Frozen Mint Slices

So yummy.  This dessert will certainly have you sneaking back into the freezer for just one more bite. 

We can thank Oh She Glows for this marvelous recipe and Tanya Renner for turning me on to it. 

Ingredients

THE FILLING:

  • 3/4 cup (225 g) raw cashew butter*
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) virgin coconut oil, melted
  • 6 tablespoons (90 mL) almond or coconut milk, room temperature
  • 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons (5 to 7.5 mL) pure peppermint extract, or to taste**
  • 1 cup (30 g) packed baby spinach***
  • Pinch fine sea salt

THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE:

  • 1/2 cup (90 g) non-dairy chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons (30 mL) full-fat coconut cream****
  • Dash fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons raw cacao nibs or crushed candy cane, plus more for serving

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Line a small (approximately 4×8-inch) loaf pan or 6-inch cake pan with plastic wrap so the slab will easily lift out after freezing.
  2. Place the filling ingredients (cashew butter, maple syrup, melted oil, almond milk, 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract, spinach, and salt) into a high-speed blender. Blend on high until smooth. Make sure no chunks of spinach leaves remain. Taste and add more peppermint extract if desired.
  3. Pour the filling into the prepared pan. Place the pan flat in the freezer and freeze for 4 to 5 hours until the filling is solid. There’s no need to cover it unless you plan on keeping it in the freezer longer than 8 hours.
  4. Once the filling is solid, prepare the ganache topping. In a medium pot, combine the chocolate chips, coconut cream, and salt. Melt the chips over the lowest heat setting, stirring frequently, until smooth. 
  5. Remove the filling from the freezer and, gripping the plastic wrap as a handle, lift it out of the pan. Flip the filling onto a large plate and peel off the plastic wrap.
  6. Pour the ganache over the top of the solid filling, starting in the center, and allow it to cascade down the sides a bit. 
  7. Immediately scatter the crushed candy cane or cacao nibs all over the ganache. Return it to the freezer, uncovered, and freeze for about 10 minutes, until the ganache is firm.
  8. Slice and garnish as desired. Return leftovers to the freezer right away as the dessert does soften as it sits.