Welcome to chocolate and peppermint season!
It’s one of my favourites, for sure. There’s something about this combo that puts my taste buds in sheer ecstasy. So invigorating! So peppy! I feel like I can conquer the world when I’m eating peppermint and chocolate in the same bite. Strange, but true.
A few of my favourite chocolate and peppermint recipes on the blog are: No Bake Peppermint Patty Bars, Peppermint Patty Bars II, Peppermint Patty Green Monster.
Clearly, I have peppermint patty issues.
Despite all the peppermint patty themed recipes that I’ve shared with you, I don’t actually have a peppermint patty recipe on the blog yet. Major oversight! The truth is, I tested some vegan peppermint patty recipes a few years ago, but I was never satisfied with the filling that I came up with. So the recipe was pushed aside for other things. This happens all the time in my kitchen. I have approximately 64752 unfinished recipes stuffed into a drawer or on my Google Drive recipe file. When I’m desperate for ideas, that’s when I’ll often sift through them all.
My previous trial involved powdered sugar and vegan butter, but I wanted to up my game. So, I started playing around with a coconut butter version which I’ve seen on many blogs, but it was too coconut-y for my liking. To be honest, I’m not a huge coconut butter fan to begin with so pairing it with my beloved childhood peppermint patty just seemed out of place.
I want a peppermint filling that melts in your mouth…
Yeah. Like that.
As it turned out, a totally different recipe inspired this patty filling. As soon as I tasted the squares I knew it would be the perfect filling for my beloved peppermint patties.
The secret?
I used a small amount of blended soaked cashews and almond milk to mimic that amazing creamy consistency and flavour. Coconut oil firms it all up when chilled (but doesn’t give that over-powering coconut flavour like the coconut butter did), while allowing for that melt-in-your-mouth experience upon first bite.
At first, I wasn’t sure how to translate this liquid peppermint filling into solid patty form. One of the challenging parts about recipe creation is figuring out the most efficient process for the steps involved. Making it taste good is the easy part! Often I have to just make it and get my hands dirty before I can figure out which method will work best. I’m such a visual person. For the first trial, I decided to spread out the entire peppermint mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet (see this photo) and then I froze it for over an hour. Once it firmed up, I scraped it off the sheet with a spoon and formed it into patties. The process was quite fussy and super messy, but it worked. Still, I knew there had to be a better way…
For my second trial, I poured the filling into mini candy liners (see above, right). I think I got these from Bulk Barn a couple years ago. Half a tablespoon of filling went into each liner and then I froze them for 20 minutes, popped them out of the liner, and froze for another 10 minutes before coating in melted chocolate. This worked much better and it took half the time. Score! I know that not everyone has these candy liners hanging around, so I tested it with paper cupcake liners too. The filling stuck to the paper liners more and was harder to pop out, but they should work OK in a pinch if it’s all you have. I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it work!
A photo from trial #1 after shaping the patties by hand:
Trial 2 photo below – using the mini candy liner method. Oh, and you can make these into “Junior Mints” too (see the small one beside the spoon? could it be any more adorable?)
Creamy Dreamy Peppermint Patties
Yield
22-25 mini patties
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
1 hour
Total time
Luxurious, invigorating, melt-in-your-mouth peppermint patties made from scratch! Even better than store-bought versions. I suggest keeping these in the fridge or freezer for the best texture. The chocolate coating gets all snappy which is a wonderful contrast to the creamy middle.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked (see note)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3-4 tablespoons agave nectar, to taste (I used 4 tbsp)
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
Directions
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak overnight, or for at least 2-3 hours. If your blender isn't great at blending things smooth, I suggest soaking overnight for the best results.
- Drain and rinse the cashews after soaking.
- Add the cashews, melted coconut oil, agave, milk, and peppermint extract into a high-speed blender. Blend on the highest speed until completely smooth. This can take a couple minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grab mini cupcake/candy liners. Add a half tablespoon of filling into each liner. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat until you don't have any filling left (you should get about 22-25). Freeze, uncovered, for 20-35 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
- After freezing, quickly pop the patties out of the cupcake liners and set each on top of their respective liner. Return to the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up even more.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a small pot over the lowest heat. When half of the chips have melted, remove it from the heat and stir until all the chips are melted. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly for a few minutes before dunking the patties.
- Remove the patties from the freezer and dunk them into the melted chocolate with a fork. Tap the side to shake off excess chocolate and place on parchment paper. Do this step as quickly as possible so the patties don't melt. Update: Some of you are having trouble with the chocolate thickening up as you do this step. If this happens, I suggest heating the chocolate again over low heat to thin it back out. The cold peppermint patties are probably causing it to thicken with time. Another option is to just drizzle the chocolate on top of the patties.
- Return the patties to the freezer until set, for about 10 minutes, until the chocolate coating is firm. Store leftover patties in the freezer/fridge until ready to enjoy!
Tip:
1) you can sub in your favourite liquid sweetener for agave, if desired. Just know that the flavour will change depending on the sweetener you use. 2) See the bottom of this post for a nut-free version and more tips on making this recipe. 3) If you have melted chocolate leftover, spread it into a parchment paper lined plate and freeze it. This way nothing goes to waste!
For an extra festive, crunchy patty, try sprinkling on crushed candy canes on top of the chocolate! I didn’t get that far though. =)
Nut-free version?
Yes, I did test a nut-free version for you guys!! I used 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds instead of 1/2 cup cashews. I soaked them overnight and followed the recipe as written, only using 2.5 tablespoons milk (use nut-free) since the filling was thicker. For some reason, I had trouble with the peppermint filling setting as well as the cashew version did, even after freezing the patties for double the time. I’m not sure why this happened. The taste, however, was fantastic!!! My advice if you want a nut-free version, is to not bother with popping the patties out of the liners. I would suggest using silicone liners and simply leaving the peppermint patty in the liner. Then add the melted chocolate on top and freeze as usual. Then you can eat it straight out of the liner without having to fuss! Or try serving it in a mini jar like my Peanut Butter Cups In A Jar. Just an idea…if you try anything let us know in the comments.
Nut-free Update: Ok, so the nut-free patties eventually set, but it took a good 2-3 hours! Keep this in mind if making the nut-free version.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dreaming up a totally amazing Peppermint Patty pie for the holidays. Am I nuts or would this be the best pie ever?
Clearly I could talk all day long about peppermint patties, but I’m going to stop now.
A big congrats to Kay for winning the $500 Tata Harper gift card!! Thanks to everyone who entered. Don’t worry there are sooo many more amazing prizes up for grabs this month in my 12 Days of Giveaways! You don’t want to miss out.
I am definitely not a vegan and never will be, but I really enjoyed your recipes and plan on making the creamy avocado pasta and the delicious chocolate fudge recipe (using coconut milk or cream is genius), I only need a brownies recipe to top it with the frosting am going to make :) and these peppermint patties look amazing!! Since am on a diet your blog will help me to think of creative ways to substitute certain ingredients that are hazardous on my weight loss plans! Thank you!
YES! These are definitely worthy of the top desserts! I love how creamy and refreshing they are. I made them with orange extract instead of the peppermint for an orange-chocolate treat. Both ways are delicious!
I loved this idea SO much that I went right ahead and made it, they worked perfectly first time, I may have been a tad heavy handed with the peppermint but that’s more than likely my fault! I decided to try out different fillings and made some awesome lemon ones too. . .thanks for the recipe!
Hanna, I was thinking about making lemon ones as well, or key lime! How did you make them and how did they turn out?
This recipe is AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing! I’ve made them several times already and everyone loves them more than the sugar ones!
A pie version of this would be amazing!
Oh my … I just made these today, and words cannot even describe the incredible YUMMINESS :DDD The YUM factor is through the roof! I’m surprised that this didn’t score higher on the top 13 dessert list, because this was life changing good! :D Thankyou so much for sharing this, I’ll be making these again and again, forget the holiday season. ;)
Um I think these are seriously THE most amazing little morsels I’ve ever made! Satisfied all my choc mint cravings! Thank you so much Angele these will be a regular at my place!
I am a HUGE lover of the peppermint / chocolate combination and have really missed York patties since becoming vegan five years ago, so I had to try these! I decided to see if cutting the oil in half would make a huge difference in how (or if) they set, and it did – they took a few hours in the freezer to firm up. I also had to work very quickly with them in the hot chocolate because they were melting quite quickly. Once they were coated though and reset (which only took a few minutes), they were AMAZING! So good I made them again in the same week : ) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, you’ve filled a big hole in my vegan heart!
Just made these and they are delicious! The only thing is I didn’t put enough of the patty mix in each cup so some cracked when I took them out (next time will make them a bit thicker like you have pictured). Eating them right from the freezer with the cracking chocolate and creamy center, all I can say is YUMMY!!!
Thanks Angela for your great recipes that are a healthier alternative to store bought!
Recon you can make these using different flavour extracts? Just made these and they are amazing! Would love to try a coffee version
yes you certainly can!
Oh my Gosh!!!!! I made these last night and they turned out so unbelievably good! Thank you for sharing such wonderful recipes. I can’t wait to see your book!
Holy cow! These are amazing. Easy to do, fairly quick. It’s true that they taste better than the ‘real’ ones we can get a corner store. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Is there a chance the amount of coconut oil is a typo? I had a tough time squeezing all the oil out, but once I did they are amazing! Love all your recipes!
I didn’t really care for these honestly. They were okay. They weren’t quite as pepperminty as I was hoping, and I found the filling kind of odd-tasting. Not bad, but not great either. I’ll eat the rest of the batch but I don’t think I’ll be making again. I don’t mean to be rude, I just appreciate reading other’s honest opinions on a recipe I’m thinking about making. You have tons of other recipes I love, and I am really enjoying your cookbook!
Lol I have to say I have changed my mind about these. When I first tried them I was t convinced, but by the end I really enjoyed them and my husband (who said he didn’t like peppermint patties) loved them. So I guess I probably will be making them again! Lol
Hello, Angela! I’ve just spent a good half hour (at least!) reading your ‘I quit’ series and absolutely loved it. I’m at stage one right now i.e. I want to quit but have to continue for a while to get the money in, but am going full throttle for my dreams at the same time. Feels so good! Then I hopped over to your food section (because … yum!) and had a look around here too. Love these patties … so creative with the cashews and almond milk! Have you ever tried making chocolate truffles with cashews? They’re pretty good too!
Could you substitute another type of nut for the cashews? Like walnuts? I don’t have any cashews on hand. Thank you.
Right from the freezer, these are absolutely decadent. I’m a York peppermint patty lover and these surpass them by leaps and bounds. And they are easy to make! Great instructions. mmmmmmmm
How do you get the chocolate to not thicken up so quickly? I love this recipe, and so do my family and friends, but I’m unable to get each patty to consistently be small and round. They start out small and nearly perfect (though round, and not flat, like yours), and then as the chocolate hardens, due to the frozen patties, the patties come out bigger and not as smooth and perfect as the ones you make. Any advice? I tried leaving the fire under the chocolate on for longer, which only started burning the chocolate, after it had completely melted, and melting the frozen patties! I’d really appreciate advice, I’ve used a couple recipes on your site and loved them, and have been recommending your site left and right, for great, healthy alternative meals and snacks. It’s an aesthetic and serving problem. As someone who loves Junior Mints, it would be my dream to make patties as small and round as those. Yours look great too, but I can’t even achieve that, as of yet! Sorry for writing so much, but I’ll definitely need help on this before attempting to make this recipe for a third time, for a future special occasion.
Melody, I didn’t have a problem, but then I used the chocolate recipe from the almond butter cup recipe on this site (I think it’s just cocoa powder and coconut oil). I was concerned with it hardening and I had lots of cocoa powder on hand so I tried that instead – zero problems! Hope that helps :)
I wish mine worked out as well as yours did. My peppermint filling wouldn’t freeze. It wasn’t quite runny, but it wasn’t quite solid like yours either… what do you think the problem could be? I’m pretty sure I put enough coconut oil into the mixture.
Creamy, dreamy? Heck yes! These little morsels of deliciousness just melt in your mouth. They’re sooooo good! My non-vegan husband adores these. The only thing I did different because it’s what I had on hand was the chocolate covering; cocoa powder and coconut oil was all I used. These little delectables were put and left in the freezer, just like the almond butter cups, and enjoyed straight from there :) If you haven’t tried this recipe, you must, otherwise you’re missing out ;)
Did you use the same amount of cocoa powder? 1/2 cup?