I’m here today to make all of you Mums and Dads feel good about yourselves, even if you too have forgotten to put the little coin from the Tooth Fairy in your kids room before going to bed. I’ve been that parent, long ago. Thankfully my kids are okay with me telling them fibs about how sometimes she’s just too busy to pick up all the teeth in one night and that I’m sure she’ll stop by the following night (mentally taking note to remember as I do!). I’m here to reassure you all that no one can do any worse than I. See, this past weekend I gain the official title of worlds worst mum (a little bit of an overkill I know, but in the eyes on a 6 year old I’m sure it momentarily felt this way).
My little man’s two top teeth have been wiggly for weeks, but still no where near ready to come out. As he crawled out of a cubby they’d made on Saturday he somehow managed to bang his teeth real hard onto the chair, sending this teeth flying. Blood followed, lots of it. After calming down he soon realised that this meant two coins from the Tooth Fairy! Fast forward to the end of the day, remaining teeth had been brushed, pj’s were on… but where were the teeth? Because they’d come out in such a dramatic way, covered in blood, I’d placed them into a little glass of cold water to soak for a bit. Bad move. Turns out in my absent mindedness that afternoon, I’d picked the glass up thinking it was just a glass of water and proceeded to wash the cup and then drain the sink. Bye, bye little teeth. Not my finest work I tell ya. I’ve never felt so bad before and never heard such sobs from my little sentimental man before either. He wasn’t crying at the thought of the Tooth Fairy not coming (he swallowed his last tooth, so knows that she comes regardless of where the teeth end up!), he was crying because he wouldn’t get to say goodbye to his favourite two teeth. Heart officially broken.
Thankfully after an hour of cuddles, promises we’d write goodbye letters to his lost teeth the following morning (the things we do I tell ya!) and the promise of special pepperminty treats to say sorry, all was forgiven.
Other than peppermint tea, I’ve actually never been a huge fan of mint-flavoured things. But the boy has a fondness for anything minty which boarders on obsession.
My little peppermint plant, which I grew recently from a cutting has grown like crazy and we’ve been enjoying fresh herb teas (like in my book!) and I’ve got used to adding a handful to our afternoon smoothies as well. When I came across
this recipe recently I knew I had to make good use of our fresh peppermint and came up with my own version. They went down a treat, even if the boy struggled to bite them with his two missing teeth!
Just a little note before I head off, awhile back I shared a few photos of some of my sisters beautiful work on Facebook, which got
loads of attention. You’ll be happy to know she’s just (or should I say finally!) set up an Etsy store called
Olive and August NZ, where you can purchase her little hooded woolen capes and baby foxes. My niece and nephew (7 + 9 years old) started making the little foxes, with a little help from Jess, as a way to make some money so they can visit us over here in Perth next year! They are ridiculously cute.
dark chocolate peppermint ice cream bites
I always use cashew pieces as opposed to whole cashews in recipes such as this. They are way cheaper and it really doesn’t make a difference when they just get blended up anyway. I find Indian grocers are often the cheapest place to find them. I added a touch of peppermint extract as well, you could always leave this out, although I personally think the flavour you get from the leaves is just a bit faint. Recipe adapted from here.
Makes 12
1/2 cup (62g) cashew nuts (I use cashew pieces), soaked overnight in cold water
1/2 cup (125ml) virgin coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup (60ml) brown rice syrup (maple syrup would also work)
2 tablespoons almond or rice milk
a big handful fresh peppermint leaves (approx 1 cup loosely packed)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon natural peppermint extract, to taste
raw chocolate, to coat
Drain and rinse soaked cashews and add to a blender along with all the other ingredients, except the chocolate. Blend on high for about a minute, or until really smooth with just little flecks of green throughout. I have a high powered blender which works quickly, if you have a regular blender you might need to stop the machine and scrape the sides down once to help things move along.
Once smooth, pour into silicone muffin trays, or regular metal trays lined with paper cases. Pop into the freezer to set for at least 30 minutes. Remove patties from the moulds and place back into the freezer on a tray while you get the raw chocolate mixture ready. I find it easiest to pour the chocolate mixture into a small bowl, then using two forks I dip the patties into the chocolate making sure they’re thoroughly covered in chocolate before shaking the excess off and transferring to a paper-lined tray. Once they’ve all been covered, return the lot to the freezer for 5 minutes to set. They will keep in a covered container in the freezer for 2-3 weeks, although good luck with that!
21 Responses
Wow – this looks super tasty! I love the filling!
Great story and recipe looks lovely. My middle boy Sam lost his first tooth (and many others after). I still have the first letter he wrote apologising for the loss.
Oh no about the teeth! Hopefully these delicious treats made amends. I am rather partial to mint flavoured chocolate-y things too so will try these.
I just wanted to let you know that my partner made your coconut chocolate bars from your cookbook today for his work birthday shout. They went down an absolute treat with some fresh strawberries. Lots of requests for the recipe. He was surprised at how easy they were to make, although they didn't look quite as perfect as your ones…guess that adds to the charm 🙂 So thank you for that.
Oh, the poor boy! What a shock to lose your teeth like that and I can absolutely understand getting upset at not having the chance to say goodbye to them – my brother was similarly sentimental at the same age! I hope these lovely little treats have helped set him on the road to recovery! xo
My 10 yr old lost a tooth a couple of nights back and I totally forgot about it. I told him that if it falls out after a certain time then she books you in for the following night!
at least you didn't drink the teeth – that would have been awful – the ice cream bites look delicious
Oh I feel your pain Em, I've done the same thing before too! I'm sure these yummy treats made it all better- I'm sure they'd help me forgive you too 🙂 x
Ah, such a brilliant way to use up my ever growing peppermint plant!!
Ok,so I am so forgetful I have to put the coin under the pillow when they are brushing their teeth before bed!Took me a mouthful of teeth to figure that one out:)–Your sisters work is fantastic,what a creative hands on family you have!!
Sigh, I miss having little ones around… you're a lovely mum… and these little bites look and sound absolutely delicious.
I thought you were going to say you'd drunk the teeth too! (Think of all that healthy calcium!) These look lovely – and as for bad parent moments, we've all been there (sigh)
Oh yes, I know the bad mom thing too. The last tooth Lilah lost she put by her bed on top of a tooth-fairy pillow she had sewn herself, along with a card for the tooth fairy. Alas, the next morning, the tooth fairy forgot to come despite all of my girl's effort. I felt horrible! Ugh.
I'm sorry about your tooth mishap, but lady I've gotta say, I'd forgive you anything if you gave me some of these little peppermint patties.
xoxox from Berkeley,
E
These ice cream bites…totally in love with them! That color is amazing and so summery as well.
We had a very similar drama with Paloma just a few weeks ago. She knocked out one of her wiggly front teeth on the walk from school to an afterschool care place. She took a bad fall face down right on the curb while being crazy, as she is, running after a friend. There was a lot of blood and swollen lip, teachers never found her tooth. The other one was barely holding on and gave her lots of discomfort and more drama while we had to remove it:-). Tooth fairy came, although I was very close to blowing it off, being distracted. I wish we had a couple of these gorgeous bites to take Paloma's mind off her troubles!
Oh wow, I'll make them the following spring season. I love ice cream, and also I love the mix of chocolate and mint. Yummy!
These look gorgeous! Peppermint is my favorite!
These look seriously amazing!
It's so cold and dreary here in North America, it's hard for me to get excited about tucking into ice cream. But your beautiful pics and lovely stories have me yearning. I love experiencing the warmth of the other summer via your blog. I am married to an Australian and every Christmas he tells our son's how he would always go swimming on Christmas morning…
These sound delicious! Mint chocolate is a weakness of mine and this would be a lovely substitution to the new low sugar lifestyle I am trying to become accustomed too! I absolutely love your site header font as well by the way! Do you know the name of it by chance?
I have just come across your blog and I absolutely love it – I've also just bought your book and can't wait to leaf through it. I have a question about this recipe – would it be possible to use honey instead of maple syrup? I will have a go and make it anyway but I thought I would check with you – we are on the GAPS diet and we are allowed honey and coconut sugar but no other sweeter. Thank you!
Hi Stella, thanks for your lovely words, I'm stoked you have my book! Honey would be absolutely fine to use here, I'd just use a tad less as I find honey sweeter than maple.
Emm xx