The Thin Mint Predicament

Upon waking this morning, I thought, “Man, I could really go for a Thin Mint cookie right about now.”  (Seriously, that’s the kind of stuff I wake up thinking about.) So, I strolled downstairs and opened the freezer to retrieve a cool, crisp Thin Mint cookie. But, wait! Where were my Thin Mints? Had my freezer been burgled in the night? Perhaps someone was just playing a cruel trick on a sleep-deprived mother? I couldn’t possibly have eaten all of the Thin Mints. Or had I?

Oh, no!

I had.

No, no, no! And that’s how it begins…the hunger anger reaction.  I could feel my pulse quickening.  Dizziness set in.  I rushed to the front door, threw it open and shouted, “GIRL SCOUTS!”  No response.  I tried whistling.  No response.  I tried singing, Make new friends but keep the old… My voice nervously cracked. One is silver… Nothing. And the other is gold?

No girl scouts appeared at my door.  No. Thin. Mints.

Unless…

Yes, that’s it! I could make my own.  I mean, I was a girl scout many ages ago.  I should be able to figure it out. So, I promptly threw on my old green uniform, sash and all, and decided to give it a try.

Thin Mint Cookies

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, softened
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Peppermint Extract
• 1 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt

For the Glaze:

• 2 cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
• 8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1 tsp Peppermint Extract

Mise En Place

Directions

For the Cookies: Beat softened butter and sugar, until creamy. Add egg and peppermint extract and beat to combine.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until blended.

Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a cylinder on a lightly floured surface. The cylinders should have a diameter of about 1.5 inches. Wrap each cylinder in wax paper and refrigerate for a few hours.  About 30 minutes before baking, put the wrapped dough into the freezer.

When the dough is well chilled and firm, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the cylinders into thin slices (between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch thick).  Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

For the glaze: Melt 1 cup of the Chocolate Chips with 4 Tbsp of butter  and 1/2 tsp of Peppermint Extract in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Stir.  Heat for another few seconds if necessary until smooth.  Dip both sides of each cookie into the glaze.  Put the glazed cookies on a cooling rack, set over a piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the other cup of chips and remaining butter until all cookies are glazed. Refrigerate until the glaze has completely set.

Thin Mints

Enjoy your homemade Thin Mint cookies!

** This recipe is an adaptation of the recipe found here, modified based on comments made in the recipe reviews. Initially, I chose to use a mix of semisweet chocolate and mint chips for the glaze, based on comments that the cookies weren’t minty enough.  Personally, I feel that the mint chips make  the glaze a bit too sweet. The flavor just didn’t seem right to me, so I tried the glaze again, using semisweet chocolate with a bit of peppermint extract.  Perfect!!  I edited the recipe to include the new and improved glaze.  Enjoy!