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
Happybelly says
hey there, first wanna say I adore your blog….everything I have made turns out amazing and people are shocked to find out some of the secret ingredients 🙂 I have a question about the frosting shots….I have tried this and it just doesn’t seem to work for me, no matter how long i refrigerate the coconut milk when i go to whip it it becomes a runny mess 🙁 do you have a specific brand you like? The only success ive had with this kind of frosting is when its blended with coconut oil and cashews:/Thanks so much, and again, thank you for being so creative with all these recipes!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
For guaranteed results, try either Trader Joe’s coconut CREAM (not milk) or coconut cream from an Asian market.
peaceloveandsmoothies says
I alos remember making leprochaun traps. We would find washable green “footprints” on the floor the day after setting our traps, but I disdainfully knew the teachers were behind that… the leprochauns themselves were much too sneaky to leave any footprints! But if I had ever left them a tasty treat, I’m sure they would have fallen into my trap!
Dina says
I have a question. I’ve used coconut cream before and kept it in the fridge, it went bad after 6-7 days, every time I used it. If you google it, that’s it’s shelf life in the fridge. So how does the frosting stay good?
Patty Morningstar says
Katie
When does your cookbook come out?
Patty
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Apparently it comes out in December! 🙂
lauren says
the real question — could these possibly be made into real frosting “shots?” for a party? i.e. can I add some peppermint schnapps/vanilla vodka/etc or will the whole thing separate?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
I think it depends on how thick your coconut milk is. I would try it with coconut cream.
David says
Oh my gosh!!! I did the exact same thing at my school during Second Grade! I know just how disappointed you felt.
Also, the cupcakes look great. Mmmmmm…
Faith says
I don’t wanna hear about your day! Just get on with the recipe. Sheesh, bloggers these days….
Jess says
How long do you have to blend for it to get thick?
Jess says
How long do you have to blend for the mixture to thicken?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Unless you’ve gotten a bad can of coconut milk, it should be thick immediately.
Nechama Burnham says
This is not a comment, but a question. I cannot get a hold of full fat coconut milk where I live. Do you think I could combine some homemade coconut butter (your recipe) with coconut cream to achieve the same results? What do you think the proportions should be? Thanks so much! We have been trying various recipes–both peanut butter pie versions, and the monster mint chocolate cupcakes are winners with my crowd of testers–including many grandchildren–and they can be picky about their sweets!
Unofficial CCK Helper says
You can definitely experiment! Edible experiments are fun! Be sure to report back if you do experiment 🙂
Abby Balkus says
How much does this recipe make
Molly says
Can I use monk fruit or erythritol instead of stevia? I’m making this for a keto family member who doesn’t like stevia.