I love the holidays! Another excuse to make sinfully delicious treats to share. Like I need an excuse to eat chocolate!!! But since it’s December, I busted out these ridiculously easy desserts to add to the holiday cheer: Chocolate Peppermint Cups.
There is just something magical about the month of December. The days are shorter. It gets dark earlier. We have our little wood stove going in the evening to take off the chill. Candles burning give a warm and cozy feel. And I bring out my Scandinavian holiday decorations to celebrate the season. Reminds me of growing up in a Finnish family.
For me, December is a time of being with family, getting cozy, staying inside. We hang little lights outside to call back the light during the darkest time of the year. We look back at the year to see what we have accomplished, and look forward to see where we are going. It’s like a little pause in time to reflect and just be.
OK…enough of the nostalgia! Let’s get to those peppermint chocolate cups, shall we?
These little delicacies were inspired by my recipe for Toasted Coconut Almond Fudge. I just added a little seasonal flair with the peppermint and some extra nuts, and now it’s beginning to feel like the holidays around here.
Ho Ho Ho!
Did I mention that they take less than 10 minutes to throw together? Yeah, ridiculously easy. I prefer my cups to be small, so I used metallic mini candy cups. You can also make them bigger with regular paper muffin liners.
As with many of my coconut based treats, these are best cold out of the fridge or freezer. They will get softer at room temperature.
And don’t even worry, because you can feel good about making these decadent chocolate peppermint desserts as they are loaded with uber healthy coconut oil, protein rich almond butter and nuts, and antioxidant raw cacao. What are you waiting for?
Happy Holidays, everyone!
xo,
Katja
PrintChocolate Peppermint Cups (grain and dairy free, Paleo)
- Yield: 20 regular cups or 40 mini cups 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 4 TBS raw honey
- 1/2 cup raw cacao (like this) (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
- 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
- 1 and 1/4 tsp peppermint extract (like this) or 4 drops peppermint essential oil (my preferred brand of essential oils)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (like this)
- 1 cup nuts (almond, cashew, pistachios, hazelnut, macadamia, or pecan) ~ I used cashew and pistachios
Instructions
- Line muffin tins or a large baking sheet with paper muffin liners or mini candy cups. Set aside.
- Pulse nuts in food processor several times until broken into small tiny pieces. Set aside.
- In a double boiler (I use a glass bowl inside of a cooking pot), melt the coconut oil.
- Add the almond butter, honey, raw cacao, and salt. Stir until completely melted and smooth.
- Remove from heat and fold in shredded coconut ,chopped nuts, and peppermint extract (or essential oil). Mix to thoroughly combine.
- Pour into muffin liners or candy cups. Place into freezer to harden for at least 2 hours (I know, hard to wait but so worth it). Store any leftovers in the freezer. ENJOY!
Notes
These will soften at room temperature so are best eaten cold out of the fridge. I prefer them straight out of the freezer.
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Darlene says
Looking forward to trying this!
I’m confused with the amount of almond butter needed for this recipe. In one spot, you say 1/2 plus 2 Tablespoons and in another spot you say 5 Tablespoons. Which amount is correct?
Katja says
Thank you! Thank you! for pointing that out. I doubled and changed my original recipe but the recipe card at the end was still my old recipe. It’s all updated now. ENJOY!! 🙂
Allison Jordan says
Mmm! This looks so good! I can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Laurie says
Do you think these would still be tasty without the peppermint? They sound very good but my family does not like peppermint.
Katja says
They are delsih without the peppermint as well. Decadent, melt in your mouth good!