When I was little, every once in a while my dad used to buy me a box of chocolate peppermint sticks. I never found out where he got them from because I have never seen them in the supermarkets or any of the usual places. It made them all the more special to me. I used to love them so much I would hide them under my bed so no one else could eat any. I would occasionally share some with my brother and it was our little secret. But thankfully for me, he was not really as much of a sweet tooth as I was so I still ate most of them. I stumbled across this recipe from “Living Healthy with Chocolate’ (link here) The original recipe is actually a chocolate peppermint stick! So you can imagine my excitement when I found them, and they taste almost identical.
I have switched to using peppermint essential oil in my recipes instead of extract. Peppermint essential oil has so many uplifting properties. I find it very invigorating and refreshing. It’s also amazing at relieving headaches because it is high in menthol which acts fairly similar to a paracetamol pain killer. I actually love it so much for headaches (place one drop on temple) that I have to travel with it. When ingested peppermint is also good at lowering excess testosterone in women so it is a wonderful addition (both the essential oil and the peppermint or spearmint in tea) for women with PCOS that have a tendency towards higher testosterone. If you have low testosterone don’t worry, it’s not likely to lower it even further. Plants are wise and know how to work with our bodies. I also love the addition of pecans in this recipe, pecans are a wonderful source of manganese with is needed for the overall functioning of the pituitary gland which produces and regulates all of our hormones. Last year I mistakenly gave myself a magnesium deficiency by cutting out my magnesium cold turkey after taking a very high dose for a long time, during that time my pituitary really struggled and I watched all my hormones drop low. ( I know this is confusing, I am talking about magnesium, not manganese but the two work together on the pituitary gland) During this time I remember craving pecans and eating them actually helped me feel so much better! It was one of those moments where I was reminded just how powerful food really is and how our bodies know what to ask for when they need it.
These peppermint squares are a family favourite, they are quite possibly my husband’s favourite dessert. My little boy is also obsessed with peppermint! he picks it out of the garden and eats it straight. We have to stop him from consuming too much. I hope you love these as much as we do., These vegan peppermint pecan squares are refined sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Get the recipe in my new book “Eating for Hormone Balance: a Plant-based Guide”
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