These homemade Thin Mints cookies are so crazy delicious, easy to make, and taste just like the popular Girl Scouts cookies version.

Thin Mints cookies

I’m not sure I’ve ever met a soul who wouldn’t devour a box of the Girl Scouts’ Thin Mints cookies, if given the chance. 

My daughter’s a girl scout, so I can tell you from having stood with her at those booths outside supermarkets, and begging family members to help me fill out her cookie orders, The Girl Scouts Thin Mints cookies are easily the most popular (though Samoas and Tagalongs are a close second and third, and personal favorites).

So homemade Thin Mints cookies have been on my list to make.

Thin Mints history

I love making my own cookies, of course, and these homemade Thin Mints cookies are the perfect recipe between cookie-selling seasons, but I also encourage you to buy as many boxes as you can from the Girl Scouts.

The Girl Scouts have been selling cookies to fund raise for the individual troop’s activities for a hundred years, since 1917 when the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, baked cookies and sold them as a service project.

By the start of the 1950s, there were three flavors, sandwich cookies, shortbread, and the chocolate mints, that would later be known as Thin Mints. Today, there are a dozen flavors, including a gluten-free cookie and s’mores.

tips to make Thin Mints

The from-scratch Thin Mints cookie recipe here is for a small batch of cookies. (Although, if you cut the cookies small, you’ll still get thirty or forty cookies!)

You may double the recipe, but if you do so, add the entire egg to the dough, not just the egg yolk.

You may also choose to cut out the cookies in any shape, including the classic circle. I just find cookie sticks to be so more fun and easier to eat, and the unusual shape tends to be a conversation starter.

Here, I pipe the chocolate on the cookies, too, which I find easier, but you’re welcome to dip the cookies in the melted chocolate instead.

If you choose to dip the cookies, you may use more chocolate, so just keep additional chocolate chips on hand.

more Thin Mints cookies ideas 

Need more Thin Mints inspiration? Check out this Thin Mints popcorn recipe. Or Thin Mints marshmallow pops. These homemade Thin Mints cookies are so addictive, just like the originals!

printable Thin Mints cookies recipe

Yield: 20

homemade Thin Mints cookies

Print

Delicious homemade Thin Mint cookies, just like the Girl Scout version.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Softened Butter, (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Large Egg Yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract, divided
• 1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable Shortening

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a bowl, briefly whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer or in a bowl with an electric hand mixer, blend together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Blend in the egg yolk, vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
   
4. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients.
   
5. Scrape the dough into a zip-top bag and refrigerate for an hour.
   
6. When chilled, roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick on a floured surface. Cut out desired shapes. Here, I cut out cookie sticks using a dough scraper (or knife) 1/2-inch wide by 4-inches long.
   
7. Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray and bake until set and edges begin to brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
   
8. In a microwave-safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and shortening. Heat for 90 seconds at 70 percent power. Stir the chocolate and use the residual heat to fully melt the chocolate. If necessary, microwave at additional 15 second intervals.
9. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
   
10. When the chocolate cools a bit, transfer to a disposable decorating bag. Snip the tip and pipe chocolate on the cookies. Let set at room temperature or in the refrigerator. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 142Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 84mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g

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