No-Bake Mint Chip Cookies! Ice cream inspired with a cacao nib flecked mint cookie center and dark chocolate coating. Vegan, paleo, sugar-free option!
It’s summer. So any dessert we eat that isn’t ice cream should at least be inspired by ice cream, right? And if mint chip isn’t the most summery-est of all the ice creams, I don’t know what is.
These No-Bake Mint Chip Cookies are inspired by ice cream, my favorite when frozen like ice cream, really good on top of ice cream, a daily part of my life lately like ice cream…
But not ice cream. Because, you know, variety is important and all.
And while we’re on the topic of branching out, this recipe is also my first and much requested experiment with low-carb and vegan treats. Since I’ve shifted towards more paleo recipes, I’ve received many requests to share low carb and keto recipes since not many of those exist that are vegan too. So here we are.
But there’s a non low-carb (a.k.a. maple syrup sweetened) option as well. And since the base of these cookies is coconut, regardless of which option you choose you won’t need a lot of sweetener since it’s already naturally sweet.
Here’s what we’re no-baking with:
- Shredded coconut. This is like the “flour”.
- Coconut cream. So they’re OIL-FREE, but still harden when you chill them.
- Maple syrup OR stevia. Or any sugar free sweetener you like.
- Spirulina. For that minty color.
- Mint extract. Or peppermint oil if you prefer.
- Salt.
- Cacao nibs. For the mint CHIP part.
- Melted chocolate. For coating.
And a food processor or blender, although this one works a little better in the food processor.
I used liquid stevia for the sugar-free version, but you could use monk fruit which has less of a bitter aftertaste. Or even monk fruit sweetened maple syrup if you can find that (or order it on Thrive!) I’m no pro at working with stevia, but 12-15 drops was sweet enough for me. Taste and adjust as necessary.
If you are going the low-carb route, you can use stevia sweetened chocolate chips for the coating. Or use unsweetened chocolate if you are used to less sweet treats. I used 100% cacao chips (also from Thrive) for coating the maple syrup batch, and they were delish and sweet enough for me.
If you keep them in the freezer they will be firm and snappy, sorta reminiscent of thin mints. If you keep them in the fridge the filling will be softer, more like a peppermint patty.
I mean clearly both = MEGA YUM.
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No-Bake Mint Chip Cookies! Ice cream inspired with a cacao nib flecked mint cookie center and dark chocolate coating. Vegan, paleo, sugar-free option!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (140g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup (100g) coconut cream*
- 2 tbsp (40g) maple syrup (**see notes for sugar-free option)
- 1 tsp mint extract
- 1/2 tsp spirulina (I get mine from Thrive Market)
- 1/4 cup (30g) cacao nibs
- 1 cup (180g) chocolate chips, melted***
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, process the coconut until finely ground (but don’t go to long/high speed or it will turn into coconut butter).
- Add the coconut cream, sweetener, mint extract, and spirulina. Process to form a sticky dough.
- Add the cacao nibs, and blend briefly to mix them in.
- Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and shape into a cookie. Repeat until all the batter is used, you should get about 12 cookies. If it won’t stick together or is too soft to shape, chill for 10 minutes first.
- Freeze for at least 15 minutes to harden.
- Dip/coat in melted chocolate. Sprinkle with cacao nibs.
- Refrigerate or freeze until firm. In the fridge the center will be soft like a peppermint patty, in the freezer it will be firm like a cookie.
- Enjoy!
Notes
*Or the solid part from a can of full-fat coconut milk that’s been chilled overnight.
**To make them sugar free, use approximately 12-15 drops liquid stevia or monk fruit or sugar-free sweetener of choice, and increase the coconut cream to 3/4 cup (150g).
***For the sugar-free version, use stevia-sweetened chips or unsweetened chocolate chips.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (maple syrup version)
- Calories: 209
- Sugar: 9g
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 2g
Keywords: vegan, paleo, keto, no bake, summer, easy, chocolate, snack, dessert
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Is it possible to make without the spirulina?
Of course! Totally optional, its just for color😊
Oh wow, I’m IN LOVE with those green centers Natalie! Such a beautiful color and I’m still cracking up that we both did no bake today AND mint chocolate, bahaha and a thin mint reference in the post….hilarious, I literally laughed out loud! Hey, great minds think alike, am-I-right?! That open bite inside shot is just perfection, the color and texture just kills me. Totally reminds me of a peppermint patty. I used to absolutely love eating those as a kid and how cool and fresh my mouth would feel after eating one…not something you often get from candy, bahaha. Such an awesome recipe. I definitely need to make a batch to store in my freezer because to me, chocolate and mint are so so so delicious when super cold!
Lol I was cracking up at how on the same page we were too😂 Although I send people your way all the time (earlier today to your stunning wedding cake actually😍), I think our audiences overlap quite a bit so I’m not TOO surprised. I mean candy that makes you FEEL like you brushed your teeth is kinda the childhood dream right? Haha! These, your bars, and a batch of your thin mints–we’d be in mint chip heaven! Oh and maybe a pint of ice cream too, duh🙄 Happy weekend, Brandi!
Yes these remind of a peppermint patty!! But so much prettier and healthier. Can’t wait to try these! 🙂
Yep so similar! But the little cacao nibs make it even better if you ask me😋😋
Delicious and so refreshing on a hot summer day! I also melted coconut oil, honey, and cocoa powder using this recipe: http://coconutsandkettlebells.com/homemade-magic-shell/. Good alternative if you don’t have the chocolate.
Thanks, always love your recipes!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you liked them!! Yes, I’ve made that recipe with maple syrup before for a chocolate coating–works great🍫🍫 Thanks for the feedback and happy weekend, Renee😊
I wanted to make this with coconut oil instead of cream because it’s what I had so I made 1/2 batch as a test… first let me say that these are AMAZING!!!
Now here’s what I did differently:
It turned out I didn’t have 1/4 c coconut oil so I added ghee to make up the difference. I also added a tiny pinch of salt. I used sweetened coconut flakes and left out the nibs. I coated them using 60% Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips. They’re addictive and my son loved them!!(they were for him). Thanks for a great recipe and snack idea!
★★★★★
Okay I LOVE the sound of your version! Ghee + coconut oil, I bet they were delish. And heck yes to that pinch of salt🙌 I am so happy you guys liked them, thank you for sharing your tweaks and enjoy the rest!
IS it possible to make with sweetened shredded coconut instead of unsweetened. As well as, making it with honey instead of maple syrup?
Honey will be just fine, yes! And you can use sweetened, it will just make the bars MUCH sweeter and possibly quite a bit stickier too so you might need more oats to make up for the added moisture. Good luck!