Copycat Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies
There’s no need to wait for the cookie-selling season when you can make yummy homemade Copycat Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies any time!
Why We Love Copycat Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies
- As one of the most popular and beloved cookies sold by Girl Scouts everywhere, Thin Mints are a perfect mix of chocolate and mint that are so crave-able that having a homemade version is a lifesaver when you run out of the stash in your freezer!
- Making this Thin Mint recipe is a breeze, with only a few simple ingredients needed to make the cookies and the minty chocolate coating.
- With only 30 minutes of actual hands-on time, these Thin Mint cookies are easy to make but more importantly, this recipe makes A LOT! That’s the most important detail here folks, lots of cookies.
- Just like with Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies, these copycat cookies store beautifully in the freezer to tide you over until the next cookie-selling season.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Girl Scout Thin Mints
CHOCOLATE WAFER COOKIES
PANTRY ITEMS: To make this recipe you will need a package of your favorite fudge cake mix, vegetable shortening, and cake flour. Check out the tips section on how to make your own cake flour.
WET ITEMS: You will also need an egg and a little water to make the cookies.
CHOCOLATE MINT COATING
PANTRY ITEMS: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are a must-have, along with more vegetable shortening and peppermint extract.
How to Make Thin Mints
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 In a large bowl stir together the fudge cake mix, cake flour, vegetable shortening, and an egg. Once mixed well, add a little water at a time until a dough forms. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.
STEP 2 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper, or spray the sheet with non-stick spray. Lightly flour a work surface and roll 1/4 of the dough out, flattening the dough to 1/16 of an inch thick.
STEP 3 Cut the cookies out using a spice jar lid, or other round implement, that has a 1.5-inch diameter.
STEP 4 Arrange the cookies on the prepared tray and bake for 8-10 minutes. Once out of the oven let the cookies cool on the pan for a minute and transfer them to a cooling rack.
STEP 5 In a large bowl, combine the chocolate chips, vegetable shortening, and peppermint extract and microwave at 50% power for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir the chocolate and microwave again for another minute. Continue stirring and heating for short intervals until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
STEP 6 Set a cookie on a fork, gently dip the cookie into the chocolate, and allow the excess chocolate to run off before.
STEP 7 Place the dipped cookie on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the cookies until the chocolate is firm.
Tips & Tricks
- If you don’t have cake flour you can make your own by mixing 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- I used the lid from my large 4.12-ounce jar of cinnamon to cut the cookies out and they came out to a similar size as Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies.
- If the chocolate starts to firm up while dipping so many yummy cookies, just stick it back in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften and then stir. You can do this as many times as you need to.
- Be sure to shake off the excess chocolate while dipping before putting the cookie on the cookie sheet to dry. If you like a thicker coat of chocolate wait until the first coat is dry and then dip the cookie again.
- Pick up a bottle of peppermint extract and not mint extract for this recipe. Mint extract tastes more like spearmint and less like a delicious Thin Mint!
Thin Mint Recipe FAQ
How much are Girl Scout cookies?
Before 2023, the average price of a box of Girl Scout cookies was $5 but due to inflation, that cost rose to $6 and is expected to stay around that price at least for a while. Specialty cookies, like S’mores and Toffee-tastic, are expected to be around $7 a box.
While that may seem a little steep for a box of cookies, every penny spent on these cookies is worth it for the hard-working, young entrepreneurs who hustle every season to sell and raise money for their program and also for the communities they serve!
What is the number 1 selling Girl Scout cookie?
As you may have guessed, the number-one-selling Girl Scout cookie is the iconic Thin Mint! Caramel deLites (AKA Samoas) and Peanut Butter Patties (AKA Tagalongs) are also in the top-selling cookies list.
Raspberry Rallys were a huge favorite last year and sold out pretty quickly due to high demand and limited stock so catch them early if you can and don’t forget to stock up on Thin Mints for the Freezer!
Are Thin Mints good for you?
When you enjoy things in moderation there are not too many “bad” choices when it comes to food! Thin Mints are one of the more healthy choices, compared to other Girl Scout cookies, as one serving (4 cookies) is 160 calories, 7 grams of fat, 22 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of sugar.
The great thing about Thin Mints is that the serving size is double what other Girl Scout cookies are, so while the Caramel deLites and Peanut Butter Patties contain only a little more fat, carbs, and sugar, you only get 2 cookies per serving.
Homemade Thin Mints calories have about 82 calories per cookie. The big differences are that official thin mints use wheat flour and we’re using cake mix + cake flour as the base. There’s also a thicker chocolate coating on the outside of the homemade cookies, at least 2x as thick.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies
- Loaded Cookie Butter Snickerdoodles
- Copycat Crumbl Boston Cream Pie Cookies
- White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Copycat Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies
Equipment
- Silicone Mat or Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookies
- 15.25 ounces fudge cake mix (1 box)
- 3 tablespoons shortening melted
- ½ cup cake flour measured and sifted (see note)
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons water
Chocolate Mint Coating
- 24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
Cookies
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cake mix, melted shortening, cake flour, and egg until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, mixing after each addition, until a dough forms.
- Place the cookie dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disc shape, wrap completely in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours in the fridge.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cut the dough disc into quarters. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1/4 of the dough until it's 1/16-inch thick. Use a 1.5-inch round cookie cutter (or spice jar lid of similar diameter) to cut out the cookies.
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
Coating
- Add the chocolate chips, peppermint extract, and vegetable oil to a large, microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 50% power for 1 1/2 minutes and then stir. Heat for another 30 seconds and stir. Repeat until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Use a fork to dip one cookie into the chocolate. Hold the cookie over the bowl and let the excess chocolate run off. Place the dipped cookie onto a lined baking sheet (silicone mat, parchment paper, or waxed paper). Repeat with the remaining cookies. Pro Tip: If the chocolate starts to set up, reheat it for 30 seconds at 50% power and stir. You can do this as many times as needed.
- Refrigerate the cookies until the chocolate is set and firm.
Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.