No-bake Rich Chocolate mint bars

By Rebecca St.Clair

No bake chocolate mint bars always make the list when it comes to my holiday baking. There are few things that make me think of Christmas more than mint or gingerbread; and I love both of them! Their bright and bold colours makes them the perfect fun dessert bar for St. Patrick’s Day!

These chocolate mint squares are super rich and packed with intense flavour. They are kind of like a mint version of Nanaimo bars.

These decadent bars are so easy to make and they are no bake so they can be ready to serve in no time!

Assembly for No bake chocolate mint bars

To make these simple no-bake chocolate mint bars, we need to make 3 different layers. The thick mint chocolate base, the smooth mint icing layer, and the chocolate drizzle on top.

Where to find chocolate mint

This can be hard to come by, I know. I have searched the shelves at the grocery store throughout the year, and for some reason mint chocolate chips do not exist until Christmas. At least where I live.

There seems to only be a very short window of time, near Christmas, where you can actually find this. If you have missed your opportunity, you will have to make your own by combining semi-sweet chocolate and mint extract.

A 200 g bag melted with ½ teaspoon of mint extract, depending on how intense you like your mint flavour. Another option is to buy good quality mint flavoured candy bars.

Substitutions For No bake chocolate mint bars

Mint is not everyone’s cup of tea. My youngest daughter detests mint! We can still use this basic recipe and change up the flavourings! Some suggestions for substitutions are:

Orange

Orange and chocolate at Christmas time? Of course, who hasn’t indulged in one of those wrapped chocolate oranges that you smash and pull the segments apart? A Christmas classic.

For the base: Melt a chocolate orange, instead of the chocolate mint chips in the original recipe; or even more affordable, substitute semi-sweet chocolate and add ¼ teaspoon of orange extract to the chocolate while melting.

For the filling: Substitute orange food colouring for the green and add ¼ tsp of orange extract.

Butterscotch/Caramel

Butterscotch and caramel both have similar flavours, I find; and both pair wonderfully with chocolate!

For the base: In the original recipe substitute butterscotch or caramel chips. If you cannot find this you can substitute white chocolate chips and add ¼ tsp of butterscotch or caramel extract, while melting.

For the filling: To the original recipe add 1 Tablespoon of fancy molasses. Molasses has a stronger flavour than sugar and adds a slightly bitter caramel flavour, and brown colouring to the filling.

Cream cheese and berries

To the original recipe, substitute Hershey’s cream cheese flavoured chips. Yes, that’s right, there is an amazing array of flavoured melting chocolates now! Amazing!

For the Filling: This is were you get to pick your favourite berry! My choice would be raspberry. Or maybe cranberry, at Christmas.

If you are using frozen berries, thaw 1/3 of a cup and remove excess liquid. Add this along with an extra ½ cup of icing sugar.

If you are using a more solid berry, like strawberry or blueberries, you will need to mash them first. Raspberries will be perfect as is.

If you have leftover cranberry sauce from thanksgiving, this would be a great way to use up leftovers! Since the berry juice is so colourful, no need to add any extra food colouring here!

Storage

Cover with plastic wrap, or store leftovers in an air-tight container. Store in the refrigerator.

For longer storage, store in an airtight container, in the freezer. When you are ready to serve, remove to the refrigerator to defrost the day before.

Ingredients for No-Bake Chocolate Mint bars

Base

1 200g bag chocolate mint chips

¼ cup butter 60 g

1 egg

¼ cup icing sugar 32 g

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs 187 g

½ cup shredded coconut 50 g

Filling

¼ cup butter, softened 60 g

2 cups icing sugar 260 g

2 Tablespoons milk 30 ml

Green food colouring

Method

1. To a medium sauce pot on medium-low heat, melt the ¼ cup of butter along with 1 200 g bag of mint chips.
2. Set aside ¼ cup of the. chocolate to a piping bag, for the chocolate drizzle topping at the end.
3. To the remainder of the melted chocolate, stir in one egg until the chocolate starts to thicken.
4. Stir in the ¼ cup of icing sugar, Graham cracker crumbs, and the coconut until you have a thick chocolate mixture.

5. Place into a square 8 in. square baking dish and press the mixture out evenly.

6. Place the base into the refrigerator to chill.

7. Meanwhile, cream ¼ cup of softened butter with 2 cups icing sugar until light and fluffy.

8. Beat in the milk and a few drops of food colouring, until you have a smooth, thick, spreadable consistency.

9. Spread the mixture on top of the base.

10. Drizzle the reserved mint chocolate over top of the icing.

11. Return to the refrigerator to chill until the chocolate is set.

12. Slice into squares and serve!

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