Mini Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Pies (vegan, sugar-free, gluten free & Plant Paradox friendly)

The end of the year has almost come… time to make every last excuse to eat chocolate & peppermint goodies before it goes out of style.

These mint chocolate ice cream pies come from a recipe I adapted from Dr. Gundry’s book The Plant Paradox, in which he makes mint chocolate ice cream from avocados. Mint, chocolate, and avocados all in one dish? I can’t help but to drool.

Dessert doesn’t get much simpler than this; all you need is a food processor and a muffin tin. Let’s jump in, shall we?

The crust is constructed by blending together coconut flour, cocoa powder, and melted buttery coconut oil (or just regular coconut oil) – along with a few other ingredients – until it becomes cohesive. Then, after that, you just have to refrigerate it, roll it, and blind bake it!

I’m kidding! I’m kidding…. you can gently place the rolling pin back in the cabinet. No, all you have to do is scoop out a little bit of crust into muffin tins and flatten them out using your hands, a spoon, the bottom of a glass, or even another muffin tin.

Coconut flour is a solid go-to for raw pie crusts such as this one, because it doesn’t need to be baked like other flours we so often use on this blog, such as sorghum & cassava flour, which have to be cooked in order to be pleasantly edible. The texture of this crust is akin to graham cracker crust – crisp & crunchy on the outside, yet tender & crumbly once it enters the mouth.

To create the ice cream phase, a very specific order of procedures is necessary to accomplish the right consistency…. oh sorry, there I go again. I just cant help myself!

All there really is to do is throw everything into a blender or food processor, blitz it until it’s creamy, and distribute it atop the prepped pie crusts. Then, the whole thing goes into the freezer to set for two hours, after which time, they’re to be stored in the fridge for optimal consistency. The cream phase of this dish is soft, firm enough to hold it’s shape, sweet, and minty.

Because the base of the cream mixture is created from fatty foods – such as avocados, shredded coconut, and coconut milk – the pies don’t acquire ice crystals during their time in the freezer, such as a solution with a higher water content – like soy milk – would. As I’ve likely said before, avocados are a sufficient substitute for egg yolks, as they both help bind, moisten, and add richness to whatever they’re added to. And because egg yolks are a common ingredient in custard-based ice creams, avocados fit right in. Plus, they add a nice green color, which childhood marketing has led us to associate with minty foods – a trap we may never escape.

Because these mint chocolate ice cream pies are festively colored, individually portioned, & seasonally flavored, they’re perfect for a New Years Eve party, kick back, or evening on the couch!

Of course I can’t say goodbye without a touch sentiment – 2017 is the year Kim and I begun No Eggs or Ham, and while we had dreams of supporting followers, we had no idea it would come to fruition so quickly. To think that there are real life people out there who actually experiment with our recipes in their own kitchens warms our hearts and adds more purpose to our mission of having fun in the kitchen, eating delectably tasty meals, spreading good health, and bettering the world one meal at a time – as every meal that’s eaten without the use of animals is one that betters the well being of our environment as well as yourself.

We’re ecstatic to see you again in 2018!

Cheers,
Ryan & Kim