Homemade healthy Thin Mints made with almond flour, pure maple syrup and coated in dark chocolate. Vegan + gluten-free.
Last year, I shared these homemade samoas cookies and they have been such a hit!
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 at least two people on Instagram have called them LIFE-CHANGING!
Given all the samoas cookie love, I decided I needed to recreate my other two favorites… tagalongs and now these 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, recommend using Lily’s chocolate chips or Hu Kitchen gems for less sugar!
Instead of using white flour we’re using almond flour for the cookie, which was actually inspired and adapted from my almond flour crackers! I love using almond flour for baking because it gives everything a rich, nutty flavor that isn’t too overpowering. It works perfectly for these thin and crispy chocolate shortbread cookies!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY THIN MINTS:
Ingredients Needed
- almond flour – make sure you get almond flour and not almond meal!
- cocoa powder or cacao powder
- pure maple syrup – I like the flavor that maple syrup gives these cookies, 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 for up to one week.
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! 
Homemade Thin Mints
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies
- Diet: Vegan
Homemade healthy thin mints made with almond flour, pure maple syrup and coated in dark chocolate. Vegan + gluten-free.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
- Pinch of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
Chocolate Coating
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips ( I like using Lily’s dark chocolate chips to keep these low-sugar)
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions
- Mix ingredients: 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.
- Preheat oven: While the dough is in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F and prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Roll out dough: 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.
- Form cookies: 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.
- Dip cookies in chocolate: 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.
- Let cookies set: 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! Store leftover cookies in the freezer and enjoy straight from the freezer – no need to thaw.
Notes
- Almond flour: I haven’t tried this recipe with another flour, but I bet all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose would work. Again, I haven’t tried it so I’m not 100% sure if it would change this recipe, but let me know if you try it!
- Maple syrup: 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. I recommend using refined coconut oil if you don’t want any coconut flavor!
- Peppermint extract: Peppermint oil should work just fine, but the oil is much more concentrated than extract, so you probably will only need a few drops.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 96
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 10mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 3mg
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