These paleo thin mints consist of a crunchy chocolate cookie coated in a minty dark chocolate. They're the perfect copycat recipe for traditional Girl Scout Thin Mints, as these cookies are made with wholesome ingredients and have a delicious, sweet mint chocolate flavor.
Thin Mints used to be my favorite Girl Scout cookies! They were the one box that my parents purchased every year - a box (or two) for the pantry and one for the freezer. (Have you tried thin mint cookies in the freezer? You must!)
Today I'm sharing MY recipe for paleo thin mint cookies. They consist of a crunchy chocolate cookie that's made with tigernut flour (or almond) and sweetened with coconut sugar, then dipped in mint chocolate.
You won't be missing traditional Thin Mints after trying my version! They are healthy, but still have a great taste and texture. Plus, my recipe is paleo friendly, gluten free, dairy free and nut free.
Why You'll Love these Paleo Thin Mints
- paleo friendly - no gluten, no grains, no dairy
- nut free - since they're made with tigernut flour, these cookies are completely nut free!
- easy to make - a one bowl cookie dough that's chilled, rolled then baked. After cooling, dip them in melted mint chocolate.
- healthy but delicious - you won't miss your store bought box of cookies after trying these!
Ingredients
The full recipe for these copycat thin mint cookies can be found in the recipe card below, but here's a list of what you'll need:
- tigernut flour - to make these cookies both paleo and nut free, I used tigernut flour. You can learn more about tigernut flour in my tigernut flour guide. If you don't need these cookies to be nut free, almond flour will work as a replacement.
- coconut sugar - to sweeten the cookies.
- cocoa powder - any type of cocoa powder will work, but I used a Dutch processed cocoa powder.
- salt - enhances the flavors.
- palm shortening - I like using palm shortening in my recipes as a healthy dairy free alternative to butter. If you aren't dairy free, then butter can be used as a replacement.
- egg - an egg free version has not been tested
- vanilla extract - added for flavor
- peppermint flavoring - for both the cookies and the chocolate coating
- tapioca starch - for rolling the cookie dough
- dark chocolate - any brand of your favorite dark chocolate chips will work for this recipe
- coconut oil - to thin the chocolate
How to Make Paleo Thin Mint Cookies
For this recipe, you'll need a large mixing bowl to make the cookie dough, whisk, spatula, parchment paper, rolling pin, circular cookie cutter and baking sheet. Plus the required ingredients of course! Here are the steps:
- Make the cookie dough - combine the dry ingredients then mix in the wet.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Dust the cookie dough with tapioca starch and roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, to about ⅛ inch thick. Then use a circular cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Cool the cookies.
- Dip cookies in melted chocolate.
Storage
These cookies are best stored in a baggie in the freezer, for up to 2 months. You can keep them at room temperature or in the fridge as well, but I think freezer is best! For room temperature, keep in an airtight container or baggie up to one week. For the fridge, store in an airtight container or baggie up to two weeks.
Tips and Tricks
- Dust cookie dough with tapioca starch - this prevents sticking and makes the cookie dough easy to roll out.
- Use a small, circular cookie cutter - I recommend a circular cookie cutter with a diameter of about 2 ¼ inches.
- Store in freezer - these cookies are SO good stored in the freezer. It gives them more crunch and they keep their fresh, minty flavor.
FAQ
Classic Thin Mints are not gluten free. But my paleo thin mint recipe is! In fact, it's both gluten free and grain free.
Tigernut flour is the best option for this thin mint cookie recipe, but almond flour will work as well.
Here are my tips for making pretty dipped chocolate cookies:
(1) Place cookies on a lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer for 20 minutes.
(2) Remove cookies from freezer and dip, one at a time into the melted chocolate, then place them back on the lined baking sheet. The chilled baking sheet (and cookies) will make the chocolate set faster, so that the chocolate doesn't pool.
(3) Coat the cookies using a fork. Drop the cookies into the chocolate, coat and then scoop the cookie back up with the fork. Scrap the fork along the edge of the bowl to let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
(4) Decorate cookies with extra chocolate: scoop extra chocolate into a ziplock baggie. Cut a small hole on one end, then pipe the chocolate over the cookies.
More Paleo Girl Scout Cookie Recipes
Paleo Thin Mints (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: about 30 cookies 1x
Description
These paleo thin mints are a healthy alternative to conventional Girl Scout Cookies. They have a crunchy chocolate cookie that's coated in mint chocolate. These cookies are paleo, gluten free and dairy free.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup tigernut flour (85g) sifted, spooned & leveled
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (20g) sifted, spooned & leveled
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ cup palm shortening
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint flavoring*
- tapioca starch (for rolling dough)
Chocolate Coating
- 1 + ½ cups dark chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp peppermint flavoring
Instructions
- Make the Cookie Dough: combine tigernut flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Add in shortening, egg, vanilla and peppermint. Mix the dough with a spatula until it has a smooth, consistent texture. (The dough is thick and sticky.)
- Refrigerate cookie dough for 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll & Cut Cookies: After chilling, grab the cookie dough from the fridge, along with two sheets of parchment paper, a rolling pin and the tapioca starch.
- Dust one sheet of parchment with tapioca starch. Form the cookie dough into a ball and flatten on top of the parchment. Dust the dough with tapioca starch, then place the other sheet of parchment paper on top. Use the rolling pin to roll the cookie dough between the sheets of parchment. The cookies should be about ⅛ inch thick.
- Remove the top layer of parchment and cut out small circles. This can be done with a small, circular cookie cutter or a shot glass (about 2 ¼ inches). Place the cut out cookies on a lined baking sheet. (They don't spread much, so they can be baked close together.)
- Continue rolling and cutting the cookie dough until it's all been used up. Remember to dust the parchment and dough with tapioca starch each time.
- Bake Cookies: bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes**
- Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
- Dip Cookies in Chocolate: In a small sauce pan, melt the chocolate, coconut oil and peppermint flavoring over low heat.
- Grab the cookies and dip them, one at a time into the melted chocolate. Place them on a sheet of parchment paper to set. You can drizzle any remaining chocolate over the cookies for decoration.
- After all of the cookies have been dipped, put them in the fridge or freezer so the chocolate coating fully sets.
Notes
*If using peppermint extract or essential oil, be sure to adjust to taste. Peppermint flavoring tends to be less potent.
**Baking time will vary slightly depending on the thickness of the cookies. You want them baked long enough so that they get crisp when cooled, but not too long that they burn. If the cookies are rolled to ⅛" thick, 10 minutes will be good, a thicker cookie will require more baking time.
Katie
My family loves this spin on the classic Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies - hopefully you will too!