Chocolate peppermint truffle bars are the ultimate EASY homemade Christmas candy recipe with a fluffy (think: 3 Musketeers!) mint filling sweetened with Medjool dates, a snappy dairy-free dark chocolate shell, and candy canes for festive fun on top!
In between all the cookie decorating and cake baking and kitchen craziness of the holidays, what you need is an easy, uncomplicated, delicious sweet treat. Something with a festive sprinkle that screams Christmas without having to go full gingerbread house decor. Something that will pleasantly delight you with its chocolate decadence from the very first bite. Something that can hold up to being boxed and gifted, or survive the trip to any holiday party. And these Chocolate Peppermint Truffle Bars check YES to all of the above!
How To Make These Easy DIY Christmas Candy Bars
Halloween isn’t the only holiday that calls for candy, and homemade is always best in my opinion. These DIY candy bars are made with just 8 easy ingredients, naturally vegan with a paleo-friendly swap for the candy canes on top included too (see notes!), and healthier than they look since the only sweetener involved is Natural Delights Organic Medjool Dates.
The Dairy-Free Fluffy Peppermint Filling
The inside texture of these truffle bars is hard to describe – fluffy on the front, almost creamy as it melts in your mouth, and very rich the whole way through. A 3 Musketeers bar is the closest comparison I can think of, but the ingredients are MUCH different.
Natural Delights Medjool Dates. The sweetness, the moisture, the main ingredient in this fluffy filling. I used their organic pitted variety, which saves you a little bit of prep time, but any of their always fresh, soft, and delicious varieties will work in this recipe.
Water or milk. To make the date paste, you need to blend the Medjool dates with some sort of liquid. I have made them with both water and almond milk, and you really can’t tell a difference in the finished product so use whichever you like.
Peppermint extract or peppermint essential oil. Both are delicious, but the amounts you will need are very different, so make sure to read the recipe carefully. If using essential oil, make sure it is food grade.
Coconut flour. This is where the fluff factor comes from, so I do not recommend substituting any other type of flour in this recipe the texture will not be the same.
Cocoa powder. And now things start to get decadent and chocolatey! Don’t worry there’s more chocolate to come…
Pinch of salt. To balance all the chocolate and sweet.
The Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Coating
What’s a candy bar without a snappy chocolate coating, of course? After the inside truffle filling freezes overnight, you can easily slice it into bars and coat in dark chocolate. The freezing step, while it does require some patience and planning ahead, makes the bars very easy to work with and also helps the chocolate coating set very quickly. After coating, the bars do not need to be frozen, just refrigerated.
I like to use dark chocolate chips without any emulsifiers (lecithin) as they melt down to a smoother consistency that will give your candy bars a thinner coating. If you don’t have or can’t find those, adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to your chocolate while melting will help to get that thin coating as well. Dipping the bottoms of the bars first and then coating the tops and sides is another great trick to get a smooth even coating.
Crushed candy canes on top are an easy holiday finishing touch, but if you’d prefer not to use them you can opt for this red-dyed coconut trick instead to still add some candy cane color. You could also opt for holiday sprinkles on top. Like I said, the chocolate sets very quickly since the bars are frozen, so work quickly or your candy canes crumbles won’t stick.
Happy Holi-Dates Sweepstakes by Natural Delights
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Chocolate peppermint truffle bars are the ultimate EASY homemade Christmas candy recipe with a fluffy (think: 3 Musketeers!) mint filling sweetened with Medjool dates, a snappy dairy-free dark chocolate shell, and candy canes for festive fun on top!
1 tsp peppermint extract or 1/8 tsp peppermint essential oil
Pinch of salt
1 cup (180g) dairy-free chocolate chips, melted
1 tbsp coconut oil (optional)
Crushed candy canes for topping(*see notes for an unprocessed option)
Instructions
Whisk together coconut, flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
Blend the Medjool dates with the water/milk and peppermint extract/oil until as smooth as possible (a little lumpy is okay).
Add to the dry ingredients and mix to form a thick dough.
Press into a loaf pan or small rectangular dish (approximately 9×5 inches) lined with parchment paper for easy removal.
Freeze overnight.
Slice into 10-12 bars, and place back in the freezer.
Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil, and stir until smooth.
Did the bottoms of each bar in the chocolate, scrape off excess on the side of the bowl to create a very thin layer. Place on a pan/plate lined with wax paper, and re-freeze for 5 minutes.
One at a time, spoon melted chocolate to coat the tops and sides. Before the chocolate is set, sprinkle on crushed candy canes. Repeat with each bar.
Refrigerate until chocolate is set.
They can remain out at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, but store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Notes
*For an unprocessed alternative to candy canes for topping, try THIS instead.
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