Confession - I LOVE mint and chocolate ever since I was a kiddo. It's my favourite flavour combo. I know, I know. It's so "ordinary", but it's just so good. That's was classic combo's are classics, right?!? This candy bar came about after I had a much less awesome version and wanted to make it healthy and tastier! Mission accomplished. This bar is amazing! It hits all the marks - gooey caramel, cooling mint, soft chocolate biscuit and that delightful dark chocolate shell.
Ingredients
Minted Buckwheat
200gbuckwheat, sprouted until a tail just emerges (*see buckwheaties recipe)
100g(½ cup) xylitol, powdered
½cuppacked mintchiffonade cut
15-20drops peppermint essential oil
pinchsalt
Chocolate Mint Biscuits
Wet
115gwater
15gcold pressed sesame or nut oil
75g(⅓ cup) coconut sugar
75gcashews, soaked and rinsed
50gcacao powder + more for rolling
4-6drops peppermint essential oil
15g(¼ cup)psyllium husk
Dry
45goat flour
60gground almonds
15gcoconut flour
30gminted buckwheat
‘Milk’ Caramel
40gcoconut oil, melted
55gcacao butter, melted
40gcashew butter
50gxylitol, powdered
50gcoconut sugar, powdered
6drops vanilla medicine flower extractor ¼ tsp vanilla extract
8drops caramel medicine flower extract
40g-55g(¼ - ⅓ cup) warm milk of choice
Peppermint Creme and Assembling the Bars
50gcoconut oil, melted
100g(½ cup) xylitol, powdered
8dropspeppermint essential oil
Finishing the Bars
300g10 oz dark chocolate, melted and in temper
50g-75g(⅓ - ½ cup)minted buckwheatbashed down in a mortar and pestle to a rough crumb consistency
Instructions
Minted Buckwheat
Using your hands mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl very well.
Spread the mix onto a mesh dehydrator sheet and dry for 12-20 hours or until completely dry.
Store in a glass jar for up to 6 months.
Chocolate Mint Biscuits
Blend the first set of ingredients until smooth.
Add the psyllium and pulse to incorporate.
Mix the last set of ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Add the contents of the blender and mix well with your hands until it comes together.
Allow to set 5 minutes, to firm up.
Form the dough into a ball and dust with cacao powder.
Roll the dough out between two pieces of nonstick or greaseproof paper to ¼ inch thickness.
Trim the dough into a rectangle or square and then cut the sized “bars” you’d like. Dampen the knife or spatula so it doesn’t stick to the dough. I cut mine to fit this mould ( https://amzn.to/2MU4aXz ) so I could make symmetrical bars, but you don’t have to do that. You can form them by hand.
Transfer the cut bars to a mesh dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 115f-130f for 10-15 hours or until they’re firm through.
'Milk' Caramel
In high speed blender combine all ingredients, except water, and blend on low speed just to combine.
With the blender running on low/medium, drizzle in the water until you achieve a silky smooth caramel.
Pour about 1 - 2 tbsp of caramel into the mould cavities you used to measure the bars. This is the mould I used. https://amzn.to/2MU4aXz
Place in the freezer to set while you make the creme, about 20 - 30 mins.
Peppermint Cream and Assembling the Bars
Use a vitamix or coffee grinder to powder the xylitol so it’s the consistency of icing sugar. If you are using this from storage, the xylitol can tend to clump up. In that case, run it through a sieve.
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix using your finger tips. We don’t want too much heat in there ( from the palms of hands).
Once the caramel layer is set and the biscuits are ready and at room temp, you can then add the creme layer on top of the caramel, about 1 tbsp of creme.
Before the creme sets, push a chocolate biscuit into the creme so that it stick to it once set.
Place the mould back in the freezer for 20 minutes or until fully set.
Pop the bars out of the mould and place on a greaseproof lined tray in the fridge while you get the chocolate ready for finishing the bars.
Finishing the Bars
Mix the minted buckwheat into the chocolate
Dip the bars into the chocolate upside down to cover the sides and top.
Place the dipped bars onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper and set in the fridge for 5-10 mins.
Can be kept at room temps under 19c or in the fridge in an airtight container for 1 week.