Heavenly Homemade Peppermint Patties

Hey!! How are you? What plans do you have for this long holiday weekend? Snow is in the forecast here, and a homebound weekend sounds about right. A week ago, we got back from a trip to the Texas coast where we recharged on the beach and the kids had pool-time between Zoom classes. We came home to the winter that finally came. I must say I love visiting temperate climates but I would never trade for the four seasons like what we have.

Since I last wrote, I’ve been doing a lot of cooking but not much baking. Putting together a beautiful dessert is something I get so much pleasure from but lately I have had to cut from my diet many of the ingredients I love to bake with (more on that to come). It’s been hard but I feel so much better.

My family though, why should they suffer a no-chocolate Valentine’s Day? I saw these and wanted to make them right away, they’re so cute! They’re super creamy, have the right amount of chocolate crunch, and I’d consider them almost healthy. No refined sugar, no trans fats or preservatives, and dairy-free if you substitute vegan chocolate chips. You’ve got to try them, they’re so good.

Heavenly Homemade Peppermint Patties

Slightly adapted from Oh She Glows, a vegan food blog

Makes 30 2″ patties

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
4 tablespoons agave syrup
2 tablespoons almond milk
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil, plus more for mold

INSTRUCTIONS

Place cashews in a bowl and pour in enough hot water to submerge the nuts. Soak for 2 hours. Pour off the water and rinse well.

Toss the soaked cashews into a blender or bowl of a food processor, along with the coconut oil, agave syrup, almond milk, and peppermint extract. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Next, prepare the silicone mold*. Using a finger, rub a thin film of coconut oil around the inside of each cup of the mold followed by 1/2 tablespoon filling. Once all cups are filled, place mold onto a baking sheet and pop in the freezer for 20 minutes until filling is firm to the touch.

While the filling is cooling, prepare the chocolate. In a small saucepan, over low heat melt the chocolate and coconut oil. Stir frequently, then remove the pan from the heat when mixture is melted and smooth. It should be thin enough to drizzle. You can add a bit more coconut oil to thin, if necessary. Cool slightly.

For the next step, have a cooling rack or two ready with a piece of parchment underneath to catch any drips. It’ll be messy but you can freeze the chocolatey parchment for a frozen drizzle treat.

Remove the filling from the freezer once firm. Place a sheet of parchment on the baking sheet and keep close by. Carefully remove the patties from the mold and place on the cooling racks.

Gently holding one patty, insert a toothpick into a side, and, working quickly, drizzle the melted chocolate over the patty, turning it as you go to cover all sides.

Once your batch is finished, return them to the freezer. Repeat oiling and filling the mold, freezing, and drizzling with the remaining filling and chocolate. If the chocolate drizzle begins to harden, warm on very low heat until soft again.

Store in the freezer to keep their form and signature crunch. Enjoy!

*You can also use mini muffin cups. If you are using a silicone mold, hopefully it’s bigger than my 6-mini-cavity one. Working in batches, it took most of the morning to freeze all of the filling.

Have a great Valentine’s Day weekend.

More chocolate recipes:

Emily Peters’ Rocky Road Fudge

Chocolate Frosted Mike and Ike Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread

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