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Creamy Mint Bars

Creamy and delicious — these green dessert bars taste just like mint chip ice cream, and they’re the perfect treat for St. Patty’s Day festivities.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Freeze time 8 hours
Servings 6 bars
Author Tiffani

Equipment

  • Food Processor
  • High-Speed Blender (*recommended)
  • Double Boiler (or a *sauce pan topped with a skillet)
  • 9” x 5” loaf pan, lined with parchment paper (or use a *muffin tin fitted with paper cupcake liners)

Ingredients

For the crust...

  • 1 cup raw almonds or more as needed
  • 1 cup pitted dates or more as needed (if dates are hard from being refrigerated, let soak in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain)
  • 1 Tbsp unsweetened cacao powder or sub unsweetened cocoa powder
  • pinch sea salt

For the filling...

  • 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (full fat, NOT lite!) refrigerated for at least 24 hours (you will be removing and using a 1/2 cup of the coconut cream from the can)
  • 1 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight
  • 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp blue agave syrup
  • 3 Tbsp fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp organic peppermint extract
  • 1 pinch sea salt (or more if needed)
  • 1 large handful fresh baby spinach for coloring (don’t worry, you can’t taste it!)

For the chocolate topping...

  • 1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips soy-free if necessary
  • 1 Tbsp non-dairy milk
  • 3/4 tsp pure maple syrup or more to taste

Instructions

  • Add all of the crust ingredients to your food processor fitted with an s-blade. Mix on high until the a dough can be formed when the mixture is pressed between two fingers. If the mixture is too dry to hold shape, add more dates. If the mixture is too moist, add more almonds.
  • Line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper. If any parts of the pan are not covered with parchment, spray or rub with oil. Add the “dough” to the bottom of the pan and press down firmly to form a crust. Try to distribute the mixture as evenly as possible. Once a crust is formed, add the loaf pan to your freezer.
  • Open the can of refrigerated coconut milk. Scoop out a half of a cup of the coconut cream (the solid part), which should be separated from the coconut water. Add the half cup of coconut cream to your high-speed blender, followed by all of the remaining filling ingredients.
  • Start the blender at low and gradually build up to the highest speed. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Taste and if the flavor is a little flat, add an additional pinch of sea salt.
  • Remove the loaf pan from the freezer. Pour the filling into the loaf pan over the almond crust. To create an even surface, you can gently rock the pan back and forth until the mixture is even, or use a silicon spatula and glide it across the top of the filling. Add the loaf pan to your freezer and freeze overnight.
  • The next day, remove the loaf pan from your freezer and let it sit at room temperature anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. You want it defrosted enough to where it will easily pull out of the loaf pan, but still partially frozen in the middle. When it seems ready to pull out, glide a dinner knife along parts of the loaf pan not covered by the parchment (if there are any), then lift up at the sides of the parchment to remove the dessert from the pan. Transfer to a cutting board.
  • Using a sharp knife, cup the dessert into 6 bars, wiping the knife with a wet cloth in between cuts.
  • Boil water in the bottom of your double boiler (or sauce pan). Once boiling, turn off the heat and add all of the topping ingredients to the top pot (or to the skillet, if using). Whisk constantly until the ingredients are completely combined and smooth.
  • Drizzle the chocolate topping over the 6 Creamy Mint Bars. You can do this using a small spoon, or first transfer the chocolate topping into a squeeze bottle. Either method works. If desired, rather than squiggles, you can draw shamrocks or other fun pictures with the chocolate drizzle.
  • Transfer the Creamy Mint Bars into your refrigerator until completely defrosted (1 to 2 hours), then they are ready to enjoy. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

*If you do not have a high-speed blender, I have successfully blended cashew mixtures in the past using an ordinary blender. However, if does take several minutes and require frequent stops to mix and scrape the sides of the blender. Some blenders may not get the mixture completely smooth.
*If you do not have a double boiler, you can user a small sauce pan topped with a skillet of similar size. The skillet should rest at the top of the saucepan. You will boil the water in the pan, and once boiling, fit the skillet on top. Then you will turn off the heat, add the topping ingredients to the skillet, and whisk until smooth.
*If you do not have a loaf pan, you can use a muffin tin to make 6 individual Creamy Mint Cups. Line the muffin tin with paper (or foil) liners. Reduce the crust ingredients by half or the bottom of each dessert will be too thick, limiting the amount of creamy mint filling per cup. Once pulling the dessert from the freezer (after they sit overnight), they will take less time to defrost (about 15 to 30 minutes). Use a dinner knife to pop each dessert out of the tin. Rather than cutting into bars, you will carefully peel back the liner on each dessert before decorating. The cups are fun to drizzle festive shamrocks on!