PEP cool mint patties were one of my favourite candy bars growing up. Oh, and Junior Mints. And York Peppermint Patties! Gah. And Wonderbars, but that’s another story. Peppermint and chocolate are a match made in my taste buds heaven. Oh, and don’t tell me chocolate and peppermint is only for the holidays…pssshhh, I don’t know who makes these rules, but I don’t want to hear such nonsense. It’s like saying you can’t play Christmas music in October!
I even had a chocolate peppermint Glo Bar to highlight my love for them – “peppy-mint”. Not surprisingly, it’s one of my favs. I decided it was a good idea to make a dessert bar that would taste just like a peppermint patty. It’s been way too long. Plus, it’s no-bake meaning no summer hot flashes! I had one of those earlier Monday. Don’t ask me why I thought it was a good idea to make soup…or muffins…
First things first, I have a P.S.A. to share.
I don’t know how this chocolate bar eluded me for so long, but I tried it this weekend and I almost DIED in ecstasy. Creamy, dark – but not bitter at all – did I mention creamy? and fair-trade? I can’t believe I only bought one. Rookie mistake!
Edited to add: While the bar I purchased didn’t list any dairy products, from what some of you have told me below, the new US label contains milk powder. I found some info from the company website explaining why and posted it in the comments below if you are interested.
Obviously, I used this chocolate for the bars and proceeded to rock my face off. Then, I walked around with a smudge of chocolate on the corner of my mouth for who knows how long. After putting in a 12-hour work day yesterday, I plopped down on the couch kicking my heels up and Eric kindly pointed out that I had a rolled oat stuck on the top of my foot. This was in addition to 3 cooking stains on my shirt and chocolate on my face. Hot.
Luckily, he’s used to it.
The good news is these bars are worth it. And odds are, you aren’t as messy as me.
Step 1 involves processing ingredients like almonds, walnuts, oats, cocoa powder, sweetener, etc until a ball of dough forms.
Then you press it into an 8-inch pan lined with parchment paper. The dough is very sticky so cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper before attempting to spread it out.
Finally, melt chocolate with a touch of coconut oil and peppermint extract. Spread it over top and freeze the whole thing for about 10-15 minutes. Oh, and sprinkle some flaked coconut on top if you wish! It adds a nice crunch…and it’s so darn pretty in a photo.
Cut into bars and serve chilled with a glass of almond milk. You’ll swear you’re eating a peppermint patty!
No Bake Peppermint Patty Bars
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Yield: 12 small bars
Ingredients:
- 2 cups rolled oats, processed into a flour (use gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 4-5 tbsp cocoa powder, to taste
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
- 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 5 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup rolled oats (use gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 75 grams dark chocolate (about 3/4 chocolate bar)
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- Flaked coconut, to garnish (optional)
1. Line an 8-inch pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. Set aside.
2. If making oat flour, add 2 cups rolled oats into a high speed blender. Blend on high until a flour forms.
3. In a food processor, add almonds and walnuts. Process until a very fine crumble. Add oat flour, cocoa powder (start with 1/4 cup for now), salt, and brown sugar. Process until combined.
4. Add in the maple syrup and almond milk. Process until a ball forms. Add another tablespoon of cocoa powder if desired. Process in the 1/4 cup rolled oats and chocolate chips until combined.
5. Take mixture and crumble it all over the prepared pan (it will be very sticky but not to worry). Now place parchment paper over top and press down evenly with your fingers. Use a pastry roller to smooth it out. Once smooth, place in freezer while you melt the chocolate topping.
6. Add chocolate, coconut oil, and peppermint into a small pot. Melt on low until most of the chocolate has melted and remove from heat. Stir. Remove pan from freezer and pour melted chocolate on top. Smooth out with spatula. Sprinkle on coconut (opt.) and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until set. Slice into 6 narrow rows and then in half to make 12 bars. Serve chilled with a glass of almond milk. Store in the freezer.
For nutritional info, see bottom of Recipage entry.
No, there isn’t any fresh mint in the bars as the picture suggests, but it sure does make a nice accent in the photo. Feel free to use fresh mint processed into the bars if you want a double peppermint kick! I tend to think of these ideas after the fact…
These look so delicious! I’ve had that chocolate bar and love it!
These sound amazing–and easy! And I definitely have a few friends who will practically faint with joy at the thought of raw vegan peppermint chocolate anything. :)
GTFO. Those look amazing. I am a huge peppermint/chocolate fan. I think Green and Black also has mint chocolate, but I may be confusing it with another delicious bar. Mmm. This looks wonderful!
Oh my gosh, these look amazing. Chocolate and mint is a favorite of mine too! And I’m definitely in need of some no-bake recipes-I almost got the boot from our house the other day for baking berry crisp and raising the temperature in our kitchen to a balmy 87.5F. Thanks for posting!
Just FYI when I checked the label for Green & Black’s organic 70% dark chocolate bar it says it contains whole milk powder!
Are you in the US? The Canadian label doesnt have any dairy ingredients on it…
Hey Lisa, It appears there is a different labels floating around depending on where you live. See the comments above in this thread for more info.
Omg! They look so good – they literally make me crave choclate! I am actually not a huge fan of peppermint, but they look so yummy that I definetely have to give them a try. And who knows, maybe my taste buds have changed? :)
All my fav things in a bar!! Salivating ….
Oooh, even I can do this!
I actually had all of the ingredients in my house so at around 11am I made these. It took about 20 minutes. I left them in the freezer went to hot sweaty yoga and returned to eat one. OMG! These are amazing. Thanks for the recipe. I have shared it with a bunch of friends today.
Thanks for sharing it! I’m so happy you love the bars so much. I can imagine they’d be refreshing after yoga!
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try them!! Junior mints were (and are) my favorite candy as a kid!
These look amazing, I want one asap! Thanks for all the inspriation.
Just wondering what you think would be a good substitute for oats – I bloat up like a balloon whenever I have them.
Do you mind if i make a website suggestion? I hope not as i’m about to :) Could you increase the size of the title of your posts – the homepage post title is hard to distinguish on first glance, it needs a bigger size and i’d suggest actually making it darker as it melds into the background and the menu above it. That’s all! Great job – just wanted to give some feedback which i hope you don’t mind.
Thanks Dee, I’ll look into it – I was actually wondering if it might be a tad too small and hard to distinguish.
OMG! Any thing with mint and chocolate is my most favourite thing in the world! I am making these TOMORROW! :D
Green and Black makes the best chocolate bars. I was just snacking on the cherry one! I’m a huge fan of no bake bars this summer. Perfect for the heat!
Amazing! Not a fan of peppermint so I upped the coconut oil and used coconut milk instead of almond and these taste just like the Samoa Girl Scout cookies! Thanks!
Mint chocolate is such a satisfying combo in the summer, I’m really digging it right now! Yummy!
I’m as messy as you but I don’t think I mind, for these bars :)
I love the Green & Black’s dark range too, and there seems to be label variation in Australia as well. Mine never list milk powder but some do, but only because of processing on the same production line as their milk products. Confusing!
Lovely, Yum Yum! (:
Gorgeous pictures, Angela. The bars look awesome!
These look so fabulous! What a treat :)
Wow these look great! Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
Just made this this morning, and the whole house smells like chocolate! I used cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips, fresh chocolate mint instead of peppermint extract, and a chocolate sauce made from scratch (cocoa powder, water, maple syrup, corn starch) instead of melting down a chocolate bar–which regrettably I rarely have on hand, I’ll fix that once I get to the grocery store though! :)
Alright Angie, my buddy Erin and I made these last night. After one bite, her husband laid down on the floor, and announced they were EPIC! My husband (who isn’t big into sweets…which is one reason I married him, more for me) went back for two more pieces. The kids dug in and so did we. Thank you for all that you do and all the time you spend perfecting these delicious recipes!!
haha that’s so great to hear!! Thanks for sharing Tristan. :)
Wowzers! You just made me fall in love! I never was a huge fan of peppermint but I take it all back. :) Plus the photos are so appealing Ang!
Angela, were we separated at birth? Lol- everyone thinks I’m crazy because I rarely eat chocolate without some type of mint added in smoothies and such. My homemade protein bars made with cocoa are usually mint-enhanced as well. These look TO DIE for and your recipe is divine! I voted for you in the Veg News awards!!! I hope you win! I truly love you for the inspiration you are and you constantly give.
PS- I’m often told I have a smear of chocolate in the corner of my mouth too, which is usually the result of my Endangered Species 88% bar or Ghiradelli 100%:)
Stay lovely<3
PEP are the best. You can still get them at London Drugs (85 cents) and the odd gas station ($1.50). The Cadbury chocolate is what makes them leave York in the dust. Whenever I see them, I literally buy a dozen at a time. Someday I fear they will vanish like the Nestle coolmint patties in the cardboard boxes.
angela, my daughter made these and they taste wonderful! But….the crust completely fell apart! its a crumbly mess. any clue as to what we did wrong? regardless of the crust, we love them and we’re finishing off the pan! thanks for the great recipes
Hey Dawn, Sorry to hear that! The dough should have been very sticky, so my guess is that it was dry and needed some moisture. I would add a touch more almond milk next time and you should be golden.
yummmmm!! no bake + mint + chocolate= YUM!
thanks!
These look and sound incredible!
Hahaha, you are so much fun to read!
And you’re photo’s are stunning, lately.
Yum! I want to stuff about 457,000 of these in my mouth!!!!
*Drooling* Oh goodness these look wonderful! You are so creative!
Hi Angela,
Love your blog…just to let you know,…Green and Black also makes
a fabulous 85% dark. It’s my favorite, creamy, smooth and not one
bit bitter. They also make an even darker one but I haven’t tried yet
since I love the 85%. Their dark mint one is also delicious!
Chocolate and mint are one of my favorite combos! Yum!
Okay i must try this recipe this weekend! It looks amazing!! Mint chocolate is the best :) I’ve been having Green and Black’s dark chocolate for a while now, such a plus that it is fair trade! :)
OH YUM! Will definitely be giving these a try. I keep craving mint this summer….and I always crave chocolate. My two favorite things collide. Thanks! I kind of wish I could reach through my computer screen and grab one!
Made these, and they are SO delicious! Mint and chocolate is a personal favorite sweet treat combination. So much so that I over did it a few years ago and have been staying away. I just had to make these though and they have rekindled my love for mint and chocolate. These bars have great flavor balance! Even though they are great for the summer I have a feeling I’ll be adding these bars to my Christmas baking list! Thanks!
So glad to hear that Naomi…I enjoy them just as much! I love having a bit for dessert at night straight from the freezer. yum!
Made these last night, they are absolutely delicious!!
Yum! These sound amazing. Your photography is beautiful too.
Made these last night. So easy, excellent recipe!!! Love your recipes. I made your perfect veggie burger and was telling my husband what was in them and realized I forget to add the breadcrumbs. They still came out delicious.
absolutely AMAZING, so delicious and just a small bar really is enough. next time I would omit the last 1/4 cup of whole oats just for a chewier and slightly less oat-y bar. Thanks for a new favourite treat!
The Sweet Riot chocolate is vegan and super yummy, reminds me of green and blacks! Righteously Raw is vegan too but harder to find. Trader Joes 72% has no dairy either and is also organic and fair trade.
Thanks I will see if I can find Sweet Riot and RR here :) sounds good! ps- my sis is obsessed with TJ’s dark choc!!!!
I LOVE this recipe!!! We use our peppermint essential oil for these types of treats and can’t wait to try some in your recipe! Healing chocolate? Doesn’t get any better!!! <3
i just made these with lindt dark chocolate and cant stop eating them!!! sooo good
Just made these, but used only dark chocolate chips. So delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe. The combination of chocolate and mint never gets old! Perfect for getting your chocolate fix!
I made these on the weekend and they turned out fabulous! I only have a mini food processor, so step 4 wasn’t going to work for me. I added the almond milk and maple syrup to the rest of the mixture in a bowl and stirred really well and it still turned out okay. I also used Green & Black’s 34% milk chocolate since they were sold out of dark! Mine turned out delicious and my boyfriend couldn’t stop eating them!
Nom nom nom. I will be making these for the next potluck at work. Thanks for another great recipe!
Great recipe but fyi :( – green and blacks were bought out a few years back and are now owned by one of the worst companies in the corporate octopus :(
I made a batch of these and they turned out pretty dry and crumbly. Any trouble-shooting suggestions?
Im sorry to hear that Rita! My batter was very sticky so Im not sure why that happened to you. I would try a couple things 1) Process the nuts a bit longer so the oils release and 2) add a touch more almond milk if it’s still to dry. I hope this helps!
Would there be a way to make these without nuts?