For this recipe I think the thinner the cookie the more it taste like a thin mint. I haven’t had a Girl Scout thin mint in a while but in my opinion this recipe was great. Next time though I will freeze the dough in a roll and then slice it and bake it instead of using a cookie cutter.
Chocolate Thin Mint Cookies
adapted from Handle the Heat
· 1 cup butter, room temperature
· 1 cup powdered sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
· Chocolate Peppermint Coating:
· 1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
· peppermint extract to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
Cookie dough:
Cream the butter the kids can help with the mixing part.
Add the powdered sugar and continue to cream. Stir in the vanilla extract, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, resembling a thick frosting.
Add the flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking but still a bit crumbly.
Now it’s time to get messy. In the bowl turn the dough and gather into a ball and knead until it’s a nice and smooth.
Divide the dough in 2 and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 15 minutes.
Rollout and bake: Pre-heat oven to 350. Roll dough out really thin, about 1/8-inch. Remember from the baking tips -give your child their own dough to “play” with. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling-pin with a bit of flour. If the dough is too firm to roll you can microwave it for 5 seconds. Cut out cookies and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the peppermint coating: Meanwhile, prepare your chocolate coating. Using a double boiler, slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. You can add 1 tablespoon of shortening if your chocolate is too thick. Alternatively, use a microwave in short 15-20 second bursts to melt the chocolate. Stir in the peppermint extract. Again another mixing part your kids can help with.
Finishing the cookies: This will be deliciously messy if you have your kids help. You can give them their own little bowl with a little bit of melted chocolate and a cookie for them to coat. Using a fork gently drop the cookies one at a time into the chocolate coating. Flip to coat all sides. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set.
