Thin Mints


My assistant baker






I wasn't able to get any thin mints this year. I thought I would try making it!  This was pretty easy to make and a hit with my kids! I had leftover thin mints so I froze those.

Note about flattening the cookie. I found it's easier to roll the cookies into a ball, and then flatten it with your fingers or the palm of your hand.

If you have extra cookies- then would suggest freezing them. My daughter loves them from the freezer!

Update- made these again in the winter and decorated with some cookie icing. The vegan chocolate melted with coconut oil covers the chocolate cookie pretty well and make sure to flatten the cookie thinner.  These are much better to make in the winter. In the summer, the chocolate coating tends to melt more easily.

Dairy-Free Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies (optionally Vegan) (~by Alisa Fleming)
Ingredients
  • 1 Egg or Flax Egg (2 Teaspoons Flaxseeds + 2 Tablespoons Water (plus additional as needed))
  • ½ Cup Dairy-Free Margarine, softened or room temperature (I used Earth Balance – Soy-Free – either stick or tub will work)
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • ½ to ¾ Teaspoon Peppermint Extract (the original recipe uses less, but I like more)
  • 1-1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder
  • ¼ Teaspoon Salt
  • ⅛ Teaspoon Baking Powder (if using “flax egg,” can omit if using an egg)
  • 2 Cups Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil or Palm Oil / Shortening, melted (can sub melted margarine, but I think the oil works better)

Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat (my choice) or parchment paper.
  2. If using a flax egg, grind the flaxseeds in your spice grinder until you get a powder (this will be about 1 tablespoon of lightly packed flax meal, just in case you are using pre-ground stuff). Combine the flax meal and water in a dish, and set aside to gel while you get the rest on the go.
  3. Place the margarine and sugar in a mixing bowl, and beat until creamy.
  4. Beat in the egg or “flax egg” (the one you just made) and the peppermint.
  5. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder, if using. The mixture will become very, very thick. Bring it together into a ball. If it is too dry, add a little water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it comes together. It shouldn’t be sticky though. If it is, wrap the dough and place it in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
  6. Roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness, and cut with a cookie cutter (I used a 1-1/4″ mini round biscuit cutter). Place the cut cookie dough on your prepared cookie sheet. Roll out scraps and cut again. Continue doing this until no dough remains (or your happy to eat the leftover scraps).
  7. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, no more.
  8. Remove, let cool on the sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. For the chocolate coating, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together. You can do this in a double broiler, or the lazy way like me – I place them in a microwave-safe dish, nuke on high for 1 minute, remove, and stir vigorously until smooth. If any lumps still remain, I do another 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave and stir again.
  10. Drop the cookies in the chocolate to coat. I remove them with two forks, letting the excess drip off. Place them on that wire rack with a mat underneath to catch dripping chocolate, or simply place them on parchment (you will get a ring of excess chocolate around the cookies if you do this, but is that such a bad thing?).
  11. Place in a cool spot to let the chocolate firm up. I was impatient, so I put them in the fridge for 20 minutes, but they probably would be best left at room temperature.

Notes
Variations: If you feel like experimenting, I think there is a lot of room to make this recipe healthier. Some steps I might take, would be to replace the margarine with olive or coconut oil, reducing the amount in half. I would use milk alternative to make up the moisture difference. I think whole wheat pastry flour would work in place of the all-purpose flour, and if you’re feeling adventurous, coconut / palm sugar or evaporated cane juice could sub for the ordinary sugar.

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