I used to love Girl Scout cookies. Over the years, however, I feel that the quality has gone south as many food items tend to do in the quest for “healthier” or just cheaper ingredients. One cookie I never liked was the Thin Mint. I am the exception though. Everyone else I know loves this cookie & many store them in the freezer. I have never been a fan of mint desserts. I prefer mint in gum & teeth products. That is it. It is always odd to see people’s expressions when I decline a mint candy or cookie around the holiday season. They looked so confused.
One person who never declines a mint cookie or candy is my fishing guide. He loves those Girl Scout cookies & any other form/brand that they come in. This past week he has been gone for work so I decided that as a welcome home treat I would attempt to make them myself. I pulled a recipe and went to the kitchen.
Clearly I should have looked at more recipes. This one was not that great. The dough, which was said would be crumbly, was an understatement. In an attempt to help hold it together I added a tablespoon of milk but the dough was still like that of a Russian tea cake or pfeffernusse cookie. In the end I decided to make balls like those other cookies that the dough resembled instead. The result was very close in flavor. My fishing guide asked if they were crushed up thin mints in chocolate. Jackpot! The next time I make them I will try for a different dough in order to make them actually look like the beloved Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie.
Chocolate Mint Balls (note this recipe only makes about 1.5 dozen as I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. Double the recipe if you want more cookies)
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature-1/2 cup powdered sugar
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-4oz. semi-sweet chocolate
-1/2 tsp peppermint extract -1 tbsp milk
In a medium bowl cream the butter until light. Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing. Add the vanilla, salt, cocoa powder & flour and mix well. Add in a tablespoon of milk & mix until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. The dough will be very crumbly and will only slightly hold together if pressed firmly.
Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap while pressing into a ball. Chill for 30-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grab chunks of dough and press into a small ball. (Do them on the smaller side so the cookie to chocolate ratio is more like that of a thin mint. Too much cookie will be dry since they are balls and not flat rounds). Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool the cookies completely.
Once the cookies are cooled, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave, stirring after every 30 seconds. Stir in the peppermint extract.
Using a fork, roll cookies completely in the chocolate. Let the excess drip off & place dipped cookies on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper to set. Store cookies between layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
