Southern Made Simple

Keeping things simple with a smidge of Southern charm

peppermint essential oil

3 Delicious DIY Gifts Using Peppermint Essential Oil

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The holidays are among us!

Have you been as busy as I have trying to figure out what to get everyone on your shopping list this year? Sometimes gift shopping in our house can get crazy if we don’t stay on top of our game. My list currently has 22 people on it (and I feel like I’m leaving someone out! Eeek!). I try not to let the pressure of gift buying get to me. After all, we’re supposed to enjoy this time of year!

If you’re stressing about what to get some of the people on your list, don’t empty out your pocket book! Share the holiday joy by filling their tummies with a few yummy treats instead!

I’ve brought together 3 simple and delicious treats that would make a wonderful gift for anybody on your list! I’ve used Young Living Peppermint Essential Oil in all of my recipes, but you can substitute the oil for peppermint extract if you’d like. I’ll even share a few ideas on how to wrap them up. 🙂

If you’re interested in learning more about essential oils, I’ll include a link at the very bottom of this post that will direct you to a fabulous site with lots of helpful information!3 Delicious DIY gift ideas using peppermint essential oil

  1. Crazy Simple Peppermint Bark {Using Peppermint Essential Oil}

Easy Peppermint Bark Recipe using Peppermint Essential Oil

  1. Copycat Peppermint Patties {Using Peppermint Essential Oil}

Copycat Peppermint Patty Recipe using Peppermint Essential Oil

  1. Double Mint Brownies {Using Peppermint Essential Oil}

Double Mint Brownie Recipe using Young Living Peppermint Essential Oil

I hope you find the perfect to give your friends and family members this year, and I hope these 3 delicious DIY gifts using peppermint essential oil come in handy! If you decide to try out one of these recipes, I’d love to hear how it turned out!

Interested in learning more about essential oils? Check out what my sister has to say about them on her blog! She’s put together some really great and helpful information to help you out. You can read more here.

Crazy Simple Peppermint Bark {Using Peppermint Essential Oil!}

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Let’s just say you’re looking for something sweet to make for a holiday party or to give as a gift this season, but maybe you’re facing a few challenges. Maybe you’re terrible at following a recipe. Maybe looking on Pinterest for something great to make stresses you out or makes you feel overwhelmed. Maybe you’re strapped for cash. Maybe you realized 5 minutes ago that you’re supposed to bring something to an event, and that event is in half an hour and it takes you 15 minutes to get there. I get it. I’ve been there.

Fret not, my friends. I have a simple, quick, inexpensive and yummy solution for you! You can thank me later. 😉

Easy Peppermint Bark Recipe using Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint bark is the perfect festive snack to satisfy a sweet tooth. It has just 3 ingredients, and it’s actually pretty fun to make! Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

  • 1 package white almond bark
  • a few peppermints of candy canes – crushed
  • 5-7 drops peppermint essential oil

Directions:

  1. Melt almond bark over the stove or in a crock pot, stirring frequently to avoid any scorching
  2. Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper
  3. Pour completely melted almond bark onto the cookie sheet
  4. Sprinkle crushed peppermint on top quickly before the chocolate dries
  5. Allow to cool. You can speed this up by placing it in the freezer for a few minutes
  6. Once it’s cooled, break the peppermint bark into bite size pieces

That’s it, y’all! It’s insanely easy to make, and it makes for a really sweet gift to give during the holidays. Just wrap it up in a holiday candy tin (You can frequently find them in a 3 pack for around $3), put a bow on it and you’re done!

If you would like to learn more about essential oils, I recommend checking out this post that my sister wrote. You can find it here: Getting Into Essential Oils as a Skeptic. It’s packed full of great into and tips on how to get started.

 

Copycat Peppermint Patties

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I’ve definitely been on a peppermint kick here lately. I’ve been having so much fun buying stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts for my 6 month old this week, and it’s just really put me in the holiday spirit! While I’m not ready to start decorating my house yet (that absolutely comes AFTER Thanksgiving in this house), smelling and using peppermint essential oil certainly makes me want to!

I recently posted a delicious recipe for double mint brownies using peppermint essential oil. I mentioned how it would be a great gift to package up and give to family members or friends for the holidays. I then started brainstorming some other ways that I could use peppermint oil in the kitchen. I wanted to think of some yummy treats that would also be great to share with others as a gift. Then I thought of these:

Say hello to my little friends!

Copycat Peppermint Patty Recipe using Peppermint Essential Oil

I was so excited to try my hand at making these. They’re pretty darn close to real peppermint patties as far as taste goes. They’re just missing that perfectly pressed/processed round shape that the real ones have. But who needs that anyway, right?! These are also a little bit healthier that the real deal, too. Here’s what you’ll need to make these:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup refined coconut oil (It doesn’t have a coconutty taste)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 or 4 tbs corn syrup (Honey also works great!)
  • 6-7 drops peppermint essential oil (You can also use 1 tsp peppermint extract instead of EO)
  • Chocolate almond bark or baking chips, melted

Copycat Peppermint Patty Recipe using Peppermint Essential Oil

Directions:

  1. Mix coconut oil, peppermint oil, corn syrup and vanilla together in a mixing bowl. The coconut oil will start to soften as you mix. (Tip: Before mixing, slightly melt the coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds to ensure that you can stir it easily. Do not melt so much as to make it completely liquid.)
  2. Place the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow it to harden a bit.
  3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
  4. Once the filling has hardened in freezer, take it out and dip out spoonfuls of the filling onto the wax paper. If you’d like, press them into a flatter shape. Be careful though, because the coconut oil will melt very quickly if you use your hands to press them.
  5. Place back into the freezer for another 10 or so minutes.
  6. Melt chocolate
  7. Remove patties from freezer. Using a spoon, pour chocolate over each patty. *Note: You may find that the chocolate doesn’t stick right away because the coconut oil melts quickly. That’s OK. You’re going to repeat this process a second time, and it will stick much better the second time.
  8. Place back in freezer for another 10 minutes. Remove and pour chocolate over each patty once more. If you’d like, you can repeat the process a third time to cover the bottom with chocolate
  9. Place in freezer or refrigerator for a final time to allow to harden. Once you’ve done this, you’re all done! Enjoy!

While these can sit out, they are best stored in the refrigerator. Coconut oil can quickly melt if it is ever at a temperature slightly hotter than room temp.

If you’re making these to give as a little DIY gift, you can put them in a cute little Christmas tin or put in a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon like I did! These are so yummy and just melt in your mouth. Anyone who loves chocolate and mint together would love these for sure!

If you would like to learn more about essential oils, I recommend checking out this post that my sister wrote. You can find it here: Getting Into Essential Oils as a Skeptic. It’s packed full of great into and tips on how to get started.