Healthy Thin Mints – A crispy, mint chocolate cookie surrounded by a delicious homemade coating made with cocoa powder, coconut oil, and maple syrup.
How to make healthy thin mints
Every time I pass by a Girl Scout, I begin salivating for Thin Mints, a la Pavlov’s dog.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I love the combination of chocolate and mint together!
As a kid, my dad would buy a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies to support a co-worker’s kid, and I’d demolish the Thin Mints before anyone else had a chance to get their hands on them.
With ingredients like hydrogenated oils, invert sugar, and ‘natural’ and artificial flavors, they weren’t exactly a healthy treat.
Ever since I posted my Chickpea Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, I’ve been getting such great feedback from you all about them, so I’ve wanted to employ the versatile flour in other recipes.
I made this cracker recipe for my oldest daughter using the bean-based ingredient, and in considering the great ‘crisp’ it added to that, I thought it would work awesome as a Thin Mint.
Why use chickpea flour?
Chickpea flour is awesome because it’s high in protein, it doesn’t need eggs to bind it together, and it’s able to be used on its own in recipes, without having to combine other flours, starches, or gums with it.
The one thing to remember when working with it is DON’T TASTE THE BATTER!
I made this mistake early on with it, thinking it was ‘bad’ and tossing out the recipe.
Before being baked, chickpea flour has a universally unpleasant taste, which is really the only drawback (you can’t eat the dough).
The flour lends a crispy texture to these cookies that’s unique to traditional Thin Mints, making the recipe that much more legitimate.
The mint flavor is pretty spot-on, if I do say so myself, and the chocolat-y coating sets the whole cookie off perfectly so that you WON’T feel like you’re missing out on anything!
Healthy Thin Mints (Grain-Free, Nut-Free)
Ingredients
COOKIE:
- 2/3 cup + 1 Tbsp chickpea flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1 1/2 tsp mint extract
CHOCOLATE COATING:
- 1/3 cup coconut oil or cocoa butter melted
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 3/4 tsp mint extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix together the dry ingredients for the cookies: flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.
- Make a well in the center of the dry mix and add the wet ingredients (maple syrup, coconut oil, mint extract).
- Stir everything until well combined.
- Using wet/damp hands (so the dough doesn't stick), make about 16 small, round Thin Mint-sized discs (the dough should be about 1/8 inch in thickness).
- Place the cookies onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until solid to the touch.
- Immediately out of the oven, press down on each cookie with a fork to further flatten the tops and eliminate the small amount of air present (this contributes to making the cookie crispy).
- Place the cookies in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate coating (or for about 10 minutes until cool to the touch).
- Whisk together the ingredients for the chocolate coating until smooth.
- Once cooled, dip each cookie into the coating, covering it completely.
- Place the cookies onto a large wax paper-lined plate and into the freezer to harden.
- Enjoy once the chocolate coating has solidified, but keep in the freezer for best storage (especially if using coconut oil in the coating, as this melts quickly).
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
Be certain to bake the cookies as stated. If you taste anything ‘off’, chances are the cookies did not bake long enough, and the chickpea flour taste is still present.
Use room temperature ingredients when making the chocolate coating. If there is a cold ingredient, it will cause the fat in the coating to seize and clump.
Make sure to use peppermint extract, NOT spearmint.
Some of the items I use in this recipe include:
Crispy, minty deliciousness!
Stephanie says
I can’t wait to make these!!
Can I substitute butter for coconut oil?
Thanks so much!
Lauren says
Hi Stephanie,
I think that would work – let me know if you try them out! 🙂
Jill says
Gonna try these with almond flour. We’re Keto here. Thank you for the recipe!
Beth says
Can honey be subbed for the maple syrup? I know it would not be vegan anymore.
Lauren says
Hi Beth,
You might need to add a little more water, as honey is thicker than maple. 🙂
Alice says
Omg, these look out of this world delicious! I can’t wait to try making them..
I just found your blog and am enjoying reading your creative and natural recipes. Thank you.
Lauren says
Thank you Alice!
Begum Karim says
Thanks for the recipe, Lauren.
If you have an East Indian grocery store near you; chickpea flour is much cheaper there.
Also at Sri Lankan store.
I make savoury pancakes and use baking powder, baking soda, 1 TSP. ACV, for leavening and I know you don’t use flax seeds but you could use arrowroot powder about 1 tablespoon. Also black salt for eggy flavour. 😁
Lauren says
Thanks for the tip, Begum! Those pancakes sound yummy too, I’m always up for a new pancake recipe! 🙂
kristi says
Is there a sub for chick pea flour? Can you make chick pea flour?
Lauren says
I’m not sure on either question, as I made these to be specific for chickpea flour, sorry! You can order chickpea flour on sites like Amazon or Vitacost.
Cheryl Dowling says
Or just mill dried chickpeas to make a flour 🙂
Peggy says
These are so awesome I’m sending my readers to you for the recipe!
Lauren says
Thank you so much Peggy! 😀
Mike@TheIronYou says
I know I’ve said this already but you are so creative, inventive, and innovative. Really, you never fail to amaze me.
This is such a great way to use chickpea flour, I’ve never seen something quite like this!
Lauren says
Aw, thanks buddy! You are also quite creative, especially with the cauliflower! 🙂
Gabby @ the veggie nook says
I’m recently discovering me and legumes have a tricky relationship, but I wonder how I would do on a flour? Time to experiment with these cookies I think 🙂
Kayla says
What a cool idea! I never would have thought about using chickpea flour in something like this. Thanks for the recipe!!
Karen Flammang says
use doTerra essential oil…peppermint!! Cant wait to try!
Jessica says
Hi! Love your blog! This recipe looks great (I make your chickpea chocolate chip cookie recipe all the time!). Quick question though, can I sub raw cacao powder for the cocoa?
Lauren says
Sure!
Jessica says
Awesome! Thank you!!
Peggy says
I LOVED LOVED LOVED thin mints. I am so going to try these!
Hinna says
Do you think peppermint essential oil would work instead of mint extract?
Lauren says
Hi Hinna,
I think it would, but you’d probably have to taste as you go, since I don’t know the equivalent measurement.
Leah M @ love me, feed me says
These look so awesome! I love chickpea flour – it’s crisps up so well when baked!! I make the mistake of tasting the batter every time and always regret it haha!
dawn says
OH MY GOODNESS! i am soooo going to make these!!! Question: should my flour be cold on this one or no? AND what kind of mint extract do you use? i need to buy some. THANKS!!!
Lauren says
Lol, the flour is room temperature for this one. 😉 I usually buy a peppermint extract by McCormick spices, which you can pretty much get anywhere. 🙂 Let me know how they turn out for you if you make them!
dawn says
OH, i’ll be making them! thanks Lauren!