I have to be honest and say that I was not a fan of the chocolate and mint combo until last year around this time. It used to be at the bottom of the list right along with lemon-flavored things and glazed doughnuts. I never understood why thin mints were so popular when you could eat a damn peanut butter patty (helloooo, chocolate + peanut butter!!). I’m not sure what changed, but last year I could not get enough chocolate + mint all of the sudden. I would finish a dark chocolate peppermint bar and wonder what the heck had become of me. If I had been able to get a vegan peppermint mocha somewhere, I probably would have been on that bandwagon, too.
Since regular peppermint patties are not exactly healthy, vegan, or even made from real ingredients, I wanted to see if I could create my own version and make it taste even better. After the first bite (and then the second, third, etc.), I think I can say with certainty that I succeeded. The key to these is using a good quality vegan dark chocolate and a culinary grade peppermint essential oil instead of peppermint extract. You can of course use an extract, but I feel like the essential oil provides a much better minty flavor and brightness.
These are being posted as part of cookie month, but the awesome thing is that they are no-bake! All you need is a food processor. These are perfect for a party of for having around for munching on during the holidays. They are reminiscent of both a peppermint patty and a thin mint, but waaaaaayyy better in my opinion. If you are worried about the fact that they have coconut in them, don’t. It’s not a pronounced flavor in the finished product. If you aren’t yet a fan of chocolate and mint, I would recommend upping the vanilla extract and leaving out the mint, or replacing it with something else you like. Happy baking (or in this case no-baking)!
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