Using a food processor, finely chop the shredded sweetened coconut until very fine, about 5 minutes.
Add coconut cream, powdered sugar and the peppermint and vanilla extracts to the coconut and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Divide the mint mixture into half and place each half onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper. Top each layer with an additional piece of wax paper and roll the mint dough out into rectangles, about ¼ inch thick.
Remove the top sheet of wax paper and place the cookie sheets into the freezer to allow the mint mixture to firm, about 20 minutes.
While the mint mixture is in the freezer, melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil until smooth and shiny.
Working in batches, take one pan of mint mixture out of the freezer and cut the dough into circles, using a small biscuit cutter. Using a fork, dip each mint disk into the melted chocolate coating it completely. Place the coated mints onto an empty cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper. Dust the candies with colored sugar, if desired. Repeat until all mint disks have been coated in chocolate, then return the candies to the freezer to harden completely.
Store the chocolates in the refrigerator and enjoy at your leisure. This recipe makes 35-40 candies.
