How To Make Vegan and Gluten-Free Thin Mints
YVONNE ARDESTANI
Learn how to make vegan Thin Mints that will taste just like the originals! These vegan, gluten-free Thin Mints cookies are everything you love about the original—crispy on the inside, delightfully minty, and covered in rich dark chocolate. The difference, of course, is that my Thin Mints recipe is made without wheat, eggs, or butter.
While making your own vegan and gluten-free Thin Mints takes a little bit of time and effort, believe me when I tell you: they’re worth it. Split the work into two days and you can easily get them done during nap time—make the wafers the first day, then dip them in dark chocolate the next. Although Girl Scout Cookie season is in the spring, Thin Mints have that mint-chocolate combination that is so classically Christmas, they’re right at home with gingerbread and sugar cookies on your holiday dessert tray. If you love these, you will also love our vegan Linzer cookies.
Here’s how to make my vegan and gluten-free Thin Mints recipe:
Ingredients (makes 24 cookies)
- Cookie:
- 1 tbsp flax meal
- 3 tbsp filtered water
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- 6 tbsp coconut palm sugar
- 1¼ cup gluten-free oat flour
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- -
- Chocolate-Mint Coating:
- 2 cups vegan chocolate chips
- ¼ tsp peppermint oil (must be peppermint oil or the chocolate will seize up and be ruined)
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
In a medium bowl, add the first six ingredients and mix to completely. Add the remaining cookie ingredients, oat flour and coconut sugar, and mix to combine.
Cut the dough in half. Between two 12-inch wide pieces of parchment paper, roll one half of the dough 2/16 – 3/16th of an inch thick.
Step 2:
Cut circles using a 2 1/2-inch diameter circular cookie cutter or glass cup.
Chill the cut circles on a cutting board or cookie sheet in the freezer so they don’t break and are easier to handle. Chill for about two minutes.
Once they are chilled, place the circles on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat. 15 pieces should fit perfectly on the sheet pan. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Once the cookies are baked, keep the cookies on the pan for at least 4 minutes so they don’t fall apart.
Place in the freezer.
Step 3: Chocolate Coating
Put the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a medium heatproof bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat or set it to very low; set the bowl of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir constantly until smooth. Make sure that your silicone spatula and bowl are dry. A drop of water will seize the chocolate and you will not be able to neatly coat your cookies if your chocolate is seized.
Once the chocolate and coconut oil are melted and smooth, add the peppermint oil (not to be confused with peppermint extract—this will make the chocolate seize and unusable.) Taste the mint chocolate and adjust to taste. Add more peppermint if you want it more minty. Mix thoroughly. Remove from the heat.
Step 4:
Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the cookie on a candy dipping fork or regular fork, dip the cookie into the chocolate and then hold the cookie on the fork. With your silicone spatula, pour some chocolate over the cookie and gently smooth it out (alternatively, use a small ladle to coat the cookie with chocolate), letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Scrape the bottom of the cookie on the edge of the bowl so as to not drench the parchment with puddles of excess chocolate or “feet”.
Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
Step 5:
Before the melted chocolate sets on the cookies, sprinkle them with sprinkles of your choice. It helps to sprinkle them at least a foot above the cookies.
Chill the cookies in the refrigerator until they are set, and enjoy! They are best eaten cold!
*Yvonne Ardestani is the chef behind Yvonne’s Vegan Kitchen. Yvonne also operates a catering business where she creates the most beautiful vegan and gluten-free cakes for every occasion.
