This dairy free peppermint bark fits all of my requirements. It’s beautiful, allergy friendly, simple to make, and most importantly it’s delicious! I made a batch of dairy free peppermint bark to take to a Christmas get together last night, so I used silicon molds to make individual perfect little blocks. It can also be made in thinner batches that you break into pieces to resemble more traditional peppermint bark.
Just a Few Ingredients
Traditional peppermint bark is high in sugar and contains junky ingredients. This dairy free recipe requires just four ingredients and is low in sugar! All you need to create this delicious and healthier version are dairy free chocolate chips, unsweetened shredded coconut, peppermint oil, and crushed peppermint candy.
The Recipe
This recipe is so simple that you really don’t need to measure much. I used an 8oz bag of shredded coconut and about two cups of dairy free chocolate chips for this batch. The recipe caters to your preferences. Simply melt a bunch of dairy free chocolate chips, and whip up a big batch of coconut butter. You can make your dairy free peppermint bark thick or thin, and create an extra thick chocolate layer or a thin one. For this blog post, I wanted to create thick blocks for a “dessert as a gift” to take to a Christmas get together. If I was going to make a batch just to have at home, I’d pour the melted mixtures into a parchment lined square or rectangle cake pan to create thinner layers to break into pieces.
Start by melting dairy free chocolate chips in the microwave. I like Enjoy Life and Tollhouse brands dairy free chocolate chips which you can find here. Heat for 45 seconds at a time and stir in between, just until melted. Pour the melted chocolate into the bottom of a food grade silicon mold like this one (or parchment lined cake pan) and place in freezer to harden.
Make Coconut Butter
While the first chocolate layer hardens, place the unsweetened shredded coconut into a high powered blender or food processor to create coconut butter. I buy Trader Joe’s organic unsweetened shredded coconut. It’s inexpensive and good quality. Blend until it’s a smooth, thick liquid with no graininess. Depending on what tool you use, it might take a while. The heat added from blending will contribute to the liquid state. Once back at room temperature, and especially when chilled it will turn more into a paste and then a solid. My Blendtec blender with a twister jar makes coconut butter very quickly! If using a regular blender or food processor you’ll need to stop and scrape the sides often. Just keep blending until it’s a thick, creamy liquid. You can learn more about the Blendtec twister jar here. Once your coconut butter is smooth and runny, add in peppermint oil or extract to taste. I used Young Living Peppermint oil, for added health benefits, but you can also use peppermint extract like this one.
Pull the hardened chocolate layer out of the freezer and add a layer of the peppermint coconut butter. Place back in the freezer to harden. Once hard, melt the second cup of chocolate chips and add another layer on top of the coconut butter. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy on top of the melted chocolate and lightly press in. Place back in the freezer to solidify.
Delicious Dairy Free Peppermint Bark
Once the final layer has hardened in the freezer, you can remove the blocks from the silicon mold or lift out of the cake pan and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Place the dairy free peppermint bark out on the counter to soften about 10 minutes before serving or enjoy a crunchier version straight from the fridge. Also try pairing it with a comforting cup of Hunger Thirst Play’s amazing gingerbread cashew coffee! Click here for the coffee recipe!
Dairy Free Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
- 1 8oz bag unsweeted shredded coconut
- 2 cups dairy free chocolate chips divided
- peppermint extract to taste
- 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy
Instructions
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Melt 1 cup of dairy free chocolate chips in the microwave.
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Pour the melted chocolate into the bottom of a food grade silicon mold or parchment lined cake pan and place in freezer to harden.
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While the first chocolate layer hardens, place the unsweetened shredded coconut into a high powered blender or food processor to create coconut butter. Blend until it’s a smooth liquid with no graininess. If using a regular blender jar or food processor you’ll need to stop and scrape the sides often. Once your coconut butter is smooth and runny, add in peppermint oil or extract to taste.
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Pull the hardened chocolate layer out of the freezer and add a layer of the peppermint coconut butter. Place back in the freezer to harden. Once hard, melt the second cup of chocolate chips and add another layer on top of the coconut butter. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy on top of the melted chocolate and lightly press in. Place back in the freezer to solidify.
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Once the final layer has hardened in the freezer, you can remove the blocks from the silicon mold or lift out of the cake pan and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Place the dairy free peppermint bark out on the counter to soften about 10 minutes before serving or enjoy a crunchier version straight from the fridge.
Recipe Notes
This recipe is so simple that you really don’t need to measure much. I used an 8oz bag of shredded coconut and about two cups of dairy free chocolate chips for this batch. The recipe caters to your preferences. Simply melt a bunch of dairy free chocolate chips, and whip up a big batch of coconut butter. You can make your dairy free peppermint bark thick or thin, and create an extra thick chocolate layer or a thin one. For this blog post, I wanted to create thick blocks for a “dessert as a gift” to take to a Christmas get together. If I was going to make a batch just to have at home, I’d pour the melted mixtures into a parchment lined square or rectangle cake pan to create thinner layers to break into pieces.
***Calories per serving are an estimate based on the brands I used. Exact amounts may vary depending on brands used and portion sizes.
For more dairy free recipes go here.