Thin mint copycat cookies

I love most girl scout cookies, but thin mints have always been my number one. They are chocolatey and have just the right amount of minty sweetness. I also love the signature crunch they have, making them the perfect cookie to eat at room temperature or straight out of the freezer. This copycat recipe draws inspiration from this classic cookie to give us a year round option to enjoy thin mint cookies!

Though I do highly recommend using a stand or hand mixer for this cookie recipe, the dough comes together with minimal ingredients and just a few steps. Once you roll and cut the cookies, they'll bake until crisp and then they're covered in a minty chocolate topping.

The level of mint is completely baker's choice. I made these a few times, and have shared the measurements that to me gave the best minty flavor without being over or under powering. There is mint both in the cookie itself and the topping, and especially when it comes to the chocolate coating I recommend adding the peppermint extract slowly so you can stop when you get the point that tastes best to you.

One of my favorite things about the original thin mint cookies is that they taste great at any temperature - and these are no different. You can store them in the fridge or freezer for the longest shelf life, or you can enjoy them at room temperature.

Since you just use an egg white for this recipe (no yolk) you can always set aside the egg yolk and make one of my many chewy cookie recipes - lots of them require an extra yolk (like my brown butter chocolate chip cookies). The egg white simply helps to bind your dough, but we want these cookies to be crisp not chewy so the yolk can be used for something else.

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold and cubed 113g

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar 30g

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 24g

• 1 egg white

• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder 26g

• 1 cup all purpose flour 120g

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate coating

• 1 1/2 cup (9 oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 1 teaspoon neutral oil (canola or vegetable)

• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Total time: 5-7 hours

Prep time: About 30-45 minutes

Bake time: 14-16 minutes

Chill time (dough): 2-4 hours

Set time (chocolate): 1-2 hours

Servings: 24 cookies

Equipment

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment (or hand mixer)

• Plastic wrap

• Large cookie sheet

• Parchment paper

• Rolling pin

• Round cookie cutter (1 7/8 inch)

• Spatula or large spoon

• Small or medium microwave safe bowl

Cooking instructions:

Make your cookies. Into your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add your cubed and cold butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar. Turn your mixer up to a medium to high speed for about two minutes until your sugars and butter are fully combined and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of your bowl and paddle attachment using your spatula.

Next, add in your egg white and peppermint extract. Turn your mixer back on for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of your bowl and paddle attachment again.

Add in your cocoa powder. For this step, you want to continue mixing until your mixture is smooth and fully combined, and it will almost look like a chocolate buttercream. Run your mixer at a medium to high speed for a few minutes, pausing partway through to scrape down your bowl and paddle attachment to ensure you don't have any streaks of unmixed butter.

Next, add in your flour and salt. Let your mixer run at a medium speed until your dough forms, just about a minute or two. If you need to, pause and scrape down to the bottom of your bowl.

Once your dough is formed, place it into plastic wrap and form a disk. Cover the dough with your plastic wrap and place into the fridge to chill for at least 2 to 4 hours or until firm. You can do this step ahead of time and chill for up to 24 hours.

Prepare a large cookie sheet, or two medium ones, with parchment paper. When you're ready, roll out your dough between two sheets of parchment until your dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Move quickly as your dough will soften the more it's handled. Use your cookie cutter to cut about 16 circles - be sure to press the cookie cutter down, spin, and then lift straight up. Form a ball of dough with the unshaped scraps and place into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes to firm up again, and place the cut cookie dough onto your lined cookie sheet and into the fridge during this time so it can firm up. Once your scraps are firm again, roll them out and you should be able to cut about 8 more cookies, making 24 in total. Place the rest of your cut cookie dough onto your lined cookie sheet and keep it in the fridge.

While your dough chills in the fridge prior to baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Your cut cookie dough should be firm before it hits the oven.

Bake your cookies for 14 - 16 minutes, they should not spread at all and we want them to be crispy to get the cookie's signature crunch. Once baked, allow your cookies to cool fully - this should take about 30 minutes, and you can use the fridge to speed up the process.

Make your chocolate topping and finish your cookies. While your cookies finish cooling, melt your semisweet chocolate in a small or medium bowl. You can do this in the microwave - first for 20-30 seconds and stir, then for intervals of 15 seconds stirring each time until completely smooth and melted. Add in your oil and peppermint extract, and stir completely (I like to use a spatula to make sure I don't miss any chocolate on the edges).

With a fork handy and going one cookie at a time, drop a cookie top side down into the chocolate mixture, then use a fork to flip the cookie being sure all sides are coated. Scoop the chocolate covered cookie up and with it resting on the prongs of your fork, tap the handle on the side of your bowl a few times to help release any excess chocolate. Scrape the bottom of the fork/cookie on the side of the bowl and then carefully set it down back onto parchment paper. Repeat this for each cookie, and if you have chocolate remaining at the end, you can use it to drizzle on top of your cookies once the first round of chocolate sets slightly (you can always put them into the fridge for about 5 minutes before drizzling to help with this).

Allow your chocolate to set completely, about an hour or two at room temperature or you can use the fridge after an hour to help speed things up. Enjoy!

These cookies will remain fresh for quite a while though they may lose their crunch after a few days. I like to store them in the fridge or the freezer to keep them fresh and crunchy for the longest, but they taste great at room temperature too.

Carb and serving info:

Servings: 24

Carbs per serving: 13

Carbs for full recipe: 321

Carbs from semisweet chocolate: 162

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.