In York, Pennsylvania, Henry Kessler opened the York Cone Company  around 1920. Twenty years later, in 1940, peppermint patties came about. The new product was introduced to consumers in the northeastern United states, Indiana, Florida, and Ohio.

In 1972, the York Cone Company was bought by the Peter Paul Company and three years later the York Peppermint Pattie was nationally launched. In 1988 the company merged with Hershey to deliver customers the delicious peppermint and dark chocolate combination known and loved by all.

When the original cone company was founded in the early twentieth century, ice cream cones were a relatively new thing in the United States. In Europe, ice cream cones have been around much longer. They date back to the eighteenth century. The exact date of the ice cream cone’s in America is unsure. But, it was popularized at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.

Before York Peppermint Patties were invented, peppermint covered with chocolate was not very popular. The quality was less than ideal and the peppermint was always mushy and soft. However, Kessler was able to figure out how to prevent the peppermint center from becoming gooey. His peppermint was always firm and crisp. In fact, each pattie would be tested and if they did not split evenly in the center when broken in half, the batch was not sent out to be sold to consumers.

Peppermint Patties are definitely at the top of my mother’s list of candies. She just can’t get enough of the dark chocolate and delicious cool tasting peppermint. When I was younger, I just couldn’t stand the candies. I always felt that the peppermint was too strong and it always hurt my mouth. I would have much rather have been eating a Milky Way! Every Halloween, after Trick or Treating, I would go through my huge bag of candy, taking out the Peppermint Patties and giving them all to my mother.

As I have gotten older, Peppermint Patties have grown on me. Although they are not my first choice of candy, I think they taste pretty darn good. If someone were to hand one to me, I would gladly pop it right into my mouth!

Fun Fact: National Peppermint Pattie Day is February 11th.

Sources:

https://www.hersheys.com/york/en_us/about.html

https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-york-peppermint-patties

http://www.truetreatscandy.com/the-story-of-the-peppermint-pattie-via-the-ice-cream-cone-plus-junior-mints-and-a-quick-peek-at-the-john-birch-society/