Among the many fun things about receiving a Vegan Cuts Snack Box each month is that it’s a treasure trove of inspiration. A lot of the goodies inside are not readily available to me so if I like something, I try to recreate my own version. One such treat, an Earnest Eats Dark Choco Mint bar, was tucked inside the June box. Theirs is a baked bar packed with nuts, chocolate, and mint, but also contains brown rice and cane syrups. The flavor was fantastic with a nice hit of real mint and a subtle chocolate taste, but I wasn’t thrilled about the sugar content. In recreating their bar, I decided to go raw and to bump up the mint flavor with a small amount of alcohol-free extract alongside a handful of fresh mint straight from the garden. Dates and stevia give these bars their sweetness and the rolled oats, nuts, and seeds give it great crunch. Perfect for a pre- or post-workout snack.
I’ve shared this recipe on Raw Foods Thursday. Thank you, Gluten-free Homemaker for hosting. I’ve also shared this recipe on Veggie Nook for Healthy Vegan Friday.
- 2 cups rolled oats, divided
- 1 cup dates, chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 3 Tbsp. cacao powder
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup raw pepitas
- 1/3 cup natural nut butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla-flavored stevia liquid (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)
- 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
- Line a 9-inch x 9-inch pan with parchment.
- Place one cup of the rolled oats in a small bowl and cover with water. Let sit for about 30 minutes, drain and set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, grind the dates and walnuts until finely chopped and then add the flaxseed meal, mint leaves, and cacao powder. Process until finely chopped and thoroughly combined.
- Put the date mixture into a large bowl and then add the 1 cup of soaked oats, the 1 cup of dry oats, the cacao nibs, sunflower seeds, pepitas, nut butter, the extracts, and the water. Use your hands to mix and knead the dough. When thoroughly combined, place mixture in prepared pan and pat down so that it's even. Place in the refrigerator to let set for a few hours before slicing.
Looks delicious. I love all of the healthy ingredients! I bet the crunchiness is great too.
These sound so fresh & beautiful Annie! I am already scheming about how I could make these sans food processor I am all for the bumped up mint!
Hmmm…I’ll bet it wouldn’t be that difficult, Shira. Just finely chop the dates and walnuts and everything else stays whole!
These look delicious. I would probably make them into balls. Do you think that would work?
Yep – that would totally work!
Pingback: Raw Double Chocolate Mint Bars. Sugar-, Oil-, & Gluten-Free. | Vegan Today
Yum! Chocolate and mint is a great combo. I am thrilled that I have all of those ingredients on hand! I know what I’m making tomorrow.
I have a big pot of mint on my porch and I’m always looking for ways to trim it back!
What healthy but delicious ingredients 😀
Cheers
CCU
Kinda like your smoothie the other day!
What’s natural nut butter, is that made from a mixture of different nuts? I like the fact that these have fresh mint leaves in them, I would never have thought of putting mint leaves into something of this sort. It looks very interesting, not to say tasty and delicious!
Natural nut butter has no added oil or sugar. I used peanut butter, but some folks like other kinds so I just went generic in the ingredients.
These look fantastic! I am considering trying them out, but without the mint (sadly I have never been the biggest fan of mint). Do you think normal cocoa powder would work as well though? I do not have any raw cacao powder on hand and it isn’t that easy to source it in my town.
Cocoa powder will work just fine. You could always use another kind of flavored extract – but definitely not necessary.
Ohhh, it looks soooo nice, it’s making me hungry!!
Thanks, Annie! That’s the exact response I was seeking ;-)!
YUM! I love mint and chocolate–especially raw chocolate!!
Waw, we get that tasty lovely bar recipe! Yippieeeeeee! I am so happy now! You are so right! I know that your home-made raw oat-date-nut bars are going to be way more tasty & fabuliscious too! I happento have all the ingredients in the house so I will make these beauties tomorrow! yeah! xxx
Thanks, Sophie!
I would never have thought of putting fresh mint in a chocolate bar – how interesting! These are so healthy Annie, but they look delicious too. Thanks for this creation! Celeste
I never would have thought of it myself, but when I saw “dried mint” in the ingredient list for the bar that inspired this recipe, I had to try it!
You are totally speaking my language. These look absolutely scrumptious!
Chocolate and mint are so fabulous together. This bar sounds delightful!
Every vegan friend I know has subscribed to Vegan Cuts, perhaps that’s a good sign it’s a good deal to try. Plus, like you, I also love getting inspired and recreating dishes and treats… Ok ok you convinced me 😉
:-). You won’t regret it!
Oooh, this sounds so yummy! Double chocolate was enough, but adding mint? Divine! Thanks for sharing this at Raw Foods Thursdays. Pinning this!
I bet these are so satisying! Crunchy, chewy and sweet
I especially love the use of mint in this recipe. I’m sure I would love these bars! Thanks for sharing at Raw Foods Thursdays.
The fresh mint really makes such a difference!
Looks delish and love that it is raw, too!
I wanted to tell you that these have become part of our life sans mint. Just a couple changes. The 2nd time I made these I had half the dates so I used small black figs to make up the difference. Then the person I was making them 4 didn’t care 4the mint so I skipped that & upped the cacao powder to 4 T. They are now the family snack! We keep them in the freezer. Really good. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh wow! I’m so happy to hear that you like these and that they’ve become a part of your life ;-)! I think it’s great that you put your own personal touch on them, too – it’s what cooking and eating are all about. I really appreciate you letting me know, too!
Pingback: Mint Gone Wild: Cocoa-Coconut-Mint Smoothie | anunrefinedvegan
Question – where does the second cup of oats factor in?
Or the soaked cup, for that matter? Neither are added in the directions.
Good catch, Sarah – and sorry for the omission. I’ll get the recipe fixed up. Both the 1 cup of soaked oats and the 1 cup of dry oats should get mixed in with the date mixture and the remaining ingredients. Apologies for that error. Amazing how I can read something over and over again and not see the mistake!
Pingback: An Unrefined Vegan | Cocoa-Coconut-Mint Smoothie—ReciPress