Do you like the combination of mint and chocolate as much as I do?
Well, when people talk about comfort foods, for me, there really was never anything more comforting than ice cream.
And mint chocolate chip was one of my all time favorites.
(I'll have to tell you in a later post about my job at an ice cream parlor. Not a good situation, if you know what I mean :-)!)
Well, now that I am on a sugar-free and dairy-free diet, I don't get much comfort from mint chip ice cream anymore, but I haven't given up yet.
Last month, our family took a trip to Chicago and we had a really nice sugar-free dairy-free mint chocolate ice cream that got my wheels turning.
Well, the ice cream isn't done yet, but...
Here is the Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Recipe
These are based on my earlier post of Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips (read the updated version of that post). Now we have a family-approved version that is sure to satisfy the mint & chocolate real food lovers out there!
Recipe Notes
- Yields approximately 3 cups of chips / chunks.
- I recommend making a double batch and storing the extra chips in your freezer for future baking or munching :-). But then again, I cook almost everything in bulk.
- If you wish to avoid cocoa due to stimulants inherent in it, use carob instead. You might need less sweetener due to the inherent sweeteness of carob.
- Any healthy liquid or granulated sweetener should work fine instead of xylitol, but you may need to use a different amount if using a liquid sweetener, so read Substituting Sweeteners. Honey or maple syrup will work well for AIP. If using stevia extract, substitute 3 scoops, or to taste - see How to Use Stevia.
- The coconut oil does make them susceptible to heat. Once coconut oil gets to 76 degrees, it starts to soften considerably (that's why the processed chips use hydrogenated oils (Yuck!). So in the summer months, you may wish to keep your chips and chip-filled treats in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to eat them.
They look great, don't they?
And these don't just look great, but they taste great.
And for those of us who are health conscious or are on special diets, these chips meet all of the special diet requirements:
- soy free
- dairy free
- refined sugar-free option
- caffeine-free carob option
It sure is hard to keep my kids out of these while I work on my ice cream recipe!
How can you use these chips?
How about:
- as a stir in for homemade ice cream
- an add-in to homemade chocolate cookies or
- homemade brownies
- an add-in to my Silky Smooth Bean Fudge
- as an ice cream topping
- just eat them plain!
Homemade Mint Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup cocoa powder (or roasted carob powder)
- 3 Tbsp xylitol
- 4 tsp peppermint extract (use alcohol free for AIP)
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil over a very low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in carob, sweetener, and peppermint extract. (If you heat over too high of a heat or don't remove from the heat, the coconut oil will separate from the carob when cooling. You can still eat it, but it won't be as smooth and the chips will be kind of mottled, depending on how bad they separated.)
- Spread mixture into a pan (8x8 works well).
- Place in refrigerator or freezer until solid. Remove from pan, and cut into chunks of desired size with a good, solid knife.
- Store in a cool place until ready to use.
Isn't it nice when you can combine great taste with health? It's becoming ever and ever more clear to me that we need to not get so absorbed in the things of this world, but we can also appreciate sweet blessings like this when they come our way!
What is your favorite comfort food?
Do you have a favorite recipe that needs a healthy makeover?
Adrienne, I've printed off your homemade chocolate chips recipe months ago and am quite eager to give it a try. BUT! I don't have the "mixer-type" of appliance you mentioned is best use for the mixing. That a blender would be a mess trying to get stuff out of it. My blender has a bottom that unscrews w/the blade from the glass bottom, would that be easier to be able to get the mix out of it? I have no idea what the consistency of candy will be. I looked up the appliance you mentioned on Amazon but there's not way I could afford it on my slim budget. Otherwise, all I have is a food processor, hand mixer, reg. mixer on a stand, plus the blender. Which would you suggest I use?
Hi JoVon. That blender should work OK I think. Just give it a try. You could also blend the sweetener first, which would work well. I think the blender is the best bet. Powder the sweetener as in this post (but you won't need the starch if you don't wish to add it) and it will be nice. Blending just makes it smooth. https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/how-to-make-powdered-sugar-powdered-sugar-substitute/
Thank you for such a speedy reply!! You're sure on top of it!! And I'm sure you're a busy wife & mom to boot!! Way to go!
:). Thank you! Hope they go well for you!
Oh no, you can eat the now brand, and it's super-cheap. A little goes a long way with the cacao butter, I find... And those Halal ones on Amazon are super-cheap.
Yea - I love NOW Foods! I will check out the Halal one as well.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for responding to my comment! Again, I'm excited to come across your blog.
I love carob too. Cacao butter can be horribly expensive but not always--Amazon has some 'halal' cacao butters that are pretty cheap, but they don't ship to AK where I live. I tend to buy it from Nuts Online--they have cacao butter that's pretty good quality for about $14/lb. That's not cheap but it's not terrible either. You can get Now Foods cacao butter for really cheap, but it's not as good quality (cosmetic but food grade). You could even use part cacao butter and part coconut oil. Coconut butter also stiffens things some.
cheers,
Ela
Ela, Do you mean that the NOW brand cannot be eaten? Wow. $14/lb is expensive. I'll have to think about this. Let me know if you have time :-).
Hi! Just come across your blog via this post and so excited to see that you're doing this kind of thing, it's very close to my heart also (I've been gluten free most of my life, dairy free most of that, don't eat meat, etc...
Chocolate really doesn't work for me, but I may have to check out the "wonderslim." I like carob, but I think it's done such a disservice by being presented as a chocolate alternative--people get put off, when really it's a whole different taste altogether (which happens to go fantastically with chocolate!)
I have one small suggestion too: Might you try using cacao butter instead of coconut oil for the chips? That's what I would do--if I'm using carob, it offers a hint of actual chocolate flavor, and the higher melting point means it's less 'melty' overall.
cheers,
Ela
I think your suggestion about the cacao butter sounds great! I'll have to look into how much more it would costs. Have you found it to be quite expensive, even in bulk? And as for the carob, in certain dishes, I don't really miss the chocolate at all. In others it doesn't taste as good. I also think that the brand matters and that raw doesn't taste nearly so nice.
Take care,
adrienne
Hi Adrienne! I commend you in not giving up when it comes to figuring out how to make something you crave while still keeping to your special diet requirements! I always loved the Andes candies and these sound just like those! I hope your ice cream comes out as great as you are dreaming it to be! I am sure it will. Thanks so much for sharing this with us on the hearth and soul hop! Hugs! alex
Hi Alex!
Well, the Mint Chip Ice Cream turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself! I linked up to the Heath and Soul Hop with it today.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Okay, this is AMAZING! It may sound silly, but I never thought to make my own chocolate chips. We always have cocoa and coconut oil in the house so I'll be trying this when my storebought bag runs out. 🙂
That doesn't sound silly at all! I wouldn't have thought of it, I don't think, if my oldest didn't have a life threatening allergy to dairy and if I weren't off sugar. Now we can have chips again! They don't hold up so great in hot weather, but I can deal with it! And I must say, they are GREAT in ice cream!
You go girl, dilemma solved! I absolutely love the flavor of chocolate and mint! Your version is free of all the bad stuff 🙂 thanks!
These look really yummy. My daughter has seasonal allergies, and when she is stuffed up, I try to have her avoid dairy to keep from making things worse. These would be great mixed with banana "ice cream". Have you tried it? Just cut up and freeze some ripe bananas overnight. Pulse them in your food processor until they are the consistency of soft serve. Eat as is, or add in cocoa/carob powder, vanilla, natural peanut butter, and/or other fruits. Yum!
Yes, Heidi....banana sorbet (and all of its variations -- including a pumpkin version :-)) have been in our home frequently. Unfortunately, some of us are having sugar metabolism issues, so we are not having it so much at present. Maybe sometime soon! Thanks for stopping by!
Following from Not Just a Housewife. Would love to have you link this up to my {wow me} wednesday link party going on right now over on my blog. The most view link will receive a set of fancy rectangle chalkboard labels from my etsy shop. Hope to see you there.
Ginger
gingersnapcrafts.blogspot.com
YUM! I would love it if you would link up to my Tuesday Confessional link party going on now. I hope to see you soon!
~Macy
This looks really good. I currently make Raw Cacao & Coconut Candy for my kids and this looks really good with carob. I will definetely try it! We have been gluten free and sugar free for 1 1/2 years now and we amazing health and peace! Keep up the good work!
Ester
I love chocolate and mint together too! I can't wait for the dairy-free ice cream recipe! Blessings! daisy
I love mint chocolate combination as well! 🙂 I just love how the mint makes almost anything refreshing. ^_^
sounds perfect...thanks for sharing! happy Sunday! 🙂
Those look amazing! I am impressed at your healthy eating.
These look GREAT!!!!
Thanks!!!
One word: BRILLIANT!!!!!!!
Can't wait to make some!