Homemade Thin Mints Recipes

HOMEMADE THIN MINTS

Steps:

• Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or wax paper; set aside. Clear out a spot in your refrigerator or freezer to accommodate baking sheet.
• In a shallow microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and shortening (the shortening helps the chocolate stay smooth when using it for dipping; it prevents that thick and gloppy, chocolate getting hard before you want it to phenomenon) and heat for 1 minute on high power to melt. Stir and heat in 10- to 15-second bursts until chocolate can be stirred very smooth.
• To the melted chocolate add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract* and stir. If you prefer it mintier, add another 1/4 teaspoon. I used 3/4 teaspoon in total, but because all brands and taste preferences differ, taste your chocolate and add peppermint to taste.
• Add 1 cracker to the chocolate, coat it, and remove it by lightly scooping it up from the underside with a fork, allowing excess chocolate to drain off through fork tines. Place cracker on parchment and repeat with all remaining crackers. If necessary, re-heat the chocolate in 10- to 15-second bursts if it starts getting too firm for smooth dipping.
• After all crackers have been dipped, place baking sheet in refrigerator. Although these will solidify at room temperature, the shortening in the chocolate lengthens the amount of time that will take; the fridge or freezer helps speed it up.
• Store extra Thin Mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for many weeks. In the freezer, I estimate that these could be kept for 3 to 6 months successfully.

THIN MINT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter or margarine until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until mixed well. Beat in egg and mint extract.
• Sift flour, cocoa, and salt together into a small bowl. Add flour mixture by halves into creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
• Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface roll dough into two 1 1/2 inch diameter cylinders. Wrap each cylinder in waxed paper, and refrigerate 5 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thirty minutes prior to baking, place both cylinders in freezer.
• Remove one cylinder at a time, and slice 1/4 inch thick pieces with very sharp knife. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
• Melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine and the semisweet chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Drizzle over warm cookies. Place on wire racks, and let cool and harden completely.

HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS THIN MINTS

Steps:

• 1. "HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS THIN MINTS" Homemade Thin Mints: melt Andes Mints and dip Ritz Crackers into chocolate. Let cool completely. store in airtight containers; you may freeze. Taste just like the girl scout cookies!

HOMEMADE THIN MINTS

Steps:

• Separate the Oreo cookies from the cream and get them as cream-free as you can.
• Melt your chocolate according to package directions.
• Add the peppermint extract to the chocolate and stir until evenly combined.
• Dip an Oreo cookie in the chocolate and place on a sheet of wax paper.
• Let sit until chocolate has hardened.
• Drizzle leftover chocolate on top of the cookie, if desired.

HOMEMADE THIN MINTS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable liner.
• In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate (and the shortening or oil if you're using it - I think it just makes it a bit smoother, but you'll be fine if you leave it out too) over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
• When it's completely smooth, remove from heat, and add the peppermint extract 1/4 teaspoon at a time, tasting between additions to make sure it isn't too strong. My chocolate got all bubbly when I added each teaspoon, but a quick stir brought it back to normal.
• Drop a Ritz cracker in the chocolate, then use a fork or spoon to flip it over to coat the other side. Lift it out the chocolate, shake slightly to remove excess chocolate, and place on the baking sheet.
• When all of your crackers are chocolate covered, put the pans in the fridge or freezer to harden up the chocolate. After about 15 minutes or so, they'll be ready to eat!
• (I like the taste of them out of the freezer better, but they look a little nicer out of the fridge the next day because the chocolate condensates in the freezer. You choose).

HOMEMADE THIN MINT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• Sift the flour and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the baking powder and salt until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out onto a piece of parchment to about 1/4″ thickness. Stack the pieces (with parchment paper between) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Chilling is mandatory. If chilling for more than a couple hours, cover the top dough piece with a single piece of parchment paper. You can chill up to 2 days.
• Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Remove one of the dough pieces from the refrigerator and using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut in circles. Transfer the cut cookie dough to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges appear set. The cookies will seem very soft in the centers. Make sure you rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in chocolate.
• Melt the chopped chocolate and oil together in a double boiler or (carefully!) use the microwave. For the microwave, place the chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Once melted, stir in the peppermint extract. Dip each cooled cookie completely into the chocolate and use a fork to lift out. Tap the fork gently on the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place cookie onto a parchment or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to help the chocolate set. Once set, enjoy!
• Cover and store leftover cookies at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The cookies taste delicious cold. I love eaten straight from the freezer!

HOMEMADE THIN MINTS

Steps:

• Beat together softened butter, sugar, peppermint extract and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until combined and fluffy.
• Sift flour and cocoa powder into a small mixing bowl. Stir in salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until a dough forms, scrape the side of the bowl as necessary while mixing to ensure the flour is mixing well with the butter.
• Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten it into a disk, wrap well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• When the dough is firm but still malleable, take it out of the refrigerator and roll it into ¼" thick on a cocoa dusted surface. Cut with a 2" cookie cutter. Reroll the scraps and keep cutting out cookies until the dough is gone.
• Place the cookies in a container or lined baking sheet and freeze for about 15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• When the oven is ready, place cookies on another parchment-lined baking sheet 1" - 2" apart and bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Combine chocolate, coconut oil and peppermint extract in a heatproof bowl, set it over a pot of simmering water, stir until chocolate is melted completely.
• Dip cooled cookies in the melted chocolate using a fork, turn to coat both sides. Tap excess chocolate off and place coated cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow chocolate coating to dry completely at room temperature or refrigerate to speed it up.

HOMEMADE THIN MINTS

Steps:

• Combine almond flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, sea salt and peppermint extract in a medium bowl until dough forms. The mixture might seem a little crumbly, but that's okay. Place dough in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
• While the dough is in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F and prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
• Place the chilled dough on a piece of parchment paper. Cover it with a second piece of parchment. Pat it down with your hands and then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. You'll want the dough semi-thin- about 1/4 of an inch thick.
• Use a small circular cookie cutter to cut out circular cookies and place each on your prepared baking sheet. I used a shot glass for this and it worked great.
• Place cookies in the pre-heated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Watch them closely because the timing depends on thickness of your cookies. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• Melt chocolate by adding your chocolate chips and coconut oil into a small bowl. Melt in the microwave using 30-second increments or use a double boiler. Once chocolate is melted, stir in the peppermint extract.
• Using a fork, dip cookies into the melted chocolate. Let any excess chocolate drip off before placing the cookie back on the parchment lined baking sheet.
• Place cookies in the fridge or freezer for the chocolate to set, about 30 minutes. Once the chocolate has set, you're ready to enjoy! Store leftover cookies in the freezer and enjoy straight from the freezer - no need to thaw.

HOMEMADE THIN MINTS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the sugar and shortening (or butter) until creamy and well combined, about 1 minute.
• Reduce the speed to medium-low and first add the egg, then the egg yolk, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and peppermint extracts. Slowly add the flour and beat until just combined. The dough will be pretty darn sticky.
• Lightly coat the cookie dough, your hands, and a piece of parchment paper with confectioners' sugar. Shape the dough into a disk and place it on the parchment paper. (If the dough is too sticky to shape into a disk, just plonk it in the fridge for 30 minutes and it'll be more manageable.)
• Now wrap the disk of cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and adjust the oven racks to the middle and upper third positions. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll out the dough on the parchment until it's 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Depending on how long the dough was in the refrigerator, you may need to let the dough sit at room temperature a little so it's soft enough to roll it out.
• Using a 1 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out cookies from the dough and place them 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Reroll any scraps and cut out more cookies. Place the baking sheets in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
• Bake the Thin Mints straight from the freezer, switching the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until dry and crisp and firm around the edges, anywhere from 10 to 18 minutes, depending on exactly how thick your cookies are. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets and then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over but not touching a pan of gently simmering water, heat 2/3 of the chocolate until it melts and registers 115°F (46°C) on a candy or deep-fry thermometer.
• Stir in the remaining chocolate and let it sit, without stirring, over the water for 5 minutes. Then stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chocolate cool to 90°F (32°C).
• Submerge a cookie in the melted chocolate glaze and use the tine of a fork to turn it to coat all sides. Remove the cookie from the chocolate glaze and shake off any excess chocolate. Place the cookie on a piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining cookies and chocolate glaze, reheating the chocolate as needed to maintain it as close to 90°F (32°C) as possible.
• Let the cookies rest, undisturbed and unnibbled, until the chocolate glaze has set, at least 30 minutes. In theory, the cookies will keep, layered between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container, for up to 1 week. Good luck keeping them around that long.

THE ULTIMATE HEALTHY HOMEMADE THIN MINTS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift them at least once to ensure no clumps of flour or cocoa powder remain. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and coconut sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the milk and peppermint extract. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.
• Transfer the cookie dough to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap. Using a spatula, shape the cookie dough into a ½"-tall rectangle. Top with another large sheet of plastic wrap. Fold up the excess plastic wrap, and chill the cookie dough for at least 3 hours. (The cookie dough may be chilled for up to 2 days.)
• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• Leaving the cookie dough between the sheets of plastic wrap, roll it out to ⅛" thick. Using Using a 1 ½"-wide round cookie cutter, cut out circles of cookie dough, leaving as little unused dough as possible. Pull the unused dough away from the cut-out shapes, and transfer the cookie dough circles onto the prepared baking sheets. Gather the unused dough, squish it into a ball between your palms, and roll it out between the sheets of plastic wrap again. Continue to cut out circles until all of the dough has been used.
• Bake the cookies at 350°F for 13-16 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Line two large baking sheets with wax paper. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl. (This size is perfect! I also highly recommend keeping the melted chocolate warm while dipping - see Notes!) Carefully dip each cooled cookie in the melted chocolate using two forks, and let the excess drip off. Place onto the prepared baking sheets. Let the chocolate harden completely before serving or storing.