Recipe: Peppermint Bounty Bars

A rich, minty take on your favourite coconut bounty chocolate bars so decadent you'd never guess they are raw, vegan and gluten free.

So I have a thing for mint chocolate. 

Some people don't get the delicious combination of fresh mint and sweet, rich chocolate but I really, really get it. 

When I was young Bounty Bars were never my first choice from a box of Cadbury Favourites. I wasn't a fan of coconut and they seemed too healthy in comparison to the cheeky bars filled with caramel, biscuits and wafers. In fact, Bounty was my second last choice, second last to Turkish Delights. Though at some point over the last few years I've given coconut another chance and have finally come to my senses. Now I can't get enough of it, whether it's in coffee, curries, yoghurt, ice cream or covered in chocolate.

These bars have been one of my favourite and most popular recipes to date. They are similar to a bounty bar, full of sweet, chewy coconut and covered in rich Whittakers dark chocolate. Usually I'd make my own chocolate but using Whittakers dark choc is so quick and easy. It can be thrown in the microwave for a minute or so or melted in a glass bowl over boiling water (or a double boiler). Not to mention it's delicious. Though if you do decide to make your own chocolate from scratch I've included a quick recipe for it in the recipe below.

My first attempt at peppermint bounty chocolate was bite-sized pieces. I was going for cute little bite-sized peppermint patties but ended up with blobs instead. I wouldn't exactly say they were aesthetically pleasing blobs. So I then tried making them into bars and they looked so much better and took less than half the time. The bars simply need to be pressed into a rectangular or square shaped tin then cut and coated in chocolate. If you'd like to try making little mint choc patties I used half of this recipe to make 25 blobs.

Makes 20 bars

(Or 50 small patties) 

INGREDIENTS
Filling
- 4 cups desiccated coconut (or shredded coconut for more chew)
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons coconut cream, chilled
- 3 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
- pinch of salt

Coating
- 2 blocks Whittaker's Dark Chocolate
Optional: Make it refined sugar free by making your own chocolate from scratch by melting and mixing equal parts of coconut oil, raw cacao powder and maple syrup.

Decorative Drizzle
- 2 blocks Sweet William white chocolate 

- 3/4 teaspoon Matcha Maiden powder

- 1/4 cup dessicated coconut

RECIPE
1. In a food processor, blend all filling ingredients for a few minutes until combined. 

2. Firmly pack the filling mixture into a lined tin. Store in the freezer until set.

3. Once set, cut into desired shapes then coat with melted dark chocolate (I melted and coated in two batches, melting 1 block of Whittaker's dark chocolate at a time in the microwave for 1.5mins) before placing the bars on a baking paper lined tray. Refrigerate until set.

4. For the drizzle effect, melt white chocolate then stir in Matcha powder. Use a teaspoon to drizzle the chocolate back and forth over each bar. Sprinkle desiccated coconut over melted white chocolate before the chocolate sets. Refrigerate until set.



Are you a fan of mint chocolate or coconut? What's your first pick from a box of Cadbury Favourites?  

If you tried this recipe I'd love to hear from you. Use the hashtag #chelseycrafts on Instagram or post in the comments form below.