Easy Gluten Free Thin Mints Recipe
Who doesn’t love Girl Scout cookies? And while I’m so happy to see that the Girl Scouts are offering gluten free options this year, I still can’t get my annual dose of Thin Mints because they’re not gluten free. So when I saw a local girl scout troop set up outside the grocery store the other day, I knew I had to come up with a delicious recipe for gluten free Thin Mints. They’re delicious and easy gluten free cookies!
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These minty chocolate cookies are the best way to satisfy your craving for Thin Mints. And the best part is that they’re an easy gluten free Christmas cookie recipe you can make in a flash!
This easy gluten free Thin Mints recipe is simple to make and so delicious. You’re going to love the combination of mint and chocolate found in your favorite Girl Scout cookie treat!
Are Thin Mints Gluten Free?
Thin Mints have always been my favorite Girl Scout cookies. So I was disappointed to see that Thin Mints aren’t gluten free. But don’t worry! You can easily make your own Thin Mints at home to take the place of your favorite chocolate mint cookies.
And while Thin Mints aren’t gluten free, the Girl Scouts are accomodating us gluten free cookie lovers with a Caramel Chocolate Chip cookie that is gluten free. They’re only available in select areas right now, so you’ll have to check with your local troop to see if they have any available.
How to Make Gluten Free Thin Mint Cookies
To make these easy gluten free Thin Mint cookies, you’ll need two components: the gluten free chocolate mint cookies and a chocolate coating.
The gluten free chocolate mint cookies are made with just a few simple ingredients:
- Gluten free baking flour (I love Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Butter
- Sugar
- Salt
- Egg
- Peppermint extract
To start making these delicious Thin Mints, place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the ingredients together with your mixer’s paddle attachment until they’re well combined and light and fluffy.
Add the egg and peppermint extract to the sugar mixture and beat until the ingredients are nice and smooth. Once the ingredients are well combined, set the bowl aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the gluten free baking flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating between each addition. The dough will be thick, so if your mixer is having a hard time working the last of the dry ingredients into the dough, remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold the remaining flour mixture in by hand.
After the dough for your gluten free Thin Mint cookies is mixed, remove it from the bowl and shape the dough into a large ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it with plastic wrap. Chill the chocolate mint cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling and cutting out the cookies.
When the dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough until it’s around 1/4 inch thick. Then, use a small round cookie cutter to cut out cookies from the dough. I used a 2-inch cookie cutter to make 24 cookies from my batch of dough.
Place the cut-out cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before coating them in chocolate.
Coating for Gluten Free Thin Mints
When your cookies have cooled, take a few minutes to make the chocolate coating for the gluten free Thin Mints. The chocolate coating is made with two simple ingredients:
- Dark chocolate chips
- Coconut oil
To make the chocolate coating, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave. The best way to melt chocolate in the microwave is by heating in increments to avoid burning your chocolate. Start by heating the chocolate chips and oil for 30 seconds, then remove the bowl and stir. Continue heating in 30-second increments until all the chocolate is melted, making sure to stir well between each session. It only took one minute of microwaving to melt my chocolate chips.
Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate, making sure to coat both sides of the cookie evenly. Use a fork to lift the chocolate-covered cookie from the bowl, then tap the fork on the side of the bowl to help remove any excess chocolate.
Place the chocolate-coated cookies back on the wire cooling rack to set. Make sure to have a piece of parchment or waxed paper under the wire rack to catch chocolate drips!
The cookies will take about 30 minutes to set, but you can speed up the process by placing the cookies in the refrigerator so you can eat them sooner!
Questions About My Gluten Free Thin Mints Recipe
This easy recipe is delicious and simple! But if you have questions as you’re baking, I probably have the answer!
Do I have to use peppermint extract?
Since these are gluten free Thin Mint cookies, you need to add a mint extract to the cookies to get that signature mint flavor. But if peppermint isn’t your thing, try adding mint extract instead. This extract has a milder flavor, similar to spearmint, so the mint flavor won’t be as strong as it is when using peppermint extract.
Can I use this recipe without the chocolate coating?
Of course! These delicious chocolate mint cookies taste amazing without the chocolate coating! They’re similar to a chocolate shortbread or thin chocolate sugar cookie with a nice hint of mint in each bite.
What is the best way to melt chocolate for the coating?
Ther are two different ways to melt chocolate for the chocolate coating: in a double boiler or in the microwave. While a double boiler is probably the best way, I’ve always had success microwaving my chocolate to melt it. You just have to be extremely careful not to burn the chocolate by heating in increments. Here’s how to melt chocolate in the microwave:
- Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds.
- Remove the bowl and stir it well.
- Place the bowl back in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Remove the bowl and stir it well. As you stir the chocolate will continue to melt.
- If the chocolate isn’t completely melted after one minute, place the bowl back in for 15-second increments until melted, stirring between each session.
Can I make these nut free?
Since I used coconut oil in the chocolate coating, these gluten free Thin Mints aren’t nut free. But you can easily leave the coconut oil out of the chocolate coating when making your own nut-free version.
Can I make these dairy free?
To make these cookies dairy-free, substitute the butter for dairy-free margarine. Then, use your favorite dairy-free chocolate for the chocolate coating.
Gluten Free Thin Mints
These delicious gluten free Thin Mints are a great gluten free copycat recipe. They taste just like the real Thin Mints Girl Scout cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten free baking flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 12-ounce packages dark chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the gluten free baking flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg and beat until combined.
- Add half the flour mixture and slowly mix until all the flour mixture has been added.
- Separate the dough into two disks. Cover each disk with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.
- After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out the chilled dough to ¼ inch thickness. Using a small round cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on the lined baking sheet, leaving around one-inch space between each cookie.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges have browned but the center is still soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the cookies are cool, prepare the chocolate coating by adding the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is melted.
- Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it back on the wire rack to set. Place the chocolate covered cookies in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate more quickly.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 255Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 3gSugar: 22gProtein: 3g
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Emily is a midwestern mom of two boys. She loves all things DIY — from home renovations to kids birthday party planning. Whether she’s making a new farmhouse craft for her home or helping her kids with a cool activity, you can bet she’s in the middle of some kind of DIY project (or three) right now!
OMG! Thin mints are awesome, and if they are gluten even better! I can’t wait to try them!!
These look really delicious and so easy to make too!
Ooh so nice to have this option or those with a gluten problem!