Peppermint Hot Chocolate Bites

Think of these bad boys as all the festive fabulousness of a perfectly minty mocha rolled into a healthy ball of holiday cheer.

Ever since I laid eyes on Trader Joe's peppermint extract, I've been thinking of a billion and three yummies I want to make with it. I dream of peppermint chocolate chip pancakes on the treadmill. I can practically smell the peppermint brownies when I drive to work. I pretend my snickerdoodle smoothie is a peppermint mocha smoothie. The torture!!

Now that I've got my hands on a bottle, I plan to make all these dreams a reality. So stay tuned.

These may just be the best snack ever. And they're just so seasonal!! I think I may even like them better than my Mexican hot chocolate bites. They're both wannabe versions of my favorite drinks, AKA heaven. Peppermint hot chocolate in all its scrumptious glory isn't exactly light in the sugar department. These gems, however, are sweetened primarily with naturally sweet dates and a bit of pure maple syrup for good measure. Peppermint extract is pretty darn strong, so I only used ⅛ teaspoon. I don't want all of my reader friends sweating peppermint, so add more at your own risk. Even if you don't have peppermint extract, you'll still be obsessed with these. Then they'll just be plain old hot chocolate bites, which are anything but plain and old.

Mmmmmm with marshmallows!! And whipped cream!! But not really.

I added three drops (literally, three drops) of natural peppermint flavor from Whole Foods (which is apparently worlds apart from peppermint extract) to my hot chocolate the other day and I promptly transformed into a minty fire-breathing dragon. Every time I inhaled, my whole body got cold from the peppermint influx. No bueno. Apparently peppermint flavor and extract are quite different, so use with caution.

Eat up, friends! Ho ho ho[t chocolate].

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Bites

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

• Author: Alexis
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 10 mins
• Yield: 7 1x
• Category: Snack/Dessert

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Description

The festive fabulousness of peppermint hot chocolate in the form of a healthy snack.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup almonds
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (plus more for rolling)
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ½ cup pitted dates, packed
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp almond milk
• ⅛ tsp peppermint extract

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Instructions

1. Add walnuts and almonds to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until they reach a fine crumb. Add the cocoa powder, flaxseed and salt and blend for another few seconds.
2. Add the dates, maple syrup, almond milk and peppermint extract. Blend until thoroughly combined, or until a sticky ball of "dough" forms.
3. Wet hands and roll into 7 small balls. Roll balls in cocoa powder (optional). Alternatively, you could form the dough into a square and cut into bars. Store in the fridge.

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Notes

Inspired by my Mexican Hot Chocolate Bites