Homemade vegan thin mints with a perfectly crisp, chocolatey crunch.
A recipe for vegan gluten-free thin mints were necessary for this girl scout cookie season!
Fun fact; none of the girl scout cookie flavors are both vegan and gluten-free *insert tears*. However, they do have a few vegan options (including the thin mints) if you aren't sensitive or allergic to gluten. Check out this post for a full guide to vegan girl scout cookie flavors.
Regardless, homemade is always better, right?! With these homemade vegan thin mints you get to fully customize them to suit your taste buds and you can make them year round so it's a win-win. Also, they are super simple to throw together and store extremely well in the freezer!
The irresistible crunch that is necessary for a thin mint is my favorite part of these cookies. Chewy thin mints are just not the same!
For more easy vegan desserts be sure to check out these;
Jump to:
Homemade vegan thin mints ingredients
- Almond flour
- Cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
- Arrowroot flour (this gives the crunch necessary for a delicious thin mint)
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Peppermint extract
- Salt (I love Himalayan sea salt in these, but use your favorite)
- Vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
- Coconut oil (refined or unrefined both work)
How to make homemade thin mints (dairy-free, gluten-free)
- Add ingredients to a food processor and blend until a ball is formed. Remove ball from the blender and add to a piece of parchment paper.
2. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll into a ¼-1/2 inch slab. Cut into 18-24 circles using a cookie cutter (or small glass).
3. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and then let cool for at least 10 minutes.
4. After the cookies have cooled, use a fork and dunk each cookie into melted chocolate, coating both sides. Finally, freeze for 20 minutes.
Lastly, for a chocolate drizzle; remove the cookies from the freezer after 10 minutes. Drizzle extra chocolate (there should still be a tablespoon or so leftover) over the cookies using the fork, moving your wrist back and forth quickly to create thin drizzle lines.
For detailed step-by-step instructions as well as full measurements, scroll the recipe card below.
Tips for recipe success
- The dough will be sticky and tough, but also slightly wet. If it is too sticky when rolling, dust with additional arrowroot flour. Alternatively, if the dough is too dry, add a splash of water or a teaspoon more of maple syrup.
- Use a 1.6 inch round biscuit/cookie cutter for best results. The cap from a jar of vitamins or a shot glass will also work. If dough sticks to the cutter too much, rinse it off and pat dry.
- To prevent excess chocolate from pooling under the cookie, make sure to dip each cookie into the melted chocolate using a fork and gently tap a few times before placing onto the parchment paper.
Substitutions & Variations
Almond flour: cashew flour will also work, with a slight taste variation.
Arrowroot flour: substitute with tapioca flour. Do not omit this ingredient, it makes the cookie crisp, while keeping the thin mint light and airy.
Maple syrup: I love the sweetness the maple provides and it also helps the cookie stay together. Alternatively, agave syrup may also work. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Salt: adds to the overall flavor of the cookie. I love Himalayan sea salt in these but substitue with whatever you have on hand (standard sea salt, iodized, etc.)
- Extra minty thin mint: add an additional ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract
- Triple chocolate thin mint: add chocolate chips to the food processor when creating the cookie dough or top the cookies with shaved chocolate before freezing.
- Superfood addition: sprinkle with hemp seeds after coating in chocolate, before freezing.
- Coconut spin: after coating the cookies in chocolate, dip in coconut flakes and then place on baking sheet and freeze. Lime can also be added for a fun spring time twist!
Storing homemade vegan thin mints
- Refrigerator: store in the fridge for up to week
- Freezer (my preferred method): store in an airtight container for up to two months. Enjoy directly out of the fridge for a cold snap or leave on the counter for 5 minutes before enjoying.
- Room temperature: do not store the thin mints at room temperature as this will result in a less crisp crunch and melted chocolate.
Which girl scout cookie should I recreate next? Drop a comment below or send me a DM on instagram!
📋 Recipe
Homemade Vegan Thin Mints (GF)
Equipment
- food processor
- 10x15 baking sheet + parchment paper
- measuring cup + spoons
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour, packed
- ¼ scant cup cocoa or cacao powder
- ¼ scant cup arrowroot flour
- ¼ cup maple syrup (just under being level, do not overflow the measuring cup or the cookies will be too sticky)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate coating
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (refined or unrefined)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
- Combine cookie ingredients: Add all ingredients for the cookie to a food processor and blitz until combined and a ball has formed (15-30 seconds).
- Roll dough: Remove from food processor and place onto a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin (or large bottle) until the dough is about ¼-1/2 an inch thick. Using a round 1.6 inch cookie cutter*, cut 18-26 cookies (depending on your desired thickness and size of the cutter, the amount of cookies will differ. I go on the thinner side and get around 24). Place cut out cookies on the lined baking sheet. They can be placed close together as they will not spread. Repeat the process of rolling and cutting until all the dough is used.
- Bake: place the cookies into the oven on the middle shelf, and bake for 8 minutes (up to 10 minutes for thicker cookies). Remove from oven and carefully slide parchment paper off of the baking sheet. Let cool on the counter for at least 10 minutes.Tip: if the cookies have puffed up at all during cooking, take a fork and gently press down after removing them from the oven.
- Melt chocolate: when the cookies are almost done cooling, add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl or measuring glass. Microwave for 1 min 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds to ensure even melting. *to prevent burning, check every 10-15 seconds for the last 30 seconds.Take one of the pieces of parchment paper from rolling the dough (or grab a new piece) and cover the baking sheet again.
- Coat cookies: dip each cookie into the melted chocolate, using a fork to help flip and coat the cookie. As you pull each cookie out, gently tap the sides of the glass or bowl to knock off any extra chocolate. Add to the lined baking sheet. Repeat this process until all cookies are coated. Place in the freezer for at least 20 minutes to chill and harden. Remove and enjoy! We love eating them as is, or roughly chopping a few and adding the pieces to vanilla coconut yogurt!
Milo's Mom says
Yummy 😀These thin mints are my favorite Girl Scout cookie and they look awesome! On my honor I'll try this amazing recipe to taste the chocolaty goodness!