened coconut when baking otherwise the result might be too sweet.  Be sure to check the size too – is it supposed to be shredded, grated, etc?  The size of the coconut will affect the outcome of your recipe.
• Candy – Any other candy-coated chocolate will do, but try to use one with mint in it. In this case, I’m using mint M&Ms.

HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE MARSHMALLOW M&M MINT BALLS

Add the marshmallows, sweetened condensed milk, butter, and peppermint extract to a large, microwave-safe bowl. On high power, microwave the ingredients for one minute. Remove and stir well. Return to microwave and set it for another minute. Continue to do this until all of the ingredients are melted together. Next, add the cocoa powder and stir into the marshmallow mixture. Now, add the graham crumbs and 3/4 cup of the coconut. Stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 3-4 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Pour the remaining coconut into a bowl for rolling the balls into. Set aside. Finally, add the candy-coated chocolate to a bowl as well. Setting everything up before you start to roll the mixture into balls makes the task easier and cleaner. Portion out one tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Roll the ball into the coconut and set it on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Press a candy into the center of the ball, which will flatten them slightly. Do this until all of the mixture is used up.

Transfer the baking sheet to the fridge for 2 hours. Finally, place the cookies into a food-safe container and keep them refrigerated.

MARSHMALLOWS ARE OFTEN USED IN NO-BAKE TREATS

I used to not make many confections with marshmallows until recently. I do love them, but after just one or two, I seem to go into sugar shock. Ha! When it comes to snacks and treats, I’m all about salty snacks. I can easily forego sugary snacks. I’m one of those people who will eat one or two of something and then I don’t want to see it anymore. I bake a lot, so it’s quite common to try one or two of whatever it is and package the rest up for a friend or a neighbour. In some cases, especially if I make something with chocolate, John.e refuses to let me get rid of it. He loves chocolate!

As you know, Dear Reader, John.e is a vegetarian and marshmallows have gelatin in them. Gelatin is made with collagen from animal parts, so obviously, he isn’t going to eat anything with marshmallows in it. Sounds gross, doesn’t it!? So, I was quite happy to find vegan marshmallows, and now I can make more marshmallow treats. You can 100% use Dandies Vegan Marshmallows in this recipe. They have a peppermint-flavoured vegan marshmallow that works so well in this recipe!

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

I have a lot of recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen with sweetened condensed milk as one of the ingredients. (Click here to see them!) Growing up in Newfoundland, it was always something I’ve been aware of. But, that’s not the case for everyone. I get many questions from readers about it. For someone not familiar with the gooey, sticky canned milk, it might be easily confused with canned Carnation condensed milk, for instance. Let me explain what it is here.

So, first of all, it’s condensed. The milk is condensed by removing water. This can be accomplished by applying heat. The water will evaporate causing the milk to condense, which thickens the milk. Sugar is added to sweeten the condensed milk. The main purpose of adding sugar is to prolong the shelf life of condensed milk, which can sit on room-temperature shelves for years. Sugar prevents microorganisms from growing in the milk and helps to thicken it even further—it’s added after the milk has been boiled, reduced, and pasteurized.

If you find unsweetened condensed milk, it’s most likely that it’s simply evaporated milk or condensed milk, which is thick, but not gooey and sticky. Evaporated milk is often used as a cream added to tea or coffee. If you are unfamiliar with it, please read the can carefully. Also, shake it – can you feel the liquid splashing about inside the can? If so, it’s not sweetened condensed milk; it’s evaporated or condensed milk only!

THE TYPE OF COCONUT IS IMPORTANT

When it comes to coconut to bake with, there are two kinds – sweetened and unsweetened. Those two types can be found in different levels of fineness and coarseness. It’s important to use unsweetened coconut for this recipe. Otherwise, these Newfoundland Smartie Cookies may be too sweet to eat!

You’ll want to use an unsweetened coconut. The size of the shredded coconut won’t make a difference to the taste, but it certainly will make a difference when you try to roll the mixture into balls. The longer shreds of coconut will make for a messier bite and you want your delicious cookie to look just as amazing as it tastes!

Depending on the brand, some coconut is shredded, grated, or desiccated. Shredded usually refers to larger pieces, while grated tend to be smaller. Desiccated has nothing to do with the size of the pieces but means the coconut is dried or that the moisture has been removed. In most cases, you will find a fine or medium grade. Fine is my personal coconut of choice in most cases and it is what I used here. Medium will work too.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for a long time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your No Bake Marshmallow M&M Mint Balls, you certainly can! Pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!