Today I have two recipes to share. They are both gluten-free, they are both vegan, they are both flavored with peppermint and chocolate, they are both made with organic ingredients, and they are both delicious! 🙂

The Nanaimo bars do require a lot of steps to success, but the work is worth it in the end. Nanaimo bars are definitely one of my kids favorite treats! (Excuse some scrambling in the text on this recipe, as the blogging program was acting funny tonight.)

Peppermint Nanaimo Bars

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients

Bottom Layer –

• 1/3 cup soy-free Earth Balance
  margarine
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 cup unsweetened medium shredded
  coconut
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free quick oats,
  divided

Middle Layer –

• 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
• 3 tablespoons custard powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure peppermint extract
• 1/3 cup Earth Balance margarine
• 1 1/2 cups organic icing sugar
• Natural Organic Green food coloring, add to get desired color

Top layer –

• 1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy-free Earth Balance
  margarine
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk

Directions
1. Line an 8″ × 8″ square baking pan with
parchment paper. (I like to place a bit of
margarine in the bottom of the pan to
help the parchment paper stick.)

2. Begin the bottom layer by melting the
margarine in a medium saucepan over
medium heat.

3. Whisk in the cocoa powder and maple
syrup.

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool a
little, then whisk in the shredded
coconut and 1/2 cup of the oats.
Process the remaining 1 cup of oats in a
food processor until finely ground into
flour.

5. Add the ground oats to the rest of the bottom layer
ingredients and stir until combined.

6. Press the mixture into the baking pan
and place in the freezer while you
prepare the middle layer.

7. To make the middle layer, whisk
together the milk, custard powder, and
vanilla extract in a small dish.
8. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the
margarine and milk/custard mixture
together. Continue to beat as you add
the icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time, until
fluffy. Add the peppermint extract and organic green coloring until you get the green color you desire.

9. Take the baking pan with the bottom
layer out of the freezer and add the
middle layer over the top, spreading
evenly. Place the pan back into the
freezer while making the top layer.

10. Finally, make the top layer by melting
the chocolate chips, margarine, and almond
milk, in a double boiler, stirring continuously until
smooth.

11. Spread the melted chocolate over the
middle layer and return to the freezer to
chill for 1–2 hours.

12. Once the bars have chilled, cut into 16
squares. The bars are best kept in the
fridge or freezer, as at room temperature
they really soften.

The bars did not want to model beautifully on the day I took photos, but they are still delicious!

I saw these peppermint marshmallows in the organic store we shop at and thought that I could use them in a recipe. I instantly thought of rice crispy squares and then saw there was a recipe on the back of the bag. This is a slightly altered version of that recipe because peppermint of course needs to be paired with chocolate!

Chocolate Drizzled Peppermint Rice Crispy Squares

Makes 12 larger or 16 smaller squares

Ingredients

• 1 (10 oz) bag of Dandies Vegan Peppermint Flavored Marshmallows
• 1/3 cup vegan margarine
• 5 cups gluten-free crispy rice cereal
• 1/3 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Directions

1. Melt the margarine and marshmallows together in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring consistently so that the marshmallows do not stick to the pot.

2. Once the marshmallows are melted and smooth, add the crispy rice cereal and stir to combine.

3. Press into a non-stick 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking pan. (Wetting your hands or a wooden spoon helps the mixture to not stick.)

4. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler and transfer to a piping bag. Use oven mitts to avoid burning your hands and pipe the melted chocolate over the crispy mixture in the pan.

5. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Have you got all of your Christmas baking done? What is your favorite recipe to make and share?