Homemade Thin Mints

As far as I can tell there aren't Girl Scouts cookies in the UK.  So I attempted to make homemade thin mints from Baking Bites.  Reading through the recipe comments, a number of people commented the batter was dry, didn't work, etc.  So I halved the recipe to minimize my loss.

As it turns out, the cookie batter is the best part of this recipe.  It wasn't dry.  I really liked the uncooked dough.  I didn't love the finished cookie, but I used milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.  Once I baked the cookies the mint flavor was almost non-existant.  If I made this recipe again, I probably would add more mint to the dough, use dark chocolate and probably add some mint to the dipping chocolate.  

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter (4 ounces, 100 grams) plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter for the chocolate dip

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

3 Tablespoons milk

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour)

3 Tablespoons cocoa

10 ounces dark chocolate

In a bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix well.  (I used the stand mixer and beat the mixture for about two minutes.)  I had read that it was important to make sure the butter was softened to room temperature.  But our kitchen is so cold that I put the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds and then another ten before adding it to the bowl.  Slowly add the vanilla, peppermint and milk while continuing to mix.

If you're a proper baker, you should mix all the dry ingredients (flour, salt, cornstarch and cocoa) together in a separate bowl and then add it to the butter mixture.  I didn't.  I added the salt, cornstarch and cocoa and mixed.  Then I added the flour and mixed some more.  The batter smelled delicious (if you're into peppermint, which I am) and tasted even better.

When the batter is well mixed, lay a large piece of Saran wrap on the counter and empty the batter onto it.  Form the batter into a long log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Wrap the batter and place it in the freezer for about two hours.  I left it in the freezer for three days.

Remove the dough from the freezer, take off the plastic, and slice into thin slices (about 1/8 inch.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the sliced dough on the sheet and bake for about 12 minutes.

Remove the tray, allow the cookies to cool and remove from the sheet.

In a double boiler, add the chocolate and butter and allow it to melt.

Dip the cookies in the chocolate and place on parchment paper.  I used milk chocolate on a whim.  I think dark chocolate would be better.  Allow the cookies to cool (I put them in fridge).

Since I prefer Thin Mints frozen, I put the majority of these in the freezer.