Each season has its own flavor in my mind, as fruits and vegetables hit their prime and become part of the daily menu for weeks on end. Spring makes me think of luscious, ruby red strawberries; summer, those succulent stone fruits, all so unique and flavorful; fall most definitely has me dreaming of pumpkin concoctions; winter? Well, that’s where it stops making sense. Sure, there’s plenty in season now, and tons of appropriately seasonal delights to indulge in, but the snowy days of winter make me dream of peppermint.

Perhaps that’s thanks to the abundance of red and white striped candy canes found around this time… Or the need to freshen one’s breath in case of getting caught under the mistletoe? How peppermint became synonymous with this time of year, I certainly couldn’t tell you, but I do know one thing about it: My fondest memories of holiday sweets revolve around pairing that fresh, minty flavor with chocolate.

Plenty of people claim to hate mint-flavored desserts, likening the experience to eating a tube of toothpaste, but even they can’t resist the pull of a seriously rich, dark chocolate fudge covered in crushed candy canes. To make this addictive creation, I adapted my recipe for Five Minute Coconut Fudge (scroll down) from My Sweet Vegan by adding 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract into the fudge itself, along with 4 smashed candy canes. Then, I omitted the flaked coconut, and instead topped it off with the crumbs of 5 additional crushed candy canes.

Decadent, sweet, and satisfying, these little squares make excellent gifts… Although you may find it hard to part with them!