York Peppermint Patties candy is 84 years old. Although York Peppermint Patties are based on a type of mint and chocolate-flavored confection that had been around for some time before, they were developed by Henry Kessler for the York Cone Company in 1940.
At first, these candies were only distributed to the company’s home state of Pennsylvania, New England, Ohio, and Indiana. York Peppermint Patties were not nationally available until 1975.
The Peter Paul Candy Company, maker of the Mounds and Almond Joy bars, acquired the York Cone Company in 1972 and began to distribute the York Peppermint Pattie nationally three years later, expanding production and promoting the product aggressively.
Cadbury bought the company in 1978 and in 1988 sold the Mounds, Almond Joy, and York Peppermint Patties (the Peter Paul products) brands to the Hershey Company, which still makes them all today.
The recipe for York Peppermint Patties was based on a common type of candy called a “cream wafer” or “cream pattie” that could also be flavored with wintergreen, lemon, orange, maple, chocolate, or even nuts like pistachios, using a filling that is similar to a fondant.
Although the York brand is the most famous, other brands have existed, such as Pearson’s Mint Pattie and Curtiss Peppermint Pattie.
The Pearson brand was introduced in 1951 after the company acquired the Trudeau Candy Company,
