York Peppermint Pattie

York Peppermint Pattie is a dark chocolate covered peppermint confection produced by the Hershey Foods Corporation, under license from Peter Paul.

It was first produced in York, Pennsylvania by Henry C. Kessler at his York Cone Company in 1940, for sale in the Northeastern United States, Ohio, Indiana and Florida. [http://www.recipelink.com/ch/2002/december/moretopsecretrecipes3.html] In 1972, the York Cone Company was acquired by Peter-Paul, which launched the York Peppermint Pattie nationally in 1975.

In 1978, Peter-Paul merged with Cadbury Schweppes. York passed to the Hershey Foods Corporation when it acquired the US operations of Cadbury Schweppes in 1988.

The confectionery features strongly contrasting flavors, with a particularly bitter chocolate coating around a sugar center. A sugar-free version of the candy is also available.

Many chocolate-covered peppermints had been made before the York Peppermint Pattie came on the market, but Kessler's version was firm and crisp, while the competition was soft and gummy. One former employee and York resident remembered the final (sample) test the patty 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." The current recipe for the candy, however, is soft.

Variations

* "Sugar Free Peppermint Patties" - a sugar-free version of the traditional Peppermint Pattie.
* "Chocolate Truffle Mint" - introduced in 2004, which had a brown filling. [http://www.hersheys.com/products/details/york.asp]
* "Limited Edition Pink Pattie" - introduced in October 2005. Peppermint Pattie with pink filling. Sale proceeds are donated to breast cancer research through the Young Survival Coalition.
* "York Mints" - introduced in 2007, a tin filled with bite-sized mints that have a mint shell, chocolate on the inside, and more mint on the inside.
* "Peppermint Batties" - Bat-shaped Peppermint Patties made each year around Halloween. Replaced with Peppermint Patties Pumpkins in 2007.
* "Peppermint Patties Pumpkins" - introduced in October 2007 for Halloween. Pumpkin-shaped Peppermint Patties with orange filling.
* "Peppermint Patties Miniature Hearts Heart Box" - introduced for Valentine's Day. Heart-shaped patties in a heart-shaped box.
* "Peppermint Pattie Snowflakes" - for Christmas, snowflake-shaped Peppermint Patties.

External links

* [http://www.hersheys.com/products/details/york.asp York Peppermint Pattie web site]