Mintalicious Chocolate Bars

Minty! Chocolate! Delicious!

When I saw the recipe for these lovely little green and black bars, I knew I had to veganize them, right away. Off to the kitchen I went, ideas simmering in my head, to look for ingredients.

I stirred, simmered, poured, spread, and waited. Waited an hour for the crust to set, another 30 minutes for the filling to firm up, and 10 minutes for the chocolate topping to harden. The anticipation grew. My husband kept asking where the cookies were. My dog kept gazing longingly toward the kitchen. The hour grew late.

Finally I could take it no more. I removed the chilled dish to the counter, sank a knife through the hardened bars, lifted a section to my mouth, and bit into a bar. Mintalicious!

And thus an adjective was born.

Here’s how to make some mintaliciousness yourself:

(Meanwhile, if you want more holiday cookies, check out FoodBlogga, or go here to see how to send in your own cookie recipe.)

Mintalicious Chocolate Bars

½ cup margarine (non-hydrogenated, of course)
¼ cup white sugar
1/3 cup good quality cocoa powder (Green & Blacks)*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup pecans, finely chopped
1 cup flaked coconut
1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs OR finely crushed digestive biscuits*

*Alternatively, use 2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs instead of the cocoa and the graham cracker crumbs. Tell me how that works if you do.

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine and add the cocoa powder. Simmer over low heat for one minute.

Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. (If you use chocolate crumbs instead, mix the margarine and sugar only until melted.) Place crumb mixture into an 8 x 8 pan that’s been treated with cooking spray, pressing down to form a crust.

Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

Filling:

1/3 cup margarine
2 tablespoons soy milk
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
few drops green food coloring (if desired)
2 tablespoons corn starch OR 2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix (check the label for vegan ingredients)
2 ½ cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)

With a mixer, cream the margarine, and add soy milk and peppermint extract. Stir in a few drops green food coloring, if desired.

Mix in the corn starch or pudding mix, and add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until it’s all incorporated. (You may not need the last ½ cup; it depends on how packed the sugar is in your measuring cup.)

Spread the mixture over the chilled crumb crust. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set.

Topping:

4 ounces dark chocolate
1 tablespoon margarine

Melt chocolate and margarine together in a double boiler, or VERY slowly in the microwave, on the lowest power setting. (If you don’t have a double boiler, place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and place in a pan of simmering water.)

When the chocolate has melted, spread the mixture over the chilled filling and return to the fridge. Wait about 10 minutes, then remove from the refrigerator and bring back to room temperature, if you can wait that long, to cut the bars.

Comments

[VeggieGirl]

oooh, yum!! I'll have to try these with carob :0)

[Susan from Food Blogga]

Yeh! Yours is the first vegan cookie of Eat Christmas Cookies! There is something so Christmas-y about chocolate and mint, isn't there? I'm so happy you submitted them,
Kathy. -Susan

[bazu]

I absolutely *love* the chocolate/mint combination!

[Cakelaw]

Yum! I want to reach out and eat these.

[em]

I am definitely making these today for my xmas baskets! But I already have one or two coconut items for each basket, so I want to leave the 'nut out. Do you think I should up the graham cracker crumbs to compensate, or just leave as-is?

[KathyF]

You know, you can hardly taste the coconut in the crust of these. So it may not be noticeable even if you don't leave it out. If you do leave it out, I'd increase the crumbs by about a half cup, since they are denser than coconut.