Vegan and Gluten-Free Thin Mints

24 cookies
59 min

A vegan and gluten-free spin on the beloved Girl Scout cookie, Thin Mints! Make a big batch and store them in your freezer just like you would with traditional Thin Mints.


These cookies use pure maple syrup to sweeten them as opposed to the refined sugar found in traditional Thin Mints, food grade peppermint essential oil replaces any artificial flavorings and colors and coconut oil replaces refined, poor quality soybean oil.


My personal favorite Girl Scout cookie is the beloved Thin Mint. With its chocolaty flavor, hint of mint, and crisp bite, they’re pretty irresistible. But the ingredients won’t make you too happy. High fructose corn syrup, genetically modified flours and sugars, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, and class IV caramel coloring, Thin Mints become a disaster for the health conscious. It’s time the Girl Scout cookies get an upgrade. But until then, try my version.

Vegan and Gluten-Free Thin Mints
Recipe details
  • 24  cookies
  • Prep time: 45 Minutes Cook time: 14 Minutes Total time: 59 min
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Ingredients
for the cookie:
  • 3/4 cup gluten free flour blend
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 3 Tablespoons double dutch cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum if not already included in your gluten-free flour blend
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1/4 cup Coconut oil at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 8 - 10 drops peppermint essential oil, food grade*
  • filtered water 1 Tablespoon at a time, as necessary.
for the chocolate coating:
  • 2 cups vegan chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips)
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
  • 4 drops peppermint essential oil, food grade
Instructions
For the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and prepare a rolling area with 2 additional sheets of parchment paper and a rolling pin.
Combine the gluten free flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum (if using), and sea salt with a whisk to combine and remove any lumps.
In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup and peppermint essential oil.
Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and using a spatula or a wooden spoon, stir to combine. The dough should not be very sticky but will hold together when you pinch it with your fingers.  If the batter is too dry add 1 Tablespoon of filtered water at a time until moist.
Take your dough and shape it into a ball and place in between your two pieces of parchment paper.  Slowly start rolling in each direction until it is about 1/4 -1/2 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter, cut into circles. I used a Tablespoon for this step. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all the dough is used.
Bake in the middle rack of your oven for about 12 – 14 minutes, or until just golden. Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to the freezer to chill while making the chocolate coating.
For the chocolate coating:
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together either over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals (this should take about 90 seconds total if using the microwave). Stir in the essential oil.  Set aside.
Remove the tray with the cookies from the freezer and using two forks, place your cookies one at a time in the chocolate mixture top side down first and then spinning around to get chocolate over the whole cookie.  Use your two forks to pull the cookie out of the chocolate.  I like to gently slide the bottom of the cookie over the edge of my glass bowl before placing back on my cookie sheet to catch any excess chocolate and place it back into the bowl.
Continue with each cookie until all of your cookies have been coated. Place your cookies back in the freezer to fir for about 1 hour before serving.
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 1 month!
Tips
  • *make sure to use a good quality, food grade essential oil, such as Doterra Brand or Young Living. Option to substitute with peppermint extract.
Alison, Natural Tasty Chef
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Comments
  • Mary lu Mary lu on Feb 22, 2021

    what is xantham gum?

    • See 3 previous
    • Mary lu Mary lu on Feb 24, 2021

      Alison, since I like those cookie I will try cornstarch and see.

  • Lynn Kendall Lynn Kendall on Feb 22, 2021

    You might want to correct the first portion of this recipe. You DO NOT want people to ingest essential oil!!!

    • Thanks for catching that. I didn't realize my whole blog post wasn't uploaded. I actually DO ingest peppermint essential oil, but only food grade good quality and I LOVE it. Brands like Doterra and Yound Living are great.

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