Homemade healthy Thin Mints made with almond flour, pure maple syrup and coated in dark chocolate. Vegan + gluten-free.

I’ve been on a roll with Girl Scout cookie recreations.

It all started with my homemade Samoas. People are shocked by how easy they are to make and LOVE that they actually taste like the real deal cookies (some people say they taste even better) and a few people have called them LIFE-CHANGING!

Given all the Samoas cookie love, I decided I needed to recreate my other favorites… Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos and now Thin Mints!

Healthier Homemade Thin Mints

To be honest, traditional Thin Mints aren’t as unhealthy as most Girl Scout Cookies, but they still contain artificial and processed ingredients.

For this version, we’re skipping all of those extra ingredients like white sugar, palm oil and artificial flavoring and making them with just seven simple ingredients to create a vegan and gluten-free version of this Girl Scout classic!

These Thin Mints aren’t necessarily low calorie or low sugar, but they are made with natural ingredients including natural sugars from the pure maple syrup and without preservatives.

In terms of the chocolate chips, I recommend using Lily’s chocolate chips or Hu Kitchen gems for less sugar, but feel free to use what you have on hand. 

Instead of using white flour we’re using almond flour for the cookie, which was actually inspired and adapted from my almond flour crackers!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY THIN MINTS:

 

Ingredients Needed

• almond flour – I love using almond flour for these cookies because it gives them a rich, nutty flavor that isn’t too overpowering. That said, I have tested these cookies with both all-purpose flour and oat flour and the cookies turned out well with both. Note: If you do use all-purpose flour, you’ll need to add a touch of liquid as the dough turns out quite dry. I added 1 Tablespoon of almond milk and it worked perfectly. 
• cocoa powder or cacao powder 
• pure maple syrup – maple syrup gives these cookies a nice subtle sweetness, but you can sub this for any liquid sweetener of your choice like honey, agave, monk fruit maple syrup, etc. 
• coconut oil – this is used to help make the melted chocolate thinner, which makes it easier to dip the Thin Mints. You can skip it, but your melted chocolate will likely be pretty thick. And I recommend using refined coconut oil if you don’t want any coconut flavor!
• sea salt
• peppermint extract – you can use peppermint oil instead fine, but the oil is much more concentrated than extract, so you probably will only need a few drops.
• dark chocolate chips – I like to use Lily’s dark chocolate chips or Hu Kitchen gems to keep this recipe lower in sugar, vegan and dairy-free.

Steps for Making Healthy Thin Mints

Form dough: Combine almond flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, sea salt and peppermint extract in a medium bowl until dough forms. The mixture might seem a little crumbly, but that’s okay. Place dough in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Pre-heat oven + line baking sheet: While the dough is in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F and prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

Cut cookies: Place the chilled dough on a piece of parchment paper. Cover it with a second piece of parchment. Pat it down with your hands and then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough.

You’ll want the dough semi-thin— about 1/4 of an inch thick. Use a small circular cookie cutter to cut out circular cookies and place each on your prepared baking sheet. I used a shot glass for this and it worked great.

Bake: Place cookies in the pre-heated oven and bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Melt chocolate: Melt chocolate by adding your chocolate chips and coconut oil into a small bowl. Melt in the microwave using 30-second increments or use a double boiler. Once chocolate is melted, stir in the peppermint extract.

Coat cookies: Using a fork, dip cookies into the melted chocolate. Let any excess chocolate drip off before placing the cookie back on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Set chocolate: Place cookies in the fridge or freezer for the chocolate to set, about 30 minutes. Once the chocolate has set, you’re ready to enjoy! 

How to Store Homemade Thin Mints

If you’re not eating these cookies right away I recommend storing them in an airtight container in your fridge or freezer.

They’ll stay good for up to a week in the fridge.

That said, I feel like everyone stores Thin Mints in their freezer and you can totally do that with this homemade version too! They should last 3 months in the freezer… but I bet they’ll be gone before then! 😉

More Girl Scout Inspired Treats

• Healthy Tagalongs
• 4-Ingredient Samoas
• Do-Si-Dos
• Samoa Energy Balls
• Date Caramel Apple Slices
• Banana Samoas Cookies