Dark chocolate mint coconut butter cups are so tempting that I only make them once a year at the holidays as sweet little homemade gifts for family & friends.
They’re pretty easy to make and you can put together a large batch relatively quickly. Trust me, they’re always a huge hit!
These may look fancy, but they’re really easy to make.
Basically, you’ll smooth melted chocolate into the bottom of a paper or foil wrapper.
Then, you allow that to cool. From there, you’ll spoon in the coconut mint filling.
And you’ll cap it all off with more melted chocolate.
Not a fan of mint? You can leave out the peppermint extract and just use vanilla extract. They’re still good, but if you’re a fan of peppermint patties, you should give it a try.
The sky is the limit on your creativity! Experiment with different flavor combinations.
You can also buy pre-made coconut butter if you’re short on time.
Looking for other holiday recipe inspiration? Check out my:
- Gingerbread Cashew Butter
- Chocolate Mint Marshmallows
- Eggnog Chia Pudding
- Dark Chocolate Bark with Dried Fruit & Nuts
Dark Chocolate Mint Coconut Butter Cups Recipe
Dark Chocolate Mint Coconut Butter Cups are just like a peppermint patty but paleo-friendly! Makes the perfect homemade holiday gift.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut reserve 1-2 tbsp on the side as garnish or sub 1 cup pre-made coconut butter / manna
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
- 2 drops peppermint extract or more depending on your taste
- 12 oz high-quality dark chocolate or dairy-free dark chocolate chips
- Cupcake wrappers large or small, your choice
Instructions
- Add the shredded coconut, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt to a food processor and allow it to run for several minutes until the coconut smooths out. You may need to add slightly more coconut oil, and if your blade isn’t sharp, you’ll not end up with a totally smooth result. You may want to opt for a store-bought coconut butter if you don’t have a machine that can handle the coconut.
- Stir in the peppermint extract one drop at a time until it’s as minty as you prefer.
- In a double boiler or in the microwave, gently melt the chocolate. I prefer a double boiler since it’s easy to keep the chocolate spreadable.
- Place a spoonful of melted chocolate into the wrapper, smoothing it out with the back of the spoon to create sides and a bottom. Refrigerate until hardened.
- Then, scoop a small amount of the filling into the cup and flatten until it covers the bottom. Hint: one batch of the coconut butter filling should make ~6 large cups or 10-12 small ones.
- Place another spoonful of melted chocolate on top and smooth out. Refrigerate to harden.
- Store in the refrigerator for best results. May also be kept frozen!
102 Responses
Holy cow, I can’t wait to make these. Yes, YES, I am a fan of dark chocolate mint. Thanks for the recipe!
SWEET! I’m excited that you’re excited 🙂
I am thinking of making these to take to a carry in lunch tomorrow at work… Will they be okay to leave sitting out and will they travel well? Or…will they just melt and be a mess? They sound so wonderful!!!
Hi there Kathy…they should be okay provided you’re not living in a country where it’s summer right now!
Oh dear-freaking-god this sounds dangerous. Danger, danger. I do have a party coming up and I think everyone’s been pretty good this year, so they may deserve something like this. One question: when I use pre-made coconut butter, how much should I use? And also can I soften it somehow in the microwave or on the stove to mix in the flavorings or would it be safer to just manhandle it with a spoon and my giant girly muscles?
Thanks!
Hi Laura! A lot depends on how much filling you want to put in (thin or thick) but I usually set aside somewhere between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup for 6 cups. I forgot to clarify that so thanks for asking.
I would heat a pot of water on the stove and put the glass bottle in to soften it or use a double boiler 🙂
Oh, I’ll be making these. Yum!
High five!!
Love this recipe. Am curious to know what brand of chocolate you use! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try this — I LOVE Peppermint!
Hi Maryanne! I used Green & Black’s 85% dark chocolate. The variety sold here in the UK contains no soy.
So it is okay to eat peppermint essential oil? What other essential oils can we safely eat?
In very small amounts, like 1-2 drops diluted in a large quantity of other food, most people don’t report having any issues.
you can also use pepperment extract (essence in the UK?) if you aren’t comfortable with the essential oil.
Indeed! Great suggestion 🙂 It’s possible to make homemade mint extract, too…just takes a while to steep.
Steph – Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. They do sound dangerously wonderful! Will make them for Christmas give-aways for family and friends. Thanks again and hope you have a wonderful holiday!
Joy in Florida, USA
Hi Joy! They’re the one thing people always ask me for 🙂
Looks yummy – can’t wait to try them out!!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
You’re very welcome! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Do you put the coconut oil in with the coconut, vanilla and salt when you blend it?
Hi Lindsay…I usually blend it all then add melted coconut oil in small amounts to adjust the texture.
So sugar is allowed on Paleo? You didn’t say unsweetened chocolate.
Hi Chloe…it depends what your goals are. Some people don’t eat ANY sugar. Some, like me, do if it’s a once in a while treat.
Steph,
I’m not even going to lie I am obsessed with this recipe!!!!! Freaking looks amazing can’t even image how good they must be! Awesome job!
Maaaaaaaybe I’ll bring some with me to Philly 😉
I’m definitely making these today… as I am home for a “snow day” from school
SWEET 🙂 Snow days are the BEST!
I can’t wait to try these! They are going into Christmas goodie bags for lucky family and friends.
I have a small group of friends ,all converted to using coconut oil, all losing weight ,the healthy way .and this is their “reward” for all their efforts .
Thank you very much and I wish you a happy ,healthy Christmas . Berendina
Hoping a reader may have an idea for an outside that is NOT chocolate. My daughter loves mint but absolutely dislikes chocolate. (That apple is very far from this tree!)
How about straight up coconut butter with mint?
Roll the coconut butter in shredded coconut or chopped nuts?
Steph, thanks, I’ll try these. They should help me kick the bounty’s from my cheat list (all that cocos and chocolate sounds paleo enough, but it’s still way too much sugar and other stuff)
Much better than a Bounty, I promise!
Hi… maybe it’s just my computer, but I can’t get the print button for this recipe to work. Every time I try to click it, a big PIN IT for Pinterest is there instead. If it DOES open up (I clicked on the PDF end of the button), it opens up a blank page in my Internet Explorer. Is it just me?
Hi Shannon…we can’t get the Pin It button to stop hovering…I know it’s annoying :/ If you click the left end of the PDF button it’ll open. I just tested it in Safari and it worked okay. If you have any pop up blocker software that could be the issue. Thanks!
Making them now… gonna keep the coconut chunkier I think 🙂 super excited!!!
Oh very nice!! I love textural contrasts!
Hi – I’m new to all this. I do cook, but have some questions after trying to make these.
First – when I tried to melt the chocolate in the micro, I jumped right from not all melted, so something resembling cake. Micro too strong? I switched it to a double boiler, added a tiny bit of coconut milk to smooth it back out.
Second – the coco-butter… I put the flakes in the food proc, with the coconut oil, vanilla, and salt, and blended… and blended… and blended. It just looked like ground up coconut bits, in the picture it looks rather creamy. I tried another tbs of coconut oil, then another, and another. It got closer to creamy, but still rather “gritty”. Any thoughts? I am using a large Cuisinart maybe 1.5 cups of coconut didn’t fill the bowl enough? Am I right tho, the mixture should turn to something like peanut butter?
thanks, Larry
Hi Larry…yes! Chocolate is pretty temperamental so you probably heated it a bit too much.
Some food processors (especially if the blade is a bit dull) will give a coarser result.
But the coconut should have been more like peanut butter and less like very course sand?
After thinking about it a bit, I’m leaning more towards the processor bowl was too big for the amount of flakes, or maybe the flakes were too old and dried out. Its an 11-cup bowl, the flakes did cover the blade but not by much. How big is the one you use?
Yes you’re correct…less course.
I use a 7 cup Cuisinart.
Oh No…Paleo fail for me today. Try as I might I could not get the coconut/salt/vanilla/coconut oil mixture to resemble anything close to “creamy’! Finally tossed the whole thing and snacked on some kale chips hot from the over. I’m using a brand new Ninja blender. Any suggestions? It seemed to me that the unsweetened shredded coconut I was using was very dry. Perhaps, a different brand of coconut?
Sometimes they vary and can be very dry which can definitely have an effect. I have tried with a regular blender and it just wasn’t fast enough like a food pro or a high-speed blender.
I’m also using a Ninja and it just isn’t getting creamy. I’m a bit disappointed. Is store-bought coconut supposed to get creamy eventually? I’ll eat them and love them, but probably won’t take them to my family get-together because I’m guessing no one will like anything labeled “coconut”. I’ve always been able to puree anything in this Ninja. I’ll add a bit more coconut oil (going on half a cup already) and try some more. Still a good recipe!
Store bought coconut butter will be creamier because it’s processed with extremely powerful blades. Sadly, I don’t think the Ninja is able to pulverize it quite enough.
We made these for the first time and our “creamy mint center” wasn’t creamy at all either.
We used a 2-cup processor.
So perhaps using the coconut butter is the answer?
Coconut can be difficult to make “creamy” if your food pro blade is a bit dull or your machine doesn’t spin the blade fast enough. For the best results, a high speed blender is what you’d want to use or else buy a commercially made coconut butter. It’s pretty expensive though.
What dark chocolate do you suggest? We are gluten-free and pretty much dairy-free?
Hi Heather, I’m here in the UK temporarily and we used Green & Blacks (no soy lecithin). I’ve heard there are varieties at home in the states that are soy-free though it depends. Another option might be making chocolate with cocoa (or cacao) and coconut oil if you are really trying to avoid all additives.
I had the coconut butter all put together with the vanilla extract and peppermint essential oil, then I read the side of the essential oil (Mountain Rose Herbs peppermint essential oil) and it said ‘not for internal use’ it kind of freaked me out, so I threw it all away. 🙁
One or two drops are fine. I’m not a doctor, but I know lots of folks who use it in this application, including me.
I used Pure Peppermint Extract instead of the oil and they tasted great. Unfortunately I gained 1.25 pounds yesterday tasting, sampling the filling and chocolate mixture and eating one of the final product. They’re great but beware they aren’t dietary! Thanks for the interesting recipe Steph!
Oh noooo! Not a diet food whatsoever. I only make them once a year for that reason. Hope everything is back to normal now!
Hi Steph… I got right back on track and lost over 1.5 pounds in the last 2 days so no worries! I’m new on this journey so am still learning what works for me. Loved the recipe but I’m a sugar addict and they were a trigger for me. I dreamt about them all last night! How pathetic! Thanks very much for the great recipe. I’m giving them away for Christmas so I won’t eat anymore! Happy holidays!!!
Joy
Ahhhhh…I can definitely see how they could be. One of my favorite things to do with coconut butter is to put it on apple slices 🙂
I made these today, w/o the peppermint. I was skeptical…BUT I just ate one, and they are so good! Thanks!
Awesome!! I’m glad I changed your mind 🙂
Made them, loved them, gonna make ’em again today or tomorrow.
Thanks a ton for posting this.
Hi Staci! Thanks for stopping by to let me know. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. You’re very welcome!
So I am guessing these are not Whole 30 compliant right? And I had cacao nibs in my hand the other day…wondered if they could be used in Whole 30, or in this recipe. I’m guessing they might be bitter. I am trying to figure out how to transition from Whole 30 to paleo, while having and occasional treat, or at least a piece of dark chocolate without going off the deep end. Any advise?
These are not Whole30 compliant. I find a square or two of really good quality dark chocolate is enough to satisfy whatever it is I’m looking for.
In my experience, saving those times for special treats or treats that are really worth it makes the most sense. A bag of M&Ms = not special.
What brand of chocolate would you recommend? and why if you don’t mind? Do you ever make your own chocolate? Thanks!
I either go for Green & Blacks or Theo dark chocolate because they are 1) relatively easy to find and 2) contain no soy or dairy. I’ve not made my own chocolate.
Thank you!
I tried to make them today but had the same issues as some others had. The consistency was more like coconut crumbles. I’ve tried to use it anyway but it was a big mess and wouldn’t stick together at all. 🙁 Really looked forward to these but I guess my food processor isn’t compatible with this recipe.
You can also buy pre-made coconut butter.
Hi.
These do look AWESOME.
Would coconut concentrate be okay to use instead of coconut butter? I am still a little unsure about both of them . Thanks.
Hi Shannon! As long as the concentrate is thick like a nut butter, it should work. If it’s liquidy like coconut milk, it won’t work.
I just can’t get a buttery consistency. Used to making almond butter and know it takes awhile, but it just isn’t coming together. The vanilla makes it change color from white to beige too. Wanted to try some with vanilla and some with peppermint.
Sounded SO simple but just taking FOREVER to get coconut, coconut oil, vanilla and salt to blend into a creamy consistency. With almond butter, I always have to add a little water.
Was looking forward to these treats too
Terry, it takes a LONG time to make coconut butter from coconut flakes…up to 8-10 minutes. You can always use store-bought but it’s more expensive.
Also, a high-powered blender like Vitamix or Blendtec makes the best homemade, smooth coconut butter because of the speed. Food processors will usually give a grainier texture.
I don’t like coconut, is there maybe an alternative I can use instead? Would almond butter work, perhaps? I love everything else about the recipe though; dark chocolate and peppermint are two of my favorite things!
I think cashew butter’s mild flavor would go really well with the mint. I haven’t tried adding mint to almond butter, so I’m not sure if they’d go well.
how do you think these would go with cacao butter??
Hi Elaine…do you mean using cacao butter as the filling? I think that would be pretty awesome 🙂
Hi Steph, yes thats what I mean. I tried to do the coconut butter yesterday with my thermomix, but it was a fail as you need at least 300 grams of coconut for it to work in the thermomix. I only had 200 grams and its just wasn’t enough… So then I tried to finish it with a stab mix and BIG fail 🙂 Then I got thinking I’ve got this huge bag of organic cacao butter, maybe I should try that 🙂 Would you still put the peppermint in it??
I think the cacao with the peppermint would be quite good!
For sugar-free chocolate I mix equal parts cacao powder and melted coconut oil, very tasty. You can add a drop or two of stevia, not Whole30 but it’s an option. Coconut butter is naturally sweet too! Yum.
The ad covers the directions for this recipe! I am so sick of seeing that ad on every website I visit…”Grocery stores fear him…”! Guess I must look elsewhere for a candy recipe.
I just looked and there is no ad covering it. Can you take a screenshot and send it to me at info@stephgaudreau.com so we can check it out? Thanks.
Also, just to note: the fill (what’s displayed in the ads) is based off your personal web searches which is why you may be seeing the same ad repeatedly.
“Mint coconut butter filling from above”
I couldn’t see the instructions or recipe for this. Are you just supposed to mix together all of the ingredients except for the chocolate? I saw people saying they used food processors but couldn’t get the consistency. Is it supposed to be smooth?
Do you have instructions for melting the chocolate or are you assuming we should know? 🙂
Use whatever method to melt the chocolate you like: double boiler or microwave is what most people use.
Hi Amanda,
I checked the recipe and it looks like we are having trouble with our plugin that we use. Some of the recipe was missing. EEEK! I put the full directions back and everything should be there now!
Put the dark chocolate into a heat-proof glass bowl. Then, put a couple of inches of water into a saucepan which is a little smaller than the glass bowl; and make sure that the level of the water in the pan is not touching the bottom of the glass bowl. Heat the water until it is just simmering, NOT boiling; and place the bowl on top. As the chocolate melts, lightly mix it until it is smooth.
I’m excited to try this recipe, but that certainly wasn’t a printer-friendly option (I clicked on the printer friendly button). I had 28 pages of ads and testimonials. Luckily, I caught it at around page 8 and didn’t waste any more paper. I ended up cutting and pasting the recipe into a document so that I could print one easy to read page. Sure hope I like these after all this effort.
Hi Kelli,
I can understand how that is frustrating, but here’s what you did wrong: You can hover over anything you want to delete, and the text “Click to Delete” shows up. Then you click anything you don’t want to print. I’ll send you screen shots. There’s also a checkbox for “Remove all images.”
You can make these into Easter “eggs” by using a chocolate dipped spoon mold instead of the cupcake wrapper. We use the raw cacao and melted coconut oil for chocolate also to keep advanced GAPS friendly. You coat the spoon mold with warm melted chocolate ( not too hot because mold is plastic) and then chill. Put a dab of filling in the middle and then top with more warm melted chocolate.
When you unmold and serve in a bed of coconut they look like chocolate eggs. You can mix up fillings..add a few mashed berries to give it some pink or purple tint etc.
By any chance do you know the calorie count?
Hi Becky,
I don’t post calories of recipes because it’s not really in-line with a paleo philosophy. If you’d like to determine the calories you can use a tool like My Fitness Pal to add up all the individual ingredients 🙂
My mouth started watering when I saw the picture of these. I need to make them and try them. They are like an alternative to Reece’s peanut butter cups. When I am craving something sweet this is where I am turning too. I think I will try them with the mint extract first and then with the vanilla. Have you tried both or just the mint?, which do you prefer?
Not really a fan of dark chocolate, can milk chocolate be used?
Hi Adam,
I have done it with just vanilla, too. Have fun with it and experiment!
I’ve never done it with milk chocolate so I have no idea how it would turn out.
Thanks for replying. I will definitely experiment using milk chocolate. I’ll see how they turn out. If they are nothing like the picture then I will use dark chocolate. Maybe the mint will take away the taste of dark chocolate.
I love this recipe. It is challenging to avoid sweets, because I work in a Swiss chocolate shop. I feel a little less guilty having these on occasion. I use a high quality 63 percent dark that we have at the store. I had no luck finding something of good quality that melts nicely at any grocery stores in my area. Just an FYI if any of you have an issue not finding chocolate in your area,we will ship ours. The website is Holls.com love this recipe !
Made these yesterday! I used a food processor, and the filling did not come out super creamy – no one cared or noticed. 😉 I was able to make 8 “large” cups, and I still felt like there was way too much chocolate for the amount of filling, so I’ll make small ones next time and adjust accordingly. Fantastic, easy recipe!
Awesome!
Where can you buy peppermint extract in Australia?
I’m sorry but I’m not sure. Do you have Amazon in Australia? If so you may be able to order from there. If not, these are very good even without the mint.
This looks yummy. I think I’m going to try them for the 45th of July party. I’m going to garnish with coconut. Maybe I will dye it red and blue with food coloring
These are so good! People, don’t throw away your filling just because it’s chunky or crumbly! Just get it pasty enough to form into small circles. I started working on this recipe knowing very well that my very cheap 2-cup food processor would not give me nice, creamy coconut filling. However, after giving it my best shot, my filling was very crumbly but wet enough to form a small “patty” that I laid over my hardened bottom shell. No way was I going to throw it out! I continued with the process and while they are not creamy, they are still amazing! I used 3 drops of young living peppermint essential oil. Also, I threw in a little extra sea salt. So good!
Juli, I’m excited to hear that you enjoyed it!
Yum! Used 70% dark chocolate, coconut butter and 4 drops of peppermint oil.
Poured the melted chocolate into candy making cups (the foil kind that keep their shape) and twirled it around to get a nice smooth chocolate cup. Put them outside for 5 min (conveniently it’s winter) then poured in the melted coconut mix, left outside again for 5 min, then poured choc on top. Came out looking almost professional. 🙂
However, they were a bit too rich for me to finish a whole patty after doing W30 last month! Couldn’t do more than a bite – but my 11 year old loved them. Said they reminded her of chocolate-mint Girl Guide cookies (a Canadian thing). Maybe we can’t eat a lot of them because without fillers, just a little is needed to satisfy. Thank you for this recipe – it will be perfect for the 12th Night party we are having later this week.
Sweet!! Super glad to hear that, Nisha!