Chocolate Mint Day - February 19 National Day - Fun Facts and Recipes (2024)

Get your sweet tooth ready, February 19 is celebrated each year as National Chocolate Mint Day. It is the day for both chocolate and mint lovers to indulge in their favorite treats all day long!

There is a saying that everything goes better with chocolate. Add in some mint and you have an even greater taste. Many holidays feature chocolate in some fashion, so it’s no surprise that chocolate mint has its own national day.

The chocolate component in chocolate mint can be milk chocolate, regular dark chocolate, or white chocolate. Because of this, mint chocolate has no one particular flavor.

No matter the brand of chocolate mint you choose, mint and chocolate deliver a burst of refreshing peppermint, spearmint, or crème de menthe combined with the smooth, rich taste of chocolate is a wonderfully unique pairing.

History of chocolate mint

February 19 is recognized each year by the US National Confectioner’s Association as National Chocolate Mint Day. While we all love this flavor combo today, it started many years ago.

Here is a quick look at the history of the February 19 national day

• The ancient Greeks and Romans valued mint because of its ability to aid in digestion and freshen one’s breath.
• Early Greeks believed the mint could cure hiccups! In addition to mint, ancient Greeks also placed importance on the herb called laurel (commonly referred to as bay leaf).
• Both the Mayans and Aztecs had a love of all things chocolate. For a long time chocolate was mainly ingested in the form of a drink.
• Chocolate is a minor symbol Valentine’s Day. Check out our Valentine’s Day symbols guide to learn more.
• When drinking chocolate as a hot beverage, many early lovers of the drink added mint, cinnamon and other spices to it for an added flavor.
• As soon as sugar was added to dark chocolate, the combination of chocolate and mint became a trend.
• Huyler’s in New York was one of the early producers of chocolate mints.
• By the mid 1800’s, when mass production of chocolate was common, candy stores started advertising mint chocolates to the public.
• In the 1900’s, dark chocolate was served with mint sprigs in tea houses and dining rooms to encourage good breath and aid digestion.
• In 1973, a culinary student, Marilyn Ricketts invents mint chocolate chip ice cream at South Devon College in the UK.

Chocolate mints facts

Brush up on your knowledge of chocolate mint with these fun facts – some might be a surprise to you!

• Junior mints are a popular choice with movie theater patrons.
• Mint chocolate chip is one of the most popular flavors of ice cream.
• The York Peppermint Patty was introduced by the York Cone Company in the 1940’s.
• Many hotels leave chocolate mints on the pillows of guest’s rooms to welcome them.
• The chocolate thin mints is one of the most popular Girl Scout cookie flavors.
• Today Andes Crème de Menthe candy is the number one after dinner mint.
• There is a plant called chocolate mint which is a relative of the regular peppermint plant.

How to observe February 19 national day for chocolate mints

There are lots of obvious ways to celebrate National Chocolate Mint Day. Here are a few other creative ideas to help honor this day.

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• Add some fresh mint to your hot chocolate drink for a refreshing change.
• Drizzle your martini glass with chocolate and garnish your favorite drink with mint in honor of National Chocolate Mint Day.
• Treat your coworkers to a gift of York Peppermint Patties today.
• Start your day with some chocolate mint coffee.
• See if you can find chocolate mint day in our new word search puzzle.
• Enjoy your mints with a cup of cafe au lait.
• Make your next batch of cookies by using mint chocolate chips instead of the normal ones.
• Use the hashtag #ChocolateMintDay to spread the word about the day on social media. Here is a tweet to get you started:

It's National Chocolate Mint Day today. Head to Always the Holidays to learn about the history of the day, get some recipes and new ideas for ways to celebrate. #ChocolateMintDay Click To Tweet

Chocolate mint recipes

It’s not just chocolate mint candy that is possible. The combination of chocolate and mint can be used in a wide variety of sweet recipes.

From brownies to cookies, truffles and more, there is a chocolate mint combination for all tastes.

Get creative with your use of chocolate mints with one of the tasty recipes:

• S’mores cookies – Turn chocolate thin mint cookies and marshmallows into cute leprechaun hats for St. Patrick’s Day with this no bake recipe.
• Mint chocolate chip fudge – This tasty fudge recipe is rich with an out of this world taste. It’s the stuff that holiday dreams are made of!
• Oreo chocolate mint cheese cake bars – Mint, chocolate, and confectioner’s sugar help to make these delightful cheese cake bars a special treat for any occasion.
• Funfetti chocolate mint truffles – peppermint and chocolate candies combine to make these decadent truffles a real crowd pleaser.
• Grasshopper drink – this chocolate mint drink is made with just three ingredients.
• Valentine’s day white chocolate peppermint cookies – Treat your special someone to this delightful cookie.

More February 19 national days

Did you enjoy learning about Chocolate Mint Day? Well you’re in luck, February 19 is host to more than just one national day!

Here is a complete list of all the February 19 national days:

• Chocolate Mint Day
• International Tug of War Day
• National Lash Day
• National Vet Girls ROCK Day
• Prevent Plagiarism Day
• Iwo Jima Day

What is a national day?

National days of the year are a fun way to celebrate odd and unusual foods, animals and items that you come into contact with. Be sure to check out my national day’s guide for more fun days to celebrate.

There are close to 2000 national days in the year and over 150 of them are celebrated in February.

To see them all, have a look at this post to discover more about the national days in February, as well as the February word search printable of national days.

Is food your thing? Each day of the month has a food or drink associated with it, too. You’ll find all the February food holidays here.

More chocolate inspired national days

Be sure to also check out these other chocolate inspired national days:

• National Hot Chocolate Day – A day for drinking your chocolate, not eating it!
• National Bittersweet Chocolate Day – Get some fun facts about this dark chocolate treat.
• National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day – Who doesn’t like cashews covered in chocolate? I know I do!
• White Chocolate Day – Get lots of white chocolate recipes to celebrate this tasty national day.
• Everything Goes Better with Chocolate Day – December 16 national day devoted to all things chocolate.
• Chocolate Covered Nut Day – Some times you feel like a nut…
• Chocolate Soufflé Day – Perfect for any elegant dinner party.
• Peppermint Patty Day – Another special day to celebrate mint and chocolate.
• Find out who invented chocolate milk here.

Pin this post on National Chocolate Mint Day for later

Would you like a reminder of this post for Mint Chocolate Day? Just pin this image to one of your food boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

One of the best ways to celebrate National Chocolate Mint Day is to bake some of these mint chocolate chip cookies.

Make sure to check out our YouTube video to learn more food and drink days in February.

National Chocolate Mint Day National celebrates the delicate and delicious flavor combination that has become a classic over time.

What is your favorite way to enjoy chocolate and mint? Tell us in the comments below.