Enjoy Girl Scout cookie season all year round with these easy gluten free thin mints you can make right at home! Each cookie is all things chocolaty, minty, rich, and decadent. Think a thin crispy chocolate cookie dipped in luscious mint-infused dark chocolate. Made with wholesome ingredients, these cookies are vegan, gluten free, and dairy free!
Every year, just when I need it most, Girl Scout cookie season creeps up and it feels like Christmas all over again! Thin mints have been a long stand favorite of mine. I mean chocolate + mint in cookie form is a match made in heaven.
So I thought, why not make these at home so I can bask in the joy that is Girl Scout cookie season any time I want?? Turns out they are incredibly easy to make and I made a few tweaks to make them gluten free and vegan so you can kill a whole sleeve without the guilt. You're welcome 😉
If tagalongs are more your thing, my tagalong bars are right up your ally! And if you're a thin mint fan like me, you'll also love my mint chocolate chip cupcakes and mint chocolate chip nice cream too!
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Recipe characteristics
- Made vegan, gluten free, and dairy free
- Can be made in under an hour
- Taste just like the real deal!
- Store well in the freezer for a frozen thin mint anytime you want
- Kid approved
Recipe ingredients and substitutions
- Almond flour - This is the base of the cookie dough. It has the perfect texture for a soft baked cookie. Gluten free 1:1 flour will also work.
- Cacao powder - Provides the chocolate flavor to the cookie. Cocoa powder works well too.
- Coconut oil - This is the fat source used in the cookie and helps to thin out the chocolate when melted. I like to use coconut oil in roll-out cookies as I find it's easier to handle. Any other lightly flavored oil will work like avocado oil.
- Maple syrup - Used to sweeten the cookie. Honey or agave would be okay substitutes.
- Peppermint extract - This goes in the cookie dough and a little is used to flavor the chocolate. Make sure to use peppermint extract and not mint. Mint can lead to a toothpaste type flavor.
Step by step directions
This recipe is simple and easy to follow with a few tips and tricks to ensure your thin mints come out just like the ones in the green box!
Step 1 : Mix the dry ingredients. First, mix together the almond flour, cacao, and baking soda in a medium bowl. You can do this with a fork or a whisk but it's important to mix them well so the almond flour turns a chocolate color.
Step 2 : Add the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and peppermint extract and mix well. Then pour the mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until dough begins to form. Mix well to incorporate the flour. The dough will be slightly wet which is okay.
Step 3 : Roll out the dough. Roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper for easy clean up. Use a rolling pin to roll lit out about ½ inch in thickness. You want the dough to be thick enough so it's easy to transfer to a baking sheet.
Use a 2 inch cookie cutter (or you can use the lid of a spice jar) to cut circles out of the dough. Transfer each cookie to a cookie sheet, leaving about an inch in between each one. I like to use an offset spatula and slide it under each cookie to easily transfer them to the baking sheet. You can also use a thin knife or a fork.
Step 4 : Dip in chocolate. Allow the cookies to cool down all the way before dipping in melted chocolate. I like to place the baking sheet in the fridge to even give a little chill to them which helps with coating in chocoalte.
Melt the chocolate with some coconut oil which thins out the chocolate so we have a nice thin layer of chocolate over each cookie. After the chocolate is melted, pour it into a shallow bowl and then stir in the peppermint extract.
Use a fork or a candy to tool to dip each cookie in the chocolate. Allow the extra to run off before placing it back on the baking sheet to cool. Once all the cookies are coated, place the baking sheet in the fridge for at least 20 minutes so the chocolate can set.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to mix the dry ingredients well so the cocoa powder is evenly distributed. The flours should all turn a subtle chocolate color.
- Measure the peppermint extract carefully. Peppermint extract is much more potent than vanilla extract and a little goes a long way.
- Let the cookies cool down before dipping them in the melted chocolate. If the cookies are too warm, the chocolate will have a hard time solidifying.
How to store
These thin mint cookies are best stored in the fridge. Who doesn't love a chilled thin mint? Because we didn't through the hassle of tempering the chocolate, it will melt after a while at room temperature. They will keep for up to a week when stored in an airtight container in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Thin mints are naturally vegan.
Yes, classic thin mints contain wheat. This recipe uses gluten free alternatives making it a gluten free version of thin mints!
Thin mints can be even better when frozen. Because they are a thin wafer-style cookie coated in chocolate, they are the perfect for freezing.
For more cookie recipes, check out my:
PS : If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star review and comment below! Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date on all tasty recipes here at The Fit Peach!
Recipe
Gluten Free Thin Mint
Ingredients
- 2 cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup coconut oil - melted and cooled, plus 1 tablespoon for the melted chocolate
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract - divided
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix the almond flour, cacao powder, and baking soda in a bowl; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, and ½ teaspoon peppermint extract until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Mix well until no flour clumps remain.
- Roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper for easy clean up to about ½ inch in thickness. You can use a rolling pin for this or a glass bottle you have in the fridge.
- Use a 2 inch circular cookie cutter to circles out of the dough. You can also use the lid of a spice jar as a "cookie cutter". Transfer each cookie to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in oven for 8 - 10 minutes. Let cool completely before coating in chocolate.
- Melt your chocolate chips with the coconut oil in a skillet over low heat (or use a double boiler). Transfer the melted chocolate to a shallow bowl and stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract. Using a cookie tool or a fork, dip each cookie into the bowl until fully submerged. Lift the cookie up and let the excess chocolate drip off. Slowly scrap a fork on the underside of the cookie to remove the excess chocolate (this prevents a pool of chocolate from forming when we place the cookie on a baking sheet). Place each cookie back on a baking sheet. Once all cookies are coated, place the baking sheet in the fridge so the chocolate can set, about 20 minutes.
- Once the chocolate has set, you can place the cookies in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 3 months.
You have completely made my day and my partner will be so thrilled to be able to eat his favorite cookies again. After an entire lifetime of mystery illness, at nearly 40 years old, doctors finally found that I was allergic to several different foods including wheat. My partner also found he was gluten intolerant, allergic to eggs and animal dairy (cow and goat milk), and any kind of seafood. It's just easier to combine our food allergies so that it's easier to have foods we both can safely eat.
He absolutely loves Thin Mint cookies. They were his favorite cookies since childhood, even though they made him sick. He will be so happy to be able to have them again without fear of getting sick. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
It says to use coconut oil twice in the instructions but it is only listed once in the ingredients. Do I divide it?
Hi Michaela, Yes, 1 Tbsp should be used in the melted chocolate to help it thin out.