Paleo Junior Mint Squares
I love mint and chocolate together. One of my all time favorite candies used to be Junior Mints.
I used to try and get my husband to go to the movies with me every weekend. He would always ask, ” Do you really want to go to the movies, or do you just want some junior mints?” He knows me so well.
I set out to make something minty and chocolaty today. I’ve been thinking about it for quite awhile now. I envisioned making my own little chocolate cups (like these) and filling them with something creamy and minty. I actually tried out the cups today. Epic fail. First, I tried brushing the chocolate into some nifty little silicon cups and the chocolate wouldn’t stick. Then I tried brushing it into paper muffin liners and that wasn’t really working either. On to Plan B….make simple squares.
The creamy part was easy. Avocados are creamy and green. Perfect. I’ve seen loads of vegan and paleo desserts that use avocado to achieve something creamy and I have a recipe for chocolate mousse made with avocado. I just didn’t want it to turn brown (so I added a splash of citrus juice). They stayed green on the day I made them, but they were a little “off” color by the next day (next time I’m going to try this trick to keep it green).
Recipe
For the chocolate layer:
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- pinch of salt
Melt everything together in a sauce pan on medium heat; stir well.
Making the chocolate
Pour into a greased glass dish (I used a little glass 7″x7″ pyrex dish). Put into the freezer to chill while you make the next layer.* (see assembly note below before doing this step!)
For the mint cream layer:
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- splash of lime or lemon juice, I used lime (to keep the avocado from browning)
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup (or honey)
Put it all together in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and see if you want to add more mint or syrup.
Dump it all in together
Creamy and green!
Putting it all together:
*I made mine with chocolate on the bottom and the mint on top. In hindsight, I would do it the other way around or I would line the dish with parchment paper to make cutting into squares easier. I had trouble with the chocolate layer sticking to the bottom of the dish and sometimes separating from the mint layer. Another way to put these together would be to make them like peanut butter cups—pour a bottom layer of chocolate into a mini muffin cup, then pour on some avocado mint and then top with chocolate again. I melted about 40 grams of dark chocolate to drizzle over the top of my squares (do this before freezing or the drizzle won’t stick). Chill for an hour in the freezer before cutting. Keep in the fridge or freezer (they stay green longer in the freezer).
The verdict
These were really, really delicious. More food for me to get out of the house as soon as possible so that I won’t eat them all. They are way too easy to pop in your mouth one right after the other.
Enjoy!
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- Healthy Junior Mint Squares | Exhibit Health - [...] - Recipe and pictures with permission via: Swiss Paleo [...]
- Organic Paleo Junior Mint Squares - Home With Dee - A Homeschooling, Naturally Raw, Organic Mommy (& Daddy!) Blog - […] For the method follow this link […]
- Chocolate Mint Slice | fourclayhearts - […] recipe was adapted from here, a lovely friend from round the corner put me onto […]
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Think I will make this for a get together I’m having in a few weeks! Looks so yummy! 🙂
Hi Uzzi,
I hope they turn out for you and that you enjoy them as much as we did 🙂
These look amazing!!! Do you think I could grind up some cacao nibs instead of cocoa powder? (Its just what I have on hand). I can’t wait to try this!!!
Hi Kayla,
I’ve never tried to grind up cacao nibs before so I’m not sure if it would work or not. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Hi, What’s the substitute for cocoa powder?
Anybody could share their experiences?
Thank you
Hi Liz,
I’m guessing (just a guess…never tried it) you just melt some dark chocolate bars (maybe 3 for a total of about 300 grams) instead. This would mean that you would need to reduce the amount of of coconut oil (try cutting it by half) and reduce the maple syrup (honey) down to 1 Tablespoon. If you try it, let me know how it works 🙂
I don’t think I have ever tried Junior Mints before, but I just made these because they looked delicious, and I had all the ingredients on hand already.
I put the green stuff on the bottom and the chocolate on top. Works perfectly, and these are sooo delicious!! Thank you. Definitely adding this into my regular routine. 😀
Hi Missina,
Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you liked them 🙂
Can you taste the avacado at all?.
I didn’t. I would taste it after mixing and then add more peppermint if you feel like you can still taste avocado. I find avocado to be really mild in flavor and it’s covered by the coconut oil and peppermint 🙂 (and of course you’re getting minty chocolate with every bite as well).
CANT WAIT TO TRY THIS, IT LOOKS SO DELICIOUS, AND HEALTHLY!!! I LOVE AVOCADO,ALWAYS LOOKING FOR DIFFERENT WAYS TO USE AND EAT THEM. THANKS!!!
Hi Tia,
I hope you will enjoy them 🙂
OH. MY. GOD. WANT!!! If I made these, I’d probably have to lock them up in a faraway vault so I wouldn’t eat them all…
Hi Abby,
I had to give them away to friends and get them out of the house (something I do with most of the baking I do).
This looks amazing & elegant! Love love your recipes!
I don’t know about “elegant”, but they were really delicious 😉
These bars are amazing! Thank you so much! I made them today and my whole family loved them! I will be making them a lot! Love you site!!
Hi Kasha,
Thank you so much for the feedback! I’m always so happy to hear back after people have tried a recipe. I’m really glad you and your family enjoyed them 🙂
I made these last night – I went with green on the bottom, chocolate on top. I think they turned out great. I am sharing them with coworkers today. The general opinion about them is split – some love them and others are not a huge fan of the texture of the green part.
I think they taste more like mint chocolate chip icecream than Junior Mints though. Personally, I love them!
This new assessment has been determined by my coworkers. This is the common reaction:
1) It feels weird in your mouth for a few moments.
2) It’s okay. The texture is fine now.
3) A few minutes after eating it, you want another one.
“wanting another one a few minutes later”…..yes, that was the same problem I had 🙂
Yes, I agree with the mint chocolate chip taste…probably not quite as strong as a junior mint. Hard to remember since it’s been years since I’ve had either one! I’m so glad you like them Dana 🙂
These are REALLY yummy. I could eat the mint filling alone!
My only complaint is that they literally melt in your fingers. Quite worth the mess tho. My husband won’t eat Avocado, but I’m going to trick him. He’ll never know he’s eating the health green stuff!
Hi Chloe,
I hope your husband will like them (despite the secret avocado 🙂 )
I’ve made these twice now and they are always a giant hit with my “super addicted, sugar freak” friends and my “clean eating” friends. 🙂
This is going to be a recipe I use for year and years to come. Thank you sooo much!!!
Hi Christine,
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! I’m glad to hear that even the “super addicted sugar freaks” like them 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I have made them roughly once a week since I read it!
I had great luck using a silicone muffin holder. Freeze the chocolate on the bottom, then add the green part.
I keep them I the freezer and they make my evening after dinner as a sweet, or also for a late afternoon pickups, no issues with browning avocado and the cool months awesome.
I thought tonight about trying coconut or something on the top part.
Hi Lis,
I’m so happy to hear that this recipe works so well for you and that you are making it so often. I’ve kept them in the freezer as well with great success. Adding coconut would be delicious for sure 🙂
We have discovered my daughter is intolerant of mint…so I bought coffee extract and substituted for the peppermint! Junior Mochas were desert tonight and they are YUMMY!!!
Hi Lis,
What a great idea 🙂 Those sound yummy!
I notice some of your recipes have an easy print version at the bottom and some don’t. I would love it if they all did! Thanks for your great posts!!
Hi Debbi,
It’s a new plug-in that I recently started using. Only the very newest recipes have it. I may go back and type old recipes up in this format at some point if I find the time 🙂
Hi
I made these and doubled the recipe, but they didn’t really “set” very well. It was still very soft. The taste was good but it looks like you filling was firm and mine was not and it also looks like you chocolate was candy bar consistency and mine stayed very pliable. Do you think more coconut oil was needed?
Hi Maria,
I’m not sure why yours didn’t set quite right. My pictures were taken after they had been in the freezer for an hour. They for sure soften up quickly at room temperature. My chocolate was very hard and set and even stayed firm as the bars got warmer. Adding more coconut oil might add to the firmness, but only in the very cold state. Once you hit room temperature or warmer, the coconut oil reverts back to being more liquid and melty and you lose a lot of firmness. Since you doubled the recipe, you might have just needed to let them sit in the freezer longer.
These are ridiculously delicious. I had a recipe for making a mint shake with avocado and that was pretty good so I thought this might turn out ok. This is beyond ok; they are stupid good. Fair warning: they are rich. I made the mini-muffin version and I could barely eat one half of one (I’ll be making them thinner next time). The hubby and the kids loved them. To make the muffin version, I had to double the chocolate recipe (and used just under that), but since I have a cast iron muffin pan, I just didn’t think these would pop out in decent shape. I used an extra 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract and vanilla and I had no avocado flavor. I also used the salt water cure for the avocados so I didn’t add lemon/lime juice or the salt. Just amazing. I will be making these for the holidays as small stocking stuffer gifts. Thanks!
Hi Yvonne,
Wow, thanks for the lovely (and very thorough!) feedback! Clearly I am a much bigger dessert hound than you though…I had no trouble whatsoever eating a whole one :-)… and then another one. Very happy that you enjoyed them!
hi lisa what kind of food processor do you have?
I have a really old (about 10 years old) Magimix. It does the job, but I’m not sure how much longer it’s going to hold up 🙂
Hey, I just tried making this…I’m new to paleo cooking and baking so love trying out different recipes. The green mint part worked great, but the chocolate layer didn’t work…the coconut oil separated as soon as it started melting and wouldn’t mix in with the chocolate. I kept stirring it over medium heat, but it stayed separated and then the chocolate looked like it was going to start burning. I still put it in a bowl and into the freezer but it didn’t come together 🙁 Any tips on what I may have done wrong to make this happen? They look amazing and I would love to make them properly!
Hi,
I’m not sure what went wrong. What kind of cocoa powder did you use? I use the 100% cacoa stuff that is unsweetened. Normal solid chocolate bars will separate from oils if you melt them at a heat that is too high, but if you use cocoa powder, it should combine with the coconut oil and not separate. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you this time.
I’ve had this happen both times I’ve made it – usually aftr I add the mint extract (organic if that makes a difference). Last night I tried to “fix” it and ended up with something that looks like I scraped it out of the freezer. In regular chocolate work there’s a term for it, but I’m drawing a blank right now. There’s a way to fix it, but adding more cocoa powder isn’t one. The good news is my husband, and avocado-disliker, likes these so it’s a nice way to get more healthy stuff in his diet.
I found that I don’t need to heat the chocolate mixture at all if I let the coconut oil melt in it’s container. If it’s too cold and hard, I just put the jar in some hot water for a few minutes to liquify. Then you can just mix all the ingredients and put it in the freezer.
Mine turned out very thin, the consistency and taste was fine but they were the thickness of an andes mint 🙁 Too thin to cut out of the pan, I just used a bread pan so not very big.
Hi Anna,
Mine were not very thick either. One reader on facebook told me she doubled both layers to make them thicker. Somebody else made them in muffin tins for easier removal. I would definitely use parchment paper in the pan next time for easier removal…I’ve started doing that with all bar type recipes because the whole pan then just lifts out in one big block and it’s much easier to then cut stuff into squares. I’m glad that the consistency and the taste turned out good 🙂
Wow, these sound right up my mom’s alley. Her favorite thing in the world is mint and chocolate. 🙂 I’ll make these for her today and let you know what she thinks!
Hi Cassidy,
I really hope that your mom enjoys them. She sounds like my kind of lady…I love mint and chocolate together 🙂
Help! I’m in the middle of making these and the chocolate mixture in the sauce pan is very watery liquid with thick chocolatey substance..no way I can pur these into a pan or mini miuffin liners.. Not sure what is wrong…
Hi Barb,
Sorry to not get back to you soon enough…I’ve been up in the mountains hiking. The chocolate part is supposed to be liquidy until you freeze it. However, it sounds like maybe yours separated?? That could happen if you heat chocolate on high heat. Not sure what went wrong for you…Sorry!
Thanks Lisa. Hope you had a nice hike. I wanted to update you and others who may read my comment. I continued on and the chocolate started to melt much better. I used muffin liners and poured a small amount of chocolate into each one and then froze them. I continued with your instructions by adding the mint mixture after the chocolate was frozen and they turned out just fine, and OH SO delicious!
Great!! Thanks for getting back to me with your results! I’m so glad that they turned out for you in the end and that you enjoyed them 🙂 Yes, hiking was fabulous (we were up in Zermatt hiking along the Matterhorn for a few days).
I just made these wonderful little treats! I used freezer paper in the bottom of a brownie pan and I had no issues with them sticking. I think in the future I will use a smaller than 9×9 pan for a more uniform size. They do melt quickly when out of the freezer but they aren’t going to sit around long enough to worry about it! In order to prevent the green separating from the the brown I poured the bottom layer in the brownie pan and put it in the freezer until the green was ready. I then put the green on top of the brown and let it sit at room temperature for a little while until the brown softened up a little and slightly blended then put them back in the freezer. Such a yummie little treat!!!
Hi Trina,
Thanks for the feedback and the great tips 🙂 I think I had issues with the green part sliding off the brown part because I didn’t let them warm up a bit before cutting (I was a little to impatient to shove them into my mouth!). I’m so glad that you enjoyed them!
I made a few changes to this recipe that turned out wonderfully:
1) added mint leaves to the avacado part
2) added some almond flour (maybe 1/4 cup) and dried unsweetened macaroon coconut (about 1/2 cup) to the chocolate sauce to thicken it. Just use your discretion, you want the “crust” to be moist still
3) made the dessert in mini muffin tins with chocolate on the bottom. They were easy to remove (greased with coconut oil) and were perfect snack sized bites!
Enjoy, these are delicious!!
Hi Nick,
Thanks so much for the feedback. I always love to hear the little changes people make and how it works out. Love the additions of fresh mint and coconut 🙂
These babies are setting up in the freezer right now! Can not wait to try em. We aren’t paleo but are vegan and these guys are too. Perfect! Can’t wait to try em. I keep peeking to see if they are hard yet, hehe.
Hi Audrey,
I hope they turned out for you! Lots of paleo treats also fit a vegan diet and vice versa 🙂
Can you substitute the syrup and use stevia?
Hi Eva,
I’m sure you could, but I’ve never used stevia before in anything so I’m not sure how much you should use.
These are beautiful! I will definitely have to give them a try 🙂
These are beautiful! I will definitely give them a try 🙂
Hi Tanya,
I hope they turn out for you and that your clan enjoys them 😉
I made these on Tuesday and I have to say they are amazing! I did the avocado trick you suggested as well to keep them greener and it worked. I also threw in 1 tsp of green tea powder- Matcha- to help with the green colour and juice of half a lime. I assembled it like you did and found that sometimes the bottom chocolate layer separated from the green when I sliced into it but I loved that so didn’t mind. Absolutely delicious and perfect for around the time of the month when my sugar cravings go crazy! They turned out perfectly! Even hubby loves them and asked me to make some more! We still have some in the freezer and its still a gorgeous green colour! Fab recipe thank you so much!
Hi Charlie! YAY! So glad they turned out for you and that you and your hubby liked them 🙂
Have you tried freezing the chocolate until it gardens then putting the cream on top then freezing again?
I’m a dork….I just re-read the whole thing. You do freeze it lol lol.
I just put mine in the freezer. I can’t wait to try it. When I did the chocolate part my ingredients split. Half was watery and and the other half was kind of like a paste. I was sure if I cooked it too long or not enough. Need to try that again another day