This mint-chocolate cream is great for any of the following:
- As a frosting for cakes or cupcakes
- For peppermint ice cream sundaes or brownies
- As a rich and decadent pudding or mousse
- To make friends with leprechauns!
For a St. Patrick’s Day dessert, try it on my Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes.
But let’s get back to that fourth suggestion for a moment… As a school project when I was in second grade, our teacher gave us the task of constructing a leprechaun trap. I tried to sound grown-up, telling everyone I didn’t believe in leprechauns. Secretly, however, I was very excited and spent weeks creating what I thought was a surefire leprechaun trap, complete with golden-coin bait, a sticky-tape floor, and rainbow walls. If I remember correctly, there was even a cereal bowl filled with Lucky Charms.
It was quite an elaborate trap!
On St. Patrick’s Day, I woke up extra early (think Christmas-morning early) and dressed for school at lightning speed, scowling as my little sister took her sweet time. When we reached the school building, I jumped from the car and ran through the halls to my second-grade classroom, which was still locked. Even the teacher hadn’t arrived yet. Impatiently, I tried to peek through the door’s small window, but it was impossible to see anything in the dark. Yet I knew he was in there… a real, live leprechaun.
You know how the story ends, right?
Teacher arrives, opens the door, turns on the lights…
And no leprechaun.
Some of the golden coins are eaten, the cereal is strewn across the floor, and a handwritten note is left in each student’s box: Your trap was very good. But it was no match for me. Better luck next time.
I was so disappointed!
Now I would like to go back to that second-grade classroom and try again.
Even a cunning leprechaun won’t be able to resist the charms of these creamy frosting shots. 
I still believe!
Mint Chocolate Frosting Shots
(free of shortening, and can also be sugar-free)
- 1 (13.5oz) can full-fat coconut milk – must be the canned type
- 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp pure peppermint extract
- pinch pure stevia OR 1 tbsp powdered sugar, or to taste
- optional: 1/8 tsp spirulina or a few drops green food coloring (I used spirulina)
- optional: chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
Open the coconut milk, and if it’s not already super-thick, leave the can in the fridge overnight. (Don’t shake the can before you open it.) The coconut milk should get very, very thick. (Every now and then, you may unfortunately encounter a can that just doesn’t have enough fat content and therefore never gets thick. I highly recommend Thai Kitchen Organic. Or, if you can find coconut cream at an Asian market or Trader Joe’s, you can use that instead – it will work every time! A hint is to shake the can when you’re at the store. If you can hear the liquidy contents swishing around, it’s probably too thin to work for this recipe.) Once thick, transfer only the thick and creamy portion to a bowl and whip in your sweetener with a fork, or with beaters if you want to be fancy and get stiff peaks like real whipped cream! (I used a Magic Bullet for the frosting shots in the photos.) Best to store frosted cupcakes in the fridge, or frost at the last minute, so icing stays firm.
View Frosting Shots Nutrition Facts
Do you remember any of your school projects?
I guess I was strange in that I kind of loved school projects. Puppet shows, paper dolls, skits, giant posters… the more elaborate, the better. And book reports? Yes, I loved those too!
Link of the Day: 23 Healthy Frosting Recipes
man i love your desserts, i really need to get zome xylitol and other stuff to experiment with 🙂
I love mint!!! I bet this would be good on your chocolate mug cake!! 🙂
These look delicious! I’m curious…do you think you could sneak some spinach into these? 😉
Haha maybe!
I just recently found your site and may I just say WOW!! I just tried the Nutella recipe tonight and my hubby could not get over how amazing it was. 🙂
I do have a question on whipping the coconut milk. I tried it the other day, using Thai Kitchen full fat, refrigerated overnight, and just using the thick cream part itself. So far so good. Put it in the Vitamix, and I don’t know if I didn’t have enough, but it liquified part of it, then by the time the rest of it went in (the tamper didn’t reach it well), it started getting chunky. I ended up just letting it liquify the entire thing and put it in the fridge. It thickened back and tasted wonderful, but wasn’t really “whipped”. Do you have any suggestions? Or should I just stick with the hand mixer?
I’ve never tried it in the Vita; only the magic bullet or in a stand mixer. I know it works well in both :).
Every part of this recipe looks delicious!
Could you throw all the mixed ingredients in an ice cream maker? 🙂
I don’t see why not. If you try, let me know how it turns out!
Oh, my gosh, I started typing out a message to you yesterday on FB regarding a chocolate mint craving. I deleted my request, but you must have felt the vibes anyway! Thanks for the post; can’t wait to make it!
Haha maybe it is a St. Patrick’s Day thing? It is the season to crave mint… I think I’ve made four different mint recipes this week.
Ooh! This looks so, so yummy! I love using Spirulina! Great recipe, Katie! 🙂
Definitely trying this! It has everything i love!
Question: Spirulina… I’ve never used it before. Curious about the taste, where you found it in ground form and not pills/tablets. And what other recipes you use it in on a regular basis. Love using something natural and protein based as a food color though!
Ask in the vitamin section of a health food store.
I do have some other recipes I need to post that use it. But in very small amounts you can use it in smoothies without an aftertaste.
I remember Paper-mache everything. I loved paper-mache but have yet to do anything with it with my son. Possibly a next weekend project now that i’m thinking of it. Oooh we also made these fantastic baked apples one time that I loved but havent replicated since. Every time I make a baked apple, it falls far short of the memory of the ones we made at school.
Now spirulina. I’ve been looking for a natural green food coloring. From what i remember, spirulina has a strong taste so does the taste heavily effect these shots?
If you added too much, it would. But I kept the amount VERY small, so you don’t taste it. Plus, you get a minty hue as opposed to an ugly green.
awesome! Thanks! I’ll have to try it 🙂