Vegan and Gluten-Free “Thin Mints”

A vegan and gluten-free spin on the beloved Girl Scout cookie, Thin Mints! Make a big batch and store them in your freezer just like you would with traditional Thin Mints.

Knock, Knock?  Who’s there?

Ok, normally when I get a knock on my front door I’m thinking, “Oh God, who’s here and what are they trying to sell me?”  But there is one time a year that I happily open my door, and that’s Girl Scout season!  Who can resist those cute little faces in their brown and green sashes? And who can resist the cookies?!?

Depending on how you view Girl Scout cookie consumption, you either look forward to this time of year, or you dread it.  And we’ve all done the guilty purchase before.  Ya know, you’re on your way to the grocery store and there’s that table set up outside the door with a gaggle of girls asking if you’d like to buy a box of cookies.  You slow your pace and then feel pulled toward their table like you’re stuck in some sort of tractor beam.  You find yourself taking out your wallet and buying some boxes just to relieve yourself of the weight of guilt.  We’ve all been there.

Bring on the chocolate and the mint

My personal favorite Girl Scout cookie is the beloved Thin Mint. With its chocolaty flavor, hint of mint, and crisp bite, they’re pretty irresistible. But the ingredients won’t make you too happy.  High fructose corn syrup, genetically modified flours and sugars, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, and class IV caramel coloring, Thin Mints become a disaster for the health conscious.

It’s time the Girl Scout cookies get an upgrade.  But until then, try my version.

Vegan and Gluten-free Thin Mints

These cookies use pure maple syrup to sweeten them as opposed to the refined sugar found in traditional Thin Mints, food grade peppermint essential oil replaces any artificial flavorings and colors and coconut oil replaces refined, poor quality soybean oil.

Why Food-Grade Essential Oils such as Doterra?

Not all essential oils are created equal.  Personally I don’t even like to diffuse poor quality essential oil.  Poor quality oils are usually cut with ingredients that are not natural.  Keeping this in mind, I definitely wouldn’t want to ingest an oil that came from a questionable source.  Doterra has a good reputation and uses very strict standards for their oils. For these reasons, their oil can cost more than what you’d find at Marshall’s, but they are worth it!

Still care about the Girl Scouts?

If you want to contribute to the Girl Scouts without buying their cookies, consider donating money, volunteering your time, and/or writing to the Girl Scouts headquarters asking they change their ingredients.  Look at what a concerned citizen and decent human being you are!

Vegan and Gluten Free Thin Mints

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Vegan and Gluten Free Thin Mints

Vegan | Gluten-Free | Nut-Free

Ingredients

for the cookie:

• 3/4 cup gluten free flour blend
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 3 Tablespoons double dutch cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum if not already included in your gf flour blend
• pinch sea salt
• 1/4 cup Coconut oil at room temperature
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 8 - 10 drops peppermint essential oil Food grade, I like Doterra Brand
• filtered water 1 Tablespoon at a time, as necessary.

for the chocolate coating:

• 2 cups vegan chocolate chips I like Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 4 drops peppermint essential oil Food grade, I like Doterra Brand

Instructions

For the cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and prepare a rolling area with 2 additional sheets of parchment paper and a rolling pin.
2. Combine the gluten free flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum (if using), and sea salt with a whisk to combine and remove any lumps.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup and peppermint essential oil.
4. Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and using a spatula or a wooden spoon, stir to combine. The dough should not be very sticky but will hold together when you pinch it with your fingers.  If the batter is too dry add 1 Tablespoon of filtered water at a time until moist.
5. Take your dough and shape it into a ball and place in between your two pieces of parchment paper.  Slowly start rolling in each direction until it is about 1/4 -1/2 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter, cut into circles. I used a Tablespoon for this step. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all the dough is used.
6. Bake in the middle rack of your oven for about 12 – 14 minutes, or until just golden. Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to the freezer to chill while making the chocolate coating.

For the chocolate coating:

1. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together either over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals (this should take about 90 seconds total if using the microwave). Stir in the essential oil.  Set aside.
2. Remove the tray with the cookies from the freezer and using two forks, place your cookies one at a time in the chocolate mixture top side down first and then spinning around to get chocolate over the whole cookie.  Use your two forks to pull the cookie out of the chocolate.  I like to gently slide the bottom of the cookie over the edge of my glass bowl before placing back on my cookie sheet to catch any excess chocolate and place it back into the bowl.
3. Continue with each cookie until all of your cookies have been coated. Place your cookies back in the freezer to fir for about 1 hour before serving.
4. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 1 month!

If you make this recipe, let us know with a comment below or tag us with your photos on Instagram @NaturalTastyChef or on Facebook @Alison Charbonneau, Natural Tasty Chef!  We LOVE hearing about and seeing your re-creations ?