Peppermint Raw Vegan Bars Recipe
These healthier peppermint raw vegan bars are made with nutrient dense ingredients and have rich chocolate and peppermint flavors. If you’re looking for a delicious treat to make this summer, these no–bake chocolate bars are just the thing. This peppermint raw vegan bars recipe isn’t particularly special, but it is one of those recipes that takes just a few high quality ingredients and a few minutes out of your day to pull together. You can top these with any crunchy topping of your choice or just leave them as–is.
I was a vegetarian most of my life, my transition to veganism began back in 2020. This decision I made for two reasons: I no longer felt comfortable with the environmental impact that consuming animal products of any kind has, or the overall negative health effects on the human body (see table below for detailed nutrition information).
I fell in love with the simplicity of no bake desserts years ago. Most no bake dessert recipes start with sweet dates, nuts, and sometimes whole grains, like oatmeal. Add some cocoa powder, sea salt, and vanilla, and it’s surprising how much like brownies the texture and flavor becomes. And if you love all things peppermint then you’ll also love my vegan thin mints cookies, vegan peppermint patties, vegan peppermint ice cream and vegan peppermint brownies so try those recipes too. And if you’re looking for a refreshing minty post-workout nutritious boost, try my mint chocolate protein shake.
I kept this peppermint vegan bars recipe fairly simple. Cooking or baking in the summer means you want to make something delicious, that it’s easy to keep stocked to snack on anytime of day. Although I love to bake, I bake much less often during the warmer months.
The Perfect Peppermint Filling
I made this recipe with nut butter from Abby’s Better. The company creates nut butters that are healthier for you—free from all the “junk” often put into other packaged foods.
Abby’s Better produces a range of peanut free nut butters that are naturally sweetened with honey, dates or even strawberries, and then lightly seasoned with vanilla and sea salt. That’s it. No unnecessary oils, fillers or preservatives. Just pure, simple ingredients, like you or I would use in our own kitchens.
I tried the Cashew Coconut and knew immediately it would work perfectly in these bars. The added coconut makes this nut butter become very firm and fudgy when chilled—perfect for creating a peppermint fudge layer on top of a raw chocolate layer. I wanted to keep these bars free from unnatural and unnecessary ingredients, so I used spinach to create the green hue in the peppermint layer.
Best When Served Chilled
Once you’ve put together your chocolate layers, they will need to be chilled prior to slicing. I throw them in the freezer for about 2 hours, and then I know they are well set and will cut into beautiful squares. Quickly, I will stack them in a container and keep them stored in the freezer. This recipe is very rich—you will find you only need small pieces to feel satiated and energized.
You can serve these peppermint raw vegan bars at room temperature, but they will change in texture as they warm up. The coconut oils keep them firm and fudgy when refrigerated or frozen.
Recipe Tips
Make it Paleo: These can be easily made paleo by using honey in place of the date syrup in the peppermint layer.
How to Make Peppermint Raw Vegan Bars
These healthier raw vegan bars have a rich peppermint fudge layer. The perfect treat to make in the summer when you don’t want to turn on the oven. These are best served right out of the freezer, the cold temperature maintains their fudgy texture.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 16 squares
Ingredients
Chocolate Bar Layer
- 1 cup cashews raw
- 8 ounces dates pitted and soaked, if necessary
- ⅓ cup natural cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
Peppermint Layer
- ¾ cup Abby’s Better Cashew Coconut Butter (see recipe notes)
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp. date syrup (substitute honey for paleo option)
- ⅛–½ tsp. peppermint extract, adjust to taste
- pinch sea salt
- handful fresh spinach, for green color (optional)
Chocolate Topping
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips (70% or higher)
- coarse sea salt, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Create the chocolate layer by adding the cashews to a food processor bowl, and processing for 1–2 minutes until the cashews are broken up into a coarse flour. Do not over process to the butter stage.
- If using soft dates, add them directly. If your dates are old, dry and no longer soft, soak them in hot water for 1–2 minutes, drain well, then use.
- Add the dates, cocoa powder, sea salt, vanilla, and coconut oil to the food processor bowl along with the cashew flour. Process until the contents ball up and create a thick chocolate batter (should look like be a large sticky ball of “dough”).
- Press the batter into the bottom of an 8 x 8 in. pan. I like to use wet hands to get the dough evenly spread, and then press it down firmly with a pastry roller.
- To save time, you can mix the peppermint layer in a bowl. If you’d like to use spinach to create a green hue like I did, this must be done in a high speed blender to break up the spinach leaves for an even color.
- If using spinach, add the spinach, coconut oil, and ¼ cup of the cashew–coconut butter to a blender. Process until the spinach is fully broken up. Do not use too much spinach or the green color will be too dark and earthy.
- You can also use a bowl and simply mix the peppermint layer together with a spoon––if you have natural green food coloring, then use that instead.
- Add the peppermint layer to the pan on top of the chocolate layer, and spread evenly.
- Melt the dark chocolate chips, or use an 85% dark chocolate bar. Drizzle the chocolate on top of the peppermint layer, and then spread out thinly. Garnish with coarse sea salt if desired. Cocoa nibs also make a great crunchy topping.
- Set the bars by placing in the freezer for about 2 hours prior to slicing.
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer for best results. These soften quickly when left at room temperature and lose their fudge–like texture.
Recipe Notes
Abby’s Better Cashew Coconut Butter: In place of Abby’s Better, you can substitute cashew butter, or use a combination of ½ cup cashew butter and ¼ cup coconut butter.
Peppermint Extract Brands: Peppermint extracts can vary greatly in strength. Be sure to start off with ⅛ teaspoon, then add more to taste.
Nutrition Information
| Calories | 277 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 27g |
| Protein | 5g |
| Fat | 18g |
| Saturated Fat | 9g |
| Sodium | 51mg |
| Potassium | 310mg |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Sugar | 16g |
| Vitamin C | 0.1mg |
| Calcium | 50mg |
| Iron | 1.7mg |
We hope you give this recipe a try. If you do, let us know by leaving a comment. We’d love to see what you come up with. And if you enjoyed this post, subscribe to our newsletter to have more posts like this one delivered directly to your inbox. Cheers!
Source:
Raw Peppermint Vegan Brownies
https://sunkissedkitchen.com/raw-peppermint-vegan-brownies/
Published May 31, 2018. Last Modified March 6, 2020 By Michelle Miller