Delicious Homemade Thin Mints Cookies

The undisputable GOAT of Girl Scout Cookies, Thin Mints are dangerously delicious. This recipe is shockingly close to the real thing, particularly when the cookies are enjoyed straight out of the fridge or freezer (as is customary in my house).
Ingredients

- 1 cup butter, unsalted and softened
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups + 1 Tbsp AP flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Chocolate Coating
- 340g dark chocolate, chopped
- ½ tsp vegetable shortening
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
Directions
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add egg white, vanilla, and peppermint extracts. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Combine flour and cocoa powder, and add to butter mixture ⅓ at a time.

Mix until just combined.

Divide dough in two, and roll out each half to just under ¼ inch thick between two pieces of parchment.
Chill dough for at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Cut out cookies using a 1 ½-2 inch cookie cutter, and arrange on a parchment lined pan with at least an inch between each cookie. Reroll and cut dough scraps for another round of baking.



Bake for 12-14 minutes, taking care not to let the cookies burn.
Let cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.
Melt chocolate, shortening, and peppermint extract in a double boiler on the stove at low heat, stirring frequently.


Once completely melted, dip cookies one by one into chocolate mixture, using a fork to drain the excess chocolate before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet.


Continue until all cookies are coated.

Refrigerate cookies until chocolate forms a hard shell, and enjoy.

Variations and Substitutions
- This recipe provides a template to make an array of cookie flavors, just switch out your extracts/flavorings. For instance, a chocolate mocha cookie with a chocolate almond coating, or a chocolate cinnamon cookie with a chocolate vanilla coating.
- Milk chocolate can be used for the coating, but the cookies won’t taste as close to the original and the coating will be a bit softer.
- Coconut oil or vegetable oil can be substituted for the shortening in the chocolate coating, but vegetable shortening has the most neutral flavor.
- Toppings can also be a fun way to add a little flair to these otherwise unassuming cookies (nuts, cookie crumbs, chopped Andes mints, white chocolate drizzle, etc).
How To Make the Best Homemade Thin Mint Cookies

- Because this is a dark dough, it’s harder to use the usual visual cue of brownness to confirm doneness, so start checking these after 12 minutes.
- Chocolate chips and chunks will work for this recipe, but you’ll find that you get a better coating if you chop a larger bar/piece of chocolate instead.
- An extra fork can be helpful for dipping the cookies to provide stability.
- You’ll want to dip each cookie and then hold aloft over the melted chocolate for at least 15 seconds to let the excess chocolate drip off.
- Take care when placing the cookies on the parchment after dipping, so as to keep the bottoms of the cookies nice and neat.

Homemade Thin Mint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter unsalted and softened
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups AP flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 340 gm dark chocolate chopped
- ½ tsp vegetable shortening
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add egg white, vanilla, and peppermint extracts. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Combine flour and cocoa powder, and add to butter mixture ⅓ at a time.
- Mix until just combined.
- Divide dough in two, and roll out each half to just under ¼ inch thick between two pieces of parchment.
- Chill dough for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Cut out cookies using a 1 ½-2 inch cookie cutter, and arrange on a parchment lined pan with at least an inch between each cookie. Reroll and cut dough scraps for another round of baking.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, taking care not to let the cookies burn.
- Let cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Melt chocolate, shortening, and peppermint extract in a double boiler on the stove at low heat, stirring frequently.
- Once completely melted, dip cookies one by one into chocolate mixture, using a fork to drain the excess chocolate before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Continue until all cookies are coated.
- Refrigerate cookies until chocolate forms a hard shell, and enjoy.