HONEY SWEETENED PEPPERMINT PATTIES

Dec 17

I have been in England only once in my life as an exchange student at the age of 14. My host family was going out of their way to make this stay as pleasant as possible. I had heard that British food was not the best in the world, but I actually enjoyed it very much. I was especially fond of the cozy afternoon tea time. I’ve always loved black tea and, for the first time, I combined it with milk, which, to my surprise, tasted delicious. Along with it, my host mom also served little sausages wrapped in puff pastry, sconces, and of course mint chocolates. I loved all of it. The only thing I did not like was the triple layer jellow dessert that my brother had gobbled up the year before while staying with that same family. They had made an extra large portion for me because he had enjoyed it so much, not knowing that I have a hard time swallowing anything glibbery. To be polite, I bravely swallowed a small serving size while wishing to move on to the other treats. One of those treats were peppermint patties. I found the combination of peppermint with dark chocolate extraordinary and could not get enough of them. Ever since I have wished to return to England and I know that one day I will explore more of this beautiful country.

Once my intestinal symptoms had subsided, I added dark chocolate in small amounts back into my diet. I started experimenting with 100% chocolate, honey or date syrup to make my own refined-sugar-free treats. One of them are these refined-sugar-free peppermint patties. These are just right for anyone in an advanced stage of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet who is able to tolerate chocolate well and is looking for a sweet treat that does not ruin the healing effort.

INGREDIENTS
for the peppermint patties:
1/2 cup plain yoghurt (If you are sensitive to lactose, I recommend homemade 24 hour yoghurt)
1/2 cup coconut butter
1/3 cup honey
1tsp organic peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups shredded coconut

for the chocolate coating:
1 recipe of honey sweetened chocolate coating

tools:
cookie cooling rack, cookie cutters, baking sheet

INSTRUCTIONS
for the peppermint patties:
Melt the coconut butter by placing the jar in hot water and set aside. Add yoghurt, honey, and peppermint extract to a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the shredded coconut and mix until lumps form. Add the coconut butter and stir until combined.

Line a 9” square baking dish with parchment paper.

Add the coconut mixture to the baking dish and using a tablespoon push into a thin layer (about 3/8 inches). Refrigerate for an hour.

Remove the firm coconut mass from the baking dish and place on a cutting board. Use a cookie cutter to cut out your favorite shapes (I used a 1”round shape but you might as well go for stars, hearts, or whatever shape you like).

Refrigerate for one hour.

for the chocolate coating:
Add the honey sweetened chocolate coating to a large jar (I use a glass smoothie jar). Using two forks, dip the coconut shapes into the chocolate one at a time. Place the patties on a cookie rack or parchment paper to dry.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.