Homemade Thin Mints

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Homemade Thin Mints

Add peppermint flavor to homemade thin mint cookies reminiscent of Girl Scout Cookies with this recipe from PBS's Adrianna Adarme of the Fresh Tastes blog.

Ingredients

For the cookies:
8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the chocolate topping:
14 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 small candy canes, crushed

Instructions

1. For the cookie dough: In a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the cocoa powder and beat once more, scraping the sides as needed. Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Add the all-purpose flour and mix just until the batter is mixed and you no longer see speckles of flour. The dough may be a bit crumbly.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two balls. Flatten those balls into disks and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Transfer them to the fridge to rest for 1 hour. 

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the first disk of dough from the fridge and roll it out onto a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin to about 1/8-inch thickness. Stamp out cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cutter or whatever shape you like. Recombine scraps, roll it out, and stamp more cookies. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Repeat with the second disk of dough. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

4. For the chocolate topping: While the cookies are baking and cooling, nestle a stainless steel or glass bowl atop a saucepan filled with a few inches of water over medium-low heat. Add the chocolate to the bowl and slowly melt, stirring occasionally until very glossy and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. 

5. Dip the cookies into the chocolate using a fork and allow the chocolate to drain off. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. (It can be the same one you baked the cookies on.) Top with a few pinches of crushed candy canes. Repeat until you've worked through all of the cookies. Place the baking sheets in the fridge or freezer to set.