Anyone else practically live on Girl Scout cookies growing up? In our house, Thin Mints were a favorite, and we always had 1-2 boxes in the freezer for snacking. It doesn’t get much better than a crisp, cold, chocolaty Thin Mint dunked in milk (who’s with me?).
We wanted to bring the nostalgia of Girl Scout cookies into our kitchen and remake this classic cookie, but with a healthier spin. We’re happy to report that our inspired version is not only naturally gluten-free, vegan, and grain-free, but it’s also incredibly quick and easy to make and (no joke) tastes exactly like the real thing! Let us show you how it’s done!
The BEST Thin Mint Cookies
The crisp, cookie portion of these Thin Mints is made with simple ingredients: almond flour and tapioca starch, which combine for a seriously perfect, crisp cookie texture. Cocoa powder provides the chocolate flavor, baking soda the leavening, and sea salt a hint of extra flavor.
Coconut oil is added to create a moldable consistency. We used refined coconut oil because it helps the mint and chocolate flavors shine through without being overpowered by the taste of coconut.
For natural sweetness and additional binding, we sweetened with a little maple syrup. And for the minty element, we used peppermint extract (which can also be used for making peppermint patties, peppermint black bean brownies, peppermint drinking chocolate, and more!).
Once the dough has chilled to help the cookies keep their shape, they’re baked, cooled, and dipped into a 3-ingredient chocolate coating.
The chocolate coating is made from melted coconut oil, chocolate chips, and peppermint extract. The result is double chocolate, double mint goodness. These are the real deal, friends!
We hope you LOVE these Thin Mints! They’re:
Chocolaty
Minty
Perfectly sweet
Perfectly crisp
Melt in your mouth
& SO delicious!
They’re the perfect healthier alternative for Girl Scout cookie season and beyond! Enjoy on their own, with a glass of dairy-free milk, or as a topping for vegan vanilla ice cream (hubba hubba).
More Chocolate Cookie Recipes
- Fudgy Vegan Brownie Cookies
- Easy No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
The BEST Thin Mints (V/GF)
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE COOKIE
- 3/4 cup almond flour (the best sub would be a gluten-free flour blend on its own or mixed with some oat flour – however, we haven't tested this and can't guarantee the results)
- 3 Tbsp tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour // some readers have subbed arrowroot starch successfully!)
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp solid refined coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
CHOCOLATE COATING
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (such as Enjoy Life)
- 2 tsp refined coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
Instructions
- To a food processor add almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and pulse to combine.
- Add solid refined coconut oil (place coconut oil in the fridge if it has liquified) to the food processor and pulse until small crumbs are achieved. Add maple syrup and peppermint extract. Pulse until dough starts to form. Form the cookie dough into a disk and wrap in a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (you can use the same paper you used for chilling).
- Lightly dust a separate sheet of parchment paper with tapioca flour. Remove dough from the fridge and place on the flour-dusted parchment. Also lightly flour the top of the dough. Roll the dough out until it is about 1/8-inch thick.
- Using a 1 ½ – 2 inch cookie cutter (or similar-sized object such as a spice jar lid) cut out 14 circles. If you have excess dough, roll it into a ball and reroll/cut out the circles until all of the dough is used.
- Lightly flour a metal spatula with tapioca starch and use it to carefully transfer the cookies to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Space the cookies at least 1-2 inches apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly fluffy and expanded and they appear a little dry. Once baked and slightly cooled, remove the cookies from the tray and place them on a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips and 2 tsp of coconut oil (amount as recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) in a small saucepan over low heat stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted halfway. Once halfway melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir until completely smooth. Now add in the 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract (amount as recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). NOTE: This can also be done in the microwave in 30-second increments. Stop microwave and stir every 30 seconds.
- Make sure your cookie sheet will fit in the fridge (otherwise, transfer cookies to a large plate lined with parchment paper).
- Once the cookies are cooled, dip each one into the chocolate mixture until fully coated. A fork is helpful for dipping and gently shaking off excess melted chocolate. Then place each cookie back on the parchment-lined cookie sheet (or plate) and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until set. If there is extra melted chocolate, you can transfer it into mini muffin liners to make mint chocolate cups (or wait until your cookies are cooled and drizzle the extra chocolate over the top).
- Once set, cookies can be enjoyed straight from the refrigerator or at room temperature. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Jennifer says
I made this and Love it – these cookies taste great even without the chocolate coating.
Thanks so much, Jennifer!
Jennifer says
This is a delicious recipe. The two things I changed were that I only put about 20 drops of peppermint oil in the chocolate coating – which was plenty because I did put the full amount in the cookie. the other thing was that I read where the rolling out of the cookies can be sticky and so a lot of tapioca flour may have to be used. I just rolled the dough between two sheets of parchment paper – no stick. I only had to use the tapioca flour for the spatula to transfer them to the baking sheet, which I also lined with parchment paper. Worked great for me. Thanks for this recipe!
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your experience, Jennifer!
Colleen Finnegan says
This recipe turned out great! I don’t have a food processor so made the dough in my blender and that was so easy. Also subbed cornstarch in as that was all I had. I followed the advice from a review that melted the coconut oil before adding to the dough and that worked great. I used a smaller cookie cutter and wound up with way more cookies. I kept them in the frig as we like to eat thin mints cold. I can’t say enough good things about this recipe! Will definitely be making this again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Colleen. Thank you so much for your kind words and support! xo
Fran says
I made these with great expectation and I was so proud with the results! The kitchen smelt with peppermint during preparation, loved it! It was difficult rolling the dough as it was very oily so I kept adding tapioca flour! The end result is worth all the trouble of rolling the dough thin :) they are exquisite! Not too sweet, which is a win, amd the chocolate flavour is the protagonist. Great and easy enough recipe, thanks!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Fran. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
JP says
I never review recipes, but every once in a while something is EXTRAORDINARY and I am morally obligated to tell other people. Here’s your recipe, folks. If you’re gluten free and have been missing Thin Mints for over a decade, wait no longer. If you simply love Thin Mints, but want a slightly healthier version, you’ve found it. These are suspiciously close to the “real” deal. (note: I did use vegan butter- Earth Balance- instead of refined coconut oil because that’s what I had). Doubled the recipe, and got 28 cookies.
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Ziad says
Yo! Just came here to say I made these with vegan butter instead of the coconut oil and they turned out great! I realized my coconut oil was unrefined when I got back, and chose to take the risk over having these taste like coconut.
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Ziad! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications!
AmyS says
this is delicious! I made this with cacao powder. Rolled it as a log and sliced to 1/4 thick then pressed a bit thinner. I made nut butter cup with the leftover chocolate dip. can’t believe how easy it is to make. thank you!
Yay! Love your modifications, Amy! Thank you for sharing! xo