Girl Scout Cookies: Thin Mints

When I was little, I turned up my nose at anything containing even the slightest hint of mint. It burned my tongue and wasn't nearly sweet enough for my taste. I never understood why my dad loved spiced gumdrops and red hots or why my mom sucked on candy canes during the holidays. I thought that stuff was nasty. But now that I'm grown up and happily in my professional mid-to-late (weird!) 20s, my tastes have become refined. I like mint.

These days you'll find me brushing my teeth with aquafresh and swishing with some weird purpley Target brand peppermint/eucalyptus mouthwash, chewing winterfresh gum and munching on peppermint patties---they're a fat free food. But what's really satisfying is peeling back the crackly cellophane on a sleeve of Thin Mints straight from the freezer and biting into a piece of mint chocolate heaven. Yummers.

The only down side to devouring those cookies sleeve by sleeve is that rationing only gets you so far and those Girl Scouts don't come around nearly enough. Breathe easy, though. I got your back. With this version of homemade Thin Mints, you can have all that goodness anytime you want. Oh, yeah.

Girl Scout Cookies: Thin Mints   [click to print]

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

1-1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

1 c. cocoa powder, unsweetened

3/4 tsp. salt

1-1/2 c. flour

2 T. potato starch (or cornstarch)

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat butter in mixer until light and fluffy; add powdered sugar and continue to cream until mixture is smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa, salt, flour and starch; whisk to combine. Add extract and cocoa mixture to butter mixture, continue to on low speed until ingredients are combined but still a little crumbly. (Don't overmix or your cookies will be tough, which would be sad.)

Turn dough onto piece of wax paper and knead two or three times to combine ingredients and form a smooth ball. Flatten dough to about 1/2" thick and cover with another piece of wax paper. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes to chill. 

Remove dough from freezer. Leaving wax paper in place, roll dough to about 1/4" thickness; thinner is better here! Use cookie cutters, about 1-1/2", to cut your shapes. I used the letter "O" for my circles. Line baking sheet with parchment paper; cookies can be placed about 1/4" apart since they don't spread much. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Melt the chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl or a double boiler until smooth. Using a fork, dip cookies in the chocolate. Remember, you want just a thin coating of chocolate, so tap the fork/cookie on the side of the bowl to knock off any excess chocolate drips. Place coated cookies on wax or parchment paper to harden.

Source: Adapted from Handle the Heat