Homemade thin mints are a copycat of the Girl Scout classic cookie with a cream button center. An embellished version with a cream filling, they are high in protein and fiber, no refined sugar, vegan and gluten-free.
Homemade Thin Mints
Healthy thin mints, easy to munch and higher in protein and fiber than most cookies. These copycats of the popular Girl Scout cookie are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Keep them chilled in the freezer for a ready-to-go stash.
This crunchy cookie also has a minty cream button center as a hail to the other favorite girl scout cookie, tagalong. I haven't made a copycake healthier tagalong cookie yet but I will soon!
I love to create healthy versions of our favorite processed cookies such as another Girl Scout favorite, Samoas, and even Milanos here, made with oat flour. I even have a healthier Hostess Cupcake recipe and Ding Dongs, but I digress.
These thin mints are made with almond flour, but can also be made with all purpose. I rolled out the dough directly on a cookie sheet and used a round cookie cutter to cut circles, but you can also use a slice-and-bake process if you prefer.
Table of Contents For this Post
Ingredients in Healthy Thin Mints
For the cookies:
- Almond flour (or all purpose flour + 2 tbsp milk)
- Cocoa powder
- Maple syrup
- Sunflower seed butter or any nut butter. I use Sunbutter because it is made from sunflower seeds and is allergen free.
- Salt
- Peppermint extract or peppermint oil
For the white cream center:
- coconut cream
- powdered sugar
- peppermint extract or peppermint oil
For the coating:
- chocolate chips
- coconut oil
- peppermint extract or peppermint oil
How to Make Healthy Thin Mints
Be sure to visit my exact recipe at the bottom of this post, along with the video. But here are the general steps.
1. Add ingredients to a bowl, and mix into a dough.
3. Cut out dough circles. If you are going to make a slice-and-bake roll, make the roll and then chill. If you are going to use cookie cutters, roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper and cut out rounds.
4. Line cookie sheet with cookie and bake.
5. While cookies cool, make the cream center.
6. Dollop on the cream and freeze cookies for 30 minutes.
7. Prepare the coating by melting chocolate, coconut oil and peppermint in a microwave.
6. Dip cookies and allow to set.
How to Store Homemade Thin Mints
Store these cookies at room temperature in a sealed container for a week. They will be less crunchy as the week goes on.
Refrigerate or freeze these cookies for months.
Before we dive further into the recipe, I'd like to invite you to sign up for my free chocolate course. Five lessons hit your inbox with detail on how to create your own simple healthy chocolate desserts.
Okay, so back to this recipe...
Tips to Make Thin Mints
- You can roll these cookies out or slice-and-bake off a roll, your choice. Both types require the same 30-minute chill time.
- I have not tried these with any other flour - almond flour has fat. If you want to try with all purpose flour, add a few tbsp of milk because the flour is dryer than almond flour.
- Be sure to chill the batter at least 30 minutes to prevent spreading in the oven. And chill batter between batches.
- Use refined coconut oil if you don’t want any coconut flavor in the chocolate coating
- Be careful with the peppermint extract and oil additions. Peppermint extract is far more potent than vanilla extract so start small and taste-test. Peppermint oil, if you are using that instead, is even more potent than extract so add a drop at a time.
- Taste-test the batter and chocolate coating after you add the peppermint extract or oil to be sure it's minty enough for you.
FAQ About Thin Mints
These cookies are fan favorites sold by Girl Scouts, accounting for 25% of all Girl Scout Cookie sales.
Understandably there are lots of questions about this fun dessert, so I'll answer a few here.
Do Girl Scouts Still Sell Thin Mints?
Yes, but not like this recipe, the originals are not gluten-free and are processed. However, I won't judge, if you are looking for the original cookie, visit their Girl Scout website. Also, bonus, the original thin mint is vegan!
Can You Buy Thin Mints Year Round?
Only where you can buy Girl Scout Cookies. However, if you don't want to use this recipe to make your own, there are several commercial brands that make a similar mint cookie.
What Are Thin Mints Good With?
Eat these chocolate coated cookies with a cold glass of milk, or dip in a hot tea, or crumble over ice cream or a cupcake.
What is a Thin Mint Made Of?
A thin mint is a crunchy chocolate cookie coated in a dark chocolate.
Is There Mint in Thin Mints?
Most thin mint recipes use a peppermint extract or oil to achieve a minty flavor.
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Homemade Thin Mints
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour (or all purpose flour + 2 tbsp milk)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup sunflower seed butter or any nut butter
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tsp peppermint extract or 1-2 drops of peppermint oil
Chocolate Coating
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract or 1-2 drops of peppermint oil
Optional Cream Center
- ⅓ cup coconut cream (solid part of full fat coconut milk) (chill the can, and use solid portion)
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract or 1 drop of peppermint oil
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and measure ingredients.
Make Thin Mints
- Add ingredients to a bowl, and mix into a dough.
- If you are going to make a slice-and-bake roll, form the dough into a 1 ½-inch rod, about the diameter of a paper towel roll. Wrap in parchment paper and chill for 15-30 minutes in the freezer, until it's hard enough to slice and won't crumble.
- Then put dough roll on a dish-towel folded several times so the surface is soft. Slice cookies about ¼ inch in width.
- If you are going to use a round cookie cutter, roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper.
- I do this in a cookie sheet to contain the mess. Lift off the top sheet of parchment.
- Cut out 1 ½-inch rounds, fill pan, roll out remainder of dough and fill another pan.
- The cookies won't spread, but space them out if you can so they can bake more evenly. You should be able to lift them after they are cut.
- Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Add Cream Center
- Chill the full fat can of coconut milk an hour or overnight. Scoop out the solid portion.
- Mix with powdered sugar until creamy.
- Scoop mixture into a ziplock bag or frosting bag and cut the tip. Dollop on about ½ tsp onto a cool cookie.
- Freeze cookies 30 minutes before dipping with chocolate.
Coat Thin Mints
- Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe glass container at 60 seconds, and additional 15 second intervals if all chips aren't melted.
- Stir in the peppermint extract.
- Dip cooled cookies using a fork. Tap off excess chocolate drips, then place cookie on a drying rack with a parchment paper beneath to catch drips.
- Place dipped cookies in the refrigerator to set chocolate, about 15 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
This post is sponsored by Sunbutter. My opinions are my own.
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