Homemade Thin Mints ~ this is the recipe you’ve been waiting for ~ the perfect copy cat Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie that is even better than the original!
Were you a Scout? I was. But I was something of a rebel. I had stringy hair, wore my uniform skirt hiked up, my tie undone, sash askew, and my badges were sewn on crooked. I categorically refused to wear the beanie. It was the early 70s and that’s how we rolled. Both my daughters were Girl Scouts too. So I have ALOT of experience with Girl Scout cookies. I’ve schlepped them, loaded them, unloaded them, stacked them, stored them, inventoried them, counted, miscounted and recounted them, foisted them off on sold them to friends, relatives, and unsuspecting passers by, bribed teachers with them, gifted them, regifted them, froze them, thawed them, used them as dog treats, and of course eaten them. Many, many, many of them.
Lets just say I don’t have the purely nostalgic associations that some of you might have with these cookies.
Even so, when I came across this wacky scheme to make Thin Mints from scratch, I was intrigued. It might have had something to do with the fact that I was stuck inside all day during a freak March blizzard. But Thin Mints are truly unique cookies. They’re the all time top seller for the Girls Scouts, and people have been known to hoard them in their freezer. Couple that with the fact that no commercial bakeries are allowed to market them, and you’ll understand why I jumped on this one.
It’s not often that a recipe hums along, step by step, without a hitch. Especially when it’s a copy-cat recipe that depends on an exacting replica of the original. The color, shape, texture and taste of these cookies was perfect. Eerily perfect. I can tell you without hesitation that this is the perfect Thin Mint recipe. If you’re one of those people who loves Thin Mints, put your face right up close to the screen and listen carefully…run, don’t walk, to the nearest store to get what you need to make these. Seriously.
I could tell the minute I cut out the cookies that something special was about to happen. Even unbaked, the cookies already look like they’re going to be the perfect Thin Mint. An added bonus is that the dough itself is wonderful to snack on, and there are LOTS of little leftover bits in between all those perfect little circles!
I tasted one of the cookies just out of the oven. Still perfect. I was getting really excited.
By the time I dipped the cookies in the peppermint infused chocolate I was positively giddy. These are exact replicas of Thin Mints. Clones, actually.
I think I just earned my cooking badge.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 oz, or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutched dark cocoa powder which worked well)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (fluff the flour before scooping and leveling the cup, too much flour will result in a dry dough)
- 16 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
- 1 tsp vegetable or coconut oil
- Approximately 1 teaspoon peppermint extract or oil (Make sure you get peppermint, not spearmint, and make sure you get extract, or oil, not flavoring) I used McCormick's Pure Peppermint Extract
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350F
- Cream butter until light and fluffy, then add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Stir in the salt, vanilla and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter resembles a thick frosting. Add the flour and mix just until the flour is combined, making sure to not over mix.
- Form dough into a ball. Knead a few times to bring together, then flatten into a disk between half an inch and one inch thick, cover in plastic wrap then place in freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove dough from the freezer and roll it out really thin on a floured surface, about 1/8-inch. Cut cookies using 1 1/2-inch cutter (I used a small cordial glass that measured almost 2" and it was the perfect size).
- Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. While the cookies bake, make the peppermint coating. Chop the baking chocolate into very small, thin pieces. Place in a glass measuring cup or similar container along with the oil and microwave in short 15-20 second bursts. Stir in the peppermint extract. Feel free to add more peppermint as you see fit. (Don't add any more, the amount is perfect)
- Gently drop the cookies, one at a time, into the coating. Turn to coat entirely, then lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan until the extra coating drips off. Place on a parchment or plastic wrap-lined baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. (I didn't need to do this, they set up fine after about 1/2 hour at room temperature, but then again, we were having a blizzard, "room temperature" is relative!)
Notes:
- Be sure that your butter is truly at room temperature before you start. If your butter is cool the dough will not come together well.
- Use the ‘fluff and scoop’ method to measure out your flour. That means fluff up the flour in the canister or bag to loosen it BEFORE you scoop or spoon out your measurement. Level the top of the measuring cup gently with the back of a knife to get the most accurate measurement. This goes without saying, but use a measuring cup meant for dry solids, not liquids for measuring flour.
- Some people are having trouble adding the peppermint extract to the melted chocolate. I have updated the recipe to add a bit of vegetable oil to the chocolate, this should help. You can also try putting the extract right in with the chocolate before melting. Remember everything must be clean and dry, with no moisture in the bowl, and you must use an oil based flavoring, so definitely read the labels on your peppermint extract. Candy flavoring oils are also a good choice. I used McCormick’s Pure Peppermint Extract. If you can’t find it in your grocery store you can buy it from Amazon, HERE.
Don’t forget to pin these Homemade Thin Mint Cookies!
More Girl Scout Thin Mint love…
Easy No Bake White Chocolate Thin Mints
Lazy No Bake Thin Mint Cookies
143 Comments
Tamar
February 20, 2019 at 6:56 pmI made these with my kids, what fun! I ended up addidng about 2 tbsp milk to the dough, as it was pretty dry at first. We also put our own twist with dinosaur, flower, and star shapes rather than circles. Delicuous!
Sue
February 20, 2019 at 7:29 pmSounds like a fun project :)
Homemade Thin Mints | Koreng
November 18, 2018 at 8:24 pm[…] Recipe >> Homemade Thin Mints @ theviewfromgreatisland.com […]
Briana
December 6, 2017 at 6:40 amJust found this recipe looking to do some new things for the holidays… But I do SO many cookies I like to spread it out over the month. Will these hold well in the freezer for a few weeks until Christmas??
(As you can see I’m slowly planning out my schedule of what cookie I can make when & how I’ll store it to stay fresh!)
Thanks!
Sue
December 6, 2017 at 7:38 amYes! Just like the originals, they love the freezer :)
Sue
December 6, 2017 at 7:39 amYes! Just like the originals, they love the freezer :) Happy Holidays <3
Sandi
October 12, 2016 at 3:36 amJust a little humor here, when I looked quickly at the 2nd picture, I thought you had them on lettuce leaves….huh…why cookies on lettuce?
Sue
October 12, 2016 at 7:31 amOther people have thought that too lol!
Alice
December 7, 2016 at 4:30 pmI thought the same thing! Funny!
Abby
October 11, 2016 at 8:45 pmNot having read all the posts, this may have been covered already. The reason people are finding this so bitter could be because you say to use semi-sweet “baking chocolate” instead of regular semi-sweet chocolate, like chocolate chips for example. Baking chocolate has no sugar, and is horribly bitter on its own. There has to be a balance of something sweet, like sugar, to offset the baking chocolate. Hope this helps.
Ann
October 4, 2018 at 12:50 pmThank you, Abby! I am sure this will save me from having this problem!
Annette
March 26, 2016 at 2:02 pmHi Sue,
I just made this recipe today for an Easter treat. Unfortunately, they came out extremely bitter- not good at all. Well, I can’t say ‘not good at all’ because my Dad LOVES them- but myself and the rest of the family do not. I am wondering if I did something wrong, but I followed the directions exactly. Because we are sensitive to bitter tastes over here, is there any way you think I could make them sweeter next time? Maybe adding sugar to the cookie dough batter? Using sweeter chocolate for the dip? The only thing different from your recipe is that I used Hershey’s cocoa powered brand. They look great, hopefully I can match the taste next time I try them.
~Annette
Sue
March 26, 2016 at 5:39 pmSorry they weren’t to your taste Annette, people have very different opinions when it comes to chocolate. You could definitely up the sugar in the cookies, and maybe you’d prefer a milk chocolate coating, which tends to be sweeter, too.
Annette
April 1, 2016 at 1:40 pmThank you so much, Sue. I also noticed that after they sat in the fridge for a few days, they grew sweeter. I will definitely try a sweeter coating next time- thank you again! :)
susan
April 23, 2016 at 5:16 pmwas your cocoa Hershey’s cocoa, semi sweet…I have a dark chocolate cocoa and it is very bitter…
Annette
March 25, 2017 at 3:43 pmI used the semi-sweet. (Sorry for the late reply #1yearlater). My grandma loves the original batch I made last year. I am going to make another batch for this Easter with the changes Sue suggested.
Sue
March 25, 2017 at 5:30 pmLet us know how it goes!
Kelly
February 13, 2016 at 6:44 pmJust made these using Gluten Free all purpose flour (bob’s red mill). They are fabulous!! My husband loves them!
Sue
February 14, 2016 at 4:27 amThat’s so great to know, Kelly, I bet you’ve just made a lot of people happy!
Sue
February 24, 2016 at 6:16 amI made these and posted today Kelly — http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/gluten-free-thin-mint-cookies/
Ana Luiza
January 21, 2016 at 4:57 pmthey were amazing! I used cocoa powder 50%, and the chocolate kind that is made for dipping: I melted it in water bath, no oil. The bath was pretty easy too, but you have to let the cookies get cold, otherwise they will break. Mine weren’t too bitter, they were perfect! Thanks for the recipe…
Sue
January 21, 2016 at 8:33 pmThanks for the feedback Ana, I appreciate your taking the time to let us know!
Jaime
January 13, 2016 at 3:32 pmHi, I tried to do the chocolate for dipping and as soon as I added the peppermint extract to the melted chocolate, it turned into sludge. Thick, unusable sludge….any suggestions?
Sue
January 13, 2016 at 7:33 pmI revised the recipe to mention that you can, if you have trouble, add a little vegetable or coconut oil to the chocolate before melting. Chocolate is fussy, and will ‘seize up’ if there is even a drop of moisture that comes in contact with it. Be sure you use an oil based extract, too.
Arielle
December 17, 2015 at 10:31 pmI just finished making these. I used 3/4 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of peppermint, and 20oz of chocolate. I ran just a little short on chocolate. I would recommend using 24oz. And if I ever did this recipe again I would use milk chocolate due to the bitterness. Other than that the recipe was spot on. It only took 3 hours. Lol
Sue
December 18, 2015 at 9:43 amThanks for your feedback, Arielle, I know it’s a big help to others attempting to make these :)