A homemade version of favorite Girl Scouts cookies classic. These thin mints are crunchy chocolate cookies enrobed in peppermint chocolate.
Reasons to Make This Recipe
Do you buy Girl Scouts cookies every season? Nothing beats the real thing, but what happens once you’ve run out cookies?
Or, what if you have sudden craving for Thin Mints when Girl Scouts cookies are unavailable?!
Solution- make it yourself! Here’s a homemade version of Samoas (also known as Caramel deLites). Today, let’s explore how to make homemade Thin Mints!
These cookies are simple to make. It’s a fun activity to do with kids. The cookie dough is very forgiving and easy to work with. The hardest part is finding peppermint oil!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
For best results, weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale. If you prefer to use volume measurements (such as cups), use the Stir and Spoon Method to measure flour.
- All-Purpose Flour : I exclusively use King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour for consistency. However, any brand will work. This recipe also works with store-bought gluten-free flour blends such as King Arthur Measure for Measure flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder : There are several choices of unsweetened cocoa powder to choose from: natural cocoa, Dutch-processed cocoa, or black cocoa. They all work for this recipe. However, the darker cocoa powder will have a slightly bitter flavor.
- Refined Coconut Oil : Refined version is flavorless, making it a wonderful neutral oil for baking and cooking. Unrefined or virgin coconut oil will have a mild coconut flavor and coconut aroma. You may swap in equal amount of shortening, if preferred.
- Milk : Recipe calls for a very small amount of milk to moisten the cookie dough. Use any milk or non-dairy milk of choice.
- Dark Chocolate : Use your choice of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate ranges from bittersweet (70% chocolate liquor, 30% sugar) to semi-sweet (60% chocolate liquor, 40% sugar). Use either chocolate bars or chocolate chips.
- Peppermint Oil : This is a key ingredient! The oil flavors the dipping chocolate. Be sure to use food grade peppermint oil. Stay away from peppermint extract! (More information below)
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a baker’s friend! It’s a great dairy-free alternative for baked goods. It works well in breads, cakes, and cookies. Examples: cinnamon swirl bread, confetti cake, and homemade oreos.
Simply substitute coconut oil one for one in baking recipes that use butter or oil.
Use refined coconut oil. It is nearly flavorless, making it a neutral oil perfect for baking. Unrefined or virgin coconut oil will have a mild coconut flavor and coconut aroma.
If don’t have coconut oil, simply swap in shortening. I don’t recommend using butter for this recipe.
Food Grade Peppermint Oil
This is an important key ingredient! Peppermint oil flavors the chocolate coating. Be sure to use FOOD GRADE oil, not peppermint oils meant for aromatherapy or cosmetics (soaps and candles).
Peppermint oil is different from peppermint extract. Oil is pure, meaning no water. Whereas, peppermint extract is a combination of water and alcohol.
Water will cause the melted chocolate to seize up. The melted chocolate will separate!
If you really can’t find peppermint oil, you may use peppermint extract in the cookie dough recipe. More information regarding substitution in the recipe card.
More Mint Chocolate Recipes
Homemade Thin Mints
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, (195 g)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (45 g)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, (150 g)
- ½ cup refined coconut oil, (113 g)
- 2 Tablespoon whole milk, or any non-dairy milk alternative of choice
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or vanilla paste
- 12 ounces dark chocolate, (340 g), about 2 cups, chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon peppermint oil, , or more depending on taste preferences
Instructions
Cookies:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together sugar and coconut oil on medium-high speed. Beat until mixture is fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add milk, egg, and vanilla.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the prepared flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Divide dough into two equal parts. Flatten the two halves and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes until dough is cold and firm.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Work with one dough at at time. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to ¼”. Using a 1 ¾” round cutter, punch out cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Space cookies about half inch apart from each other. Bake in preheat oven for 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool in the pan for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Coating:
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place clean wire rack on top. Set aside.
- Melt together chocolate and peppermint oil in a medium metal or glass bowl over a small pot filled with an inch of barely simmering water. Stir chocolate until melted. Slowly melt the chocolate, by moving the bowl on and off the heat every 30 seconds or so to prevent overheating
- Once chocolate is melted, remove bowl from heat and set over a folded kitchen towel. Do not set bowl on marble or other kitchen surface that will cool down the bowl.
- Working with one cookie at a time, drop cookie into melted chocolate. Using a fork to scoop cookie from the bottom. Tap fork on the edge of the bowl to let any excess chocolate drip from the cookie. Transfer cookies to prepared wire rack to let chocolate harden. If desired, make swirl marks on top of chocolate. Otherwise leave alone and your cookies will be smooth on top.
Notes
- Refined coconut oil is flavorless, making it a wonderful neutral oil for baking and cooking. You may swap in equal amount of shortening, if preferred.
- Use your choice of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate ranges from bittersweet (70% chocolate liquor, 30% sugar) to semi-sweet (60% chocolate liquor, 40% sugar). Use either chocolate bars or chocolate chips.
- Use food grade peppermint oil. Oil is different from extract.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
These were super yummy and just like the real thing. The cookies plain tasted a little blah but then with the chocolate minty coating – yum! I used mint extract without a problem. I also added in about a tablespoon of crisco into the chocolate mixture to give the cookies a nice sheen.
I had a great time making these cookies. Only issue I encountered was 15m was not long enough in my oven. They came out great, but lacking in the crisp department. Next time I need to leave them in a couple minutes longer.
You are very talented, I’m having a wonderful time dabbling in your recipes!
That’s wonderful to hear, AshLee! Thank you so much for visiting my site and trying out the recipe! I’m sorry that the cookies weren’t as crisp as you hoped for. Ovens temps and times can be tricky sometimes. Hope you’ll make it again!
there Is no recipe…
I have reposted the recipe. It guess it wasn’t showing up properly.
Where’s the recipie
I’ve reposted the recipe.
That looks like a really yummy treat, I wouldn’t mind making some for myself and I am not a girl scout either…:P