thin mints
/Along with being a derby girl, I am the captain of the Kill Scouts flat track roller derby intraleague team. In honor of our recent win, thin mints seemed to be the obvious choice to bake next from the ‘twelve days of cookies’ list. Although thin mint cookies are traditionally covered with dark chocolate, I thought it would be more festive to use white chocolate and peppermint sprinkles. Plus, who can resist good quality white chocolate.
Intrigued to learn that I could replicate a childhood favorite without using eggs, I was eager to eat the batter before baking. If you are not a white chocolate fan, feel free to dip the cookies in milk or dark chocolate. This recipe is super easy and fun to make!
After freezing the dough, roll it out on a lightly floured surface. I do not own a 2" round cookie cutter so I used a Collins glass. Note that the dough will crack in some areas but can be reworked to roll out as many times as you choose to do so.
I used traditional candy canes (chosen and approved by Joe) to create the peppermint sprinkles. Some specialty food stores even sell crushed peppermint during the holiday season.
Good quality white chocolate is essential in this recipe. Whole Foods typically stocks Valrhona and Callebaut starting in November each year. This is my time to stock up!
Take the extra few minutes to melt down this artisan chocolate in a double boiler. Depending on your peppermint sprinkle preference, you can drop the candy on top of the cookies by hand or use a small sieve. Dropping the candy by hand will create an uneven surface with large chunks of peppermint.
thin mints
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¾ tsp salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)
8 ounces good quality white chocolate discs
8-10 large peppermint candy canes, crushed
Preheat oven to 350° conventional. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Cookie: Cream the butter until light and fluffy (about 2-4 minutes on medium speed). Using the lowest setting, add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Stir in the salt, vanilla and cocoa powder. Mix all until the batter resembles a thick chocolate frosting. Gradually add the flour and mix just until combined.
Dump the dough mixture onto a flat surface and form into a ball. Knead the dough a few times to bring together. Flatten into an inch disc and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze dough disc for 15 minutes.
Remove dough from freezer and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough slightly thinner than an eighth inch thickness.
Cut round cookies using a two-inch cutter or Collins glass.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet one inch apart and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool completely.
Coating: Melt the white chocolate per your preferred method (double boiler/microwave) and transfer to a small mixing bowl. Prep a work surface with wax or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Using a fork, dip and lift each cookie. Lightly tap the handle of the fork on the side of the bowl so that excess chocolate is removed.
While the coating is still tacky, sprinkle crushed peppermint over each cookie. For even coating, use a sieve (creating a peppermint dusting powder). Cookies can be left out to set or chilled to speed things up. Best stored in the freezer!
Adapted from the view from great island.
