The thing we love about these creamy, nut-based vegan desserts? They’re GOOD. Not “good for a vegan dessert” or “good for something made without dairy,” but just good good. If you were to serve them at a party, no one would give them a sideways glance or shake their fist at you for serving them hippie food. They’re a dessert that everyone can enjoy: vegans, non-vegans, young people, old people, mimes, centaurs, whatever. These Mint Chocolate Chip Bars are for all!
Servings: 12 -16 bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup Medjool dates pitted and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
For the filling:
- 1 1/2 cups raw pistachios soaked overnight then drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup cane sugar syrup or sweetener of choice to taste
- 3/4-1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Enjoy Life are gluten- and dairy-free
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Line a 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that it overhangs on the sides like handles; set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade, combine the almonds, dates, and cocoa powder. Process until all of the ingredients are finely chopped; when you squeeze a small clump of the “dough” in your hands, it should stick together. This can take between 1-2 minutes depending on the size and strength of your machine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and gently press crust into the pan to form an even layer.
To make the filling and topping:
- Combine the pistachios, coconut oil, water, cane sugar syrup, and 3/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract in a high speed blender. Run the blender, stopping to scrape the sides if needed, until the mixture is completely smooth like cashew cream, adding more water a tablespoon or two at a time if it seems like your machine is straining. Taste the filling and blend in additional extract if needed. (If you add more water, you may need more extract!)
- When the mixture is completely smooth, pour the filling over the crust and spread into an even layer with a spatula. Pour the chocolate chips over the filling layer, gently pushing them into the pistachio cream so that they stay in place but are still visible.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil and place it in the freezer for about 8 hours or overnight until frozen solid. 15 minutes before you're ready to serve the bars, take the pan out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature on the counter. To remove the bars from the pan, gently pull up on the parchment paper “handles” to release them. Slice into squares with a sharp knife and serve immediately. Store remaining bars in the freezer until ready to eat.
Notes
If you happen to have raw cashews on hand, I've tested this recipe with them and it works out perfectly.
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51 Comments
LyndaS
March 13, 2014 at 10:06 amThose look delicious!
Alexis @ Hummusapien
March 13, 2014 at 10:47 amThese look SINFULLY good. Serious drool up in herrrrr.
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 2:02 pmThey are totally drool-worthy. 🙂
Martina @ snapshotsandwhatnots
March 13, 2014 at 11:47 amha ha I love serving people “hippie food” especially when they have already expressed how great it taste before they find out whats in it – fun times 🙂
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 2:02 pmYeah, sometimes if you tell people what’s in something, they decide they don’t like it before they even taste it!
[email protected]
March 13, 2014 at 12:25 pm“Pyrex dish filled with disappointment and broken dreams” — the worst! Clearly you redeemed yourself! These look AMAZING!
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 2:01 pmSometimes the best recipes take a few tries to get right. 🙂
Stephanie @ Henry Happened
March 13, 2014 at 1:01 pmoh my, mint chocolate chip anything is my absolute favorite. Going to have to try this creamy, minty, chocolately perfection!
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 2:00 pmYou will looooove these then! 🙂
Skye
March 13, 2014 at 1:48 pmOh. My. Goodness. What an utterly stunning recipe. I literally cannot wait to make these.
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:58 pmThank you! It was fun brainstorming with Meg to come up with it. 🙂
Amanda
March 13, 2014 at 2:58 pmThese look heavenly, going to try making these at the weekend.
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:56 pmI hope you enjoy them!
lisacng @ expandng.com
March 13, 2014 at 3:09 pmI love that you revealed your “fail” while creating this recipe. Makes you that much more relatable, though you were pretty relatable already :). I can’t wait to try this because I LOVE mint + chocolate and all those choc chips on top of the bar means we aren’t skimping here ;).
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:56 pmI have no shame when it comes to my kitchen failures. Well, maybe I have a little shame. 🙂 But I think anyone who cooks a lot has their fair share of mishaps. And that’s really how you learn to cook–failure is just as valuable as success!
Angie (@angiesrecipess)
March 13, 2014 at 3:13 pmThese look DIVINE! Can’t believe they are raw. Well done!
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:54 pmThank you, Angie! 🙂
Allison @ Clean Wellness
March 13, 2014 at 3:17 pmWow! I can’t wait to give these a try. I’m a pistachio lover so I know I’ll love them. Such an inventive recipe!
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:53 pmI hope you like them if you make them! 😀
janae @ bring joy
March 13, 2014 at 3:19 pmDelish! Delish, delish.
Genevieve
March 13, 2014 at 3:50 pmGreat idea for a healthy St Patricks Day dessert! I had considered making something along the same lines but with a cashew-lime filling to bring to our St Pattys Day potluck, but I had the same concern about it being too “healthy” or weird of a dessert for everyone haha…so good to know that these aren’t like that (I bet the chocolate chips help too!). And I’ll have to remember to add mint to my smoothies next time…I’ve had two containers of mint go to waste recently and I never thought to try that!
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:49 pmI made lime cheesecake bars with cashews a few months ago! I was testing a recipe for a friend’s cookbook. 🙂 I don’t think you have to worry about people thinking it’s weird, because the version I made was delicious!
Christine
March 13, 2014 at 8:33 pmI want to try this. For the sweetener could I use either honey?
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:48 pmHoney would definitely work too!
Melissa @ Nourish By Melissa
March 13, 2014 at 9:21 pmWow! Words can’t describe how good this looks! If only pistachios weren’t so pricey 🙁
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:48 pmYou can use raw cashews too. 🙂 They don’t turn out green, but they’re still delicious!
Holly
March 13, 2014 at 10:47 pmI think I need someone to make these for me so I am surprised by how good they taste rather than how healthy the ingredients are! I love all things dessert and I am sure these are a great way to end a meal.
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:48 pmI’ll have to send some over next time I make them then! 🙂
Nancy/SpicieFoodie
March 14, 2014 at 12:46 amI am in dessert heaven right now! I can’t believed they are vegan and that there’s no baking involved — it’s too hot to turn my oven on. Great recipe, Kiersten.
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:46 pmThese are a great dessert for a hot day because they’re served chilled and they’re minty too!
Robin {Mom Foodie}
March 14, 2014 at 1:01 amThis looks quite yummy, but I would have a rebellion on my hands if I took the pistachios and soaked them.
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:46 pmHa! Yeah, pistachios don’t last very long around here either. Except for the pesky ones that refuse to be cracked open. 🙂
Mary @ Fit and Fed
March 14, 2014 at 10:18 amOh my, Kiersten, these look amazing! I’ve been wanting a healthier Nanaimo bar for ages and these fit the bill, plus they have mint! Pinning now!
Kiersten Frase
March 14, 2014 at 1:45 pmI’ve never tried Nanaimo bars–I need to put those on my to-do list!
Sarah
March 15, 2014 at 7:52 amHi from Australia!
Can you let me know what peppermint extract you use please? We only have peppermint essence here that’s available in supermarkets and I don’t want to mess this recipe up!
Thanks so much,
Sarah
Kiersten Frase
March 16, 2014 at 8:35 pmI use Nielsen-Massey peppermint extract (http://www.nielsenmassey.com/culinary/products-pure-peppermint-extract.php). I wonder if essence is the same thing? I do know some people make their own extracts too: http://www.crunchybetty.com/make-your-own-heavenly-homemade-vanilla-and-peppermint-extracts
Joanne
March 15, 2014 at 6:35 pmMint chocolate YES! That is basically the.boy’s favorite dessert flavor. So if these can pass his test, they can past anyone’s! So excited to make these.
Kiersten Frase
March 16, 2014 at 8:31 pmWoo hoo! I hope he likes them! They are pretty darn delicious. 🙂
Katie @ Produce on Parade
March 17, 2014 at 3:33 pmPistachio cream is insanely brilliant! Yum, these look fantastic!!
gary
March 18, 2014 at 11:19 amThese look great, can’t wait to try them at the weekend. I made some Vegan Nanaimo bars from a recipe over on greedyvegangirl.com yesterday, so got to get through them first! They are delicious also!!
Kiersten Frase
March 20, 2014 at 8:17 pmI’ve been wanting to try Nanaimo bars! I keep hearing about them…
Suzanne @ hello, veggy!
March 18, 2014 at 3:05 pmWOW; these look killer!! yum 🙂
Sarah from Australia
March 24, 2014 at 8:59 pmThese are delicious! My whole family have fallen in love with these and we look forward to our dessert every night knowing these are waiting! Beautiful, fresh flavours and the crunch of the choc chips are mouth watering!
Kiersten Frase
March 25, 2014 at 2:21 pmThank you for your comment–I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
April 9, 2014 at 1:32 pmSweets! Eeeee! Thank you for posting these. I, for one, am thrilled to see this recipe over here. 🙂
But hey, why’d you hold back on the chocolate chips? 😉
Kiersten Frase
April 9, 2014 at 2:47 pmWe have a muffin recipe planned for May too. JUST FOR YOU! I was like, “I need to post something sweet for Erin.” 🙂