I’ve always had a thing for after dinner mints. Dessert is too much after a meal. BUT a little mint to tease the taste buds is just right!
Mint is known to settle the stomach. As are many herbs. The original idea behind having a bit of candy made with this tasty herb after a meal arose from that tenet.
Sipping on a cup of peppermint tea, after an evening meal, is a pretty common occurrence in my household. It’s just plain good for you. This Apothecarist highly recommends it 😉
However, for Christmas this year I wanted to make the after dinner mint experience a little more special than that. Like peppermint patty special.
Yet, the thought of all of the bad for you ingredients that are usually in a peppermint patty being the grand finale to my holiday feast didn’t sit quite right with me. So I got to work on creating a healthy version of this gas station staple.
And the results of my efforts are pretty damn phenomenal, if I do say so myself! So, I thought that I would share them with all of you. This way we can all enjoy the fruits of my labor!
I made the filling first (obviously, LOL).
I used unsweetened finely shredded coconut …
And a little melted coconut oil, honey, almond milk, and peppermint extract …
I mixed it all together with a fork. It took a little time and effort to blend it well. Honey can be a tough cookie to distribute through dry goods. But half the fun is in the making, as they say. So I took my time and it paid off big in the end.
I didn’t have a mold. And where I live there aren’t many places to shop. Most things have to be ordered online. Not like my hometown where I would just run up to Commerce Boulevard (the name says it all) and grab whatever I needed.
But there’s a whole lot of good to the laid back lifestyle folks live in my new home, so I’m not complaining. And since necessity definitely is the mother of invention, I simply pressed my coconut mixture into a tablespoon and then popped the balls out with my finger.
It worked great. I ended up with gorgeous little balls of coconut yumminess! Perfect. I popped them in the freezer. And set the timer for an hour to firm them up.
This step is paramount as otherwise they will simply fall apart in your chocolate coating and you’ll end up eating your peppermint patties with a spoon!
While you’re waiting for your coconut ‘balls’ to freeze you can get your other ingredients ready to go. Don’t mix them until you’re ready to use them though. They might harden up on you. Depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
The coating is made with cocoa. I think that probably goes without saying, right? Chocolate = cocoa.
When my timer went off I mixed some coconut oil and honey in with the cocoa.
And then dropped the balls in the final brew one at a time. So simple!
After I dropped them in I just used a spoon to pour coating over the top of them. And then scooped them out with a fork and slid them onto a plate.
I had to move quickly with this step because the coldness of the balls rapidly change the texture of the chocolate coating. And I didn’t want to have to reheat it.
Once I had all of them coated and placed on a plate, I tossed the plate in the freezer for a bit. I know from past experience working with chocolate coating that it only takes about 15 minutes to chill a candy like this. But I think I left them in there an hour or so before I tried them.
They came out absolutely perfect. So damn delicious!
Once I had a taste, I put the remaining balls in an airtight container and tucked them back in the freezer for Christmas. That was the plan. Wasn’t it?!?!
I could have kept them in the fridge as well. But I liked them frozen a lot. A whole lot. So frozen it is!
Here’s the recipe so you can make some for yourself and your family. It will be hard to share but you should. You really should 😉
If you find yourself feeling the generosity of the Christmas spirit, bear in mind that they make a really nice hostess gift for holiday parties/dinners.
Spread the love a little! Just sayin’!
HANDMADE HOLIDAY ‘AFTER DINNER MINTS’ RECIPE
FILLING:
1 c. Coconut, unsweetened, shredded
3 tsp. Coconut Oil, melted
2 tsp. Honey
1 tsp. Almond Milk
1 tsp. Peppermint Extract
COATING:
1/2 c. Coconut Oil, melted
6 tbls. Cocoa Powder, heaping
4 tbls. Honey
TO MAKE FILLING:
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and blend well with a fork. Shape into patties or balls and freeze for 1 hour.
TO MAKE COATING:
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and blend well with a fork.
Drop coconut patties/balls in coating one at a time and cover well. Do this quickly to prevent coating from getting too hard.
Place mints on a plate and freeze for 15 minutes.
Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!
If you decide to make this tasty treat this holiday (or any other time 😉), please let me know in the comments how it works out for you!
Or just pop in the comments to share your thoughts about this recipe, about after dinner mints, or even just to say Hi!
I love hearing from all of you. I really do. Without you there is no reason for me to be here ❤️
And … connect with me on facebook if you would like to stay abreast of any other happenings going on here at Bohemian Apothecarist. We will both be glad you did ❤
