I love chocolate. Peppermint chocolate is pretty high up the list too. Mint patties were a favourite growing up and I love the gooey peppermint filling in Club dark chocolate.
What I don’t love is the junk in them. Add on the fact that we don't handle dairy too well in our household so I needed an alternative, minus the grossness and guilt.
Enter these real food peppermint creams. They can be as classic or cute and novelty as you like dependant on the molds you choose to use. They'd make a great nourishing, homemade Easter or valentines gift too if that's your thing.
For the filling:
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup organic coconut flakes
1/4 cup coconut oil (I use refined to minimise the coconut flavour)
1 tablespoon raw honey
1/4 tsp peppermint oil
For the chocolate:
100g cocoa butter
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1-2 tablespoons of your chosen liquid sweetener to taste (I use maple syrup)
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
Or 100g of a commercial chocolate you’re OK with ( I occasionally use Alter Eco’s 85% chocolate as it’s dairy and soy free)
Make it:
1. Pop the macadamia nuts and coconut into your food processor and blend until finely ground. Add the remaining ingredients and process again til smooth.
2. Melt the cocoa butter in a small bowl over a water bath. Once melted, stir in the other ingredients and combine well. Pop it aside and allow it to cool a little- this will allow it to thicken a bit and you can then ensure the syrup is mixed through and not separate on the bottom.
3. Once ready paint a layer of chocolate in your chocolate molds of choice. Depending how thin or thick your mix is you may need to add several layers, popping them in the fridge to harden up between layers. If your chocolate mix begins to thicken too much you can pop it back over the water bath to warm up and thin out again.
4. Once you have a lovely shell of set chocolate ready, place in your peppermint filling leaving a little room for more chocolate to enclose it all. Place them in the fridge again to set the filling.
5. To finish top set peppermint creams with remaining chocolate until the molds are completely full. Pop them back in the fridge and chill.
6. Last step- get them out of the molds and in to your belly!
Let me know what you think if you try them.