These Vegan Thin Mints are the best ever! Just like the Girl Scout Cookies, but are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and with no added oils or butters, yet taste just like the traditional! So unbelievably delicious and yet, so much healthier than store-bought! Made with only 8 ingredients!
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VEGAN THIN MINTS
What could possibly be better timing for a Thin Mints Vegan Cookie recipe than during Girl Scout season? I know my last post was cookies, but due to the great response on Instagram and Facebook, you all didn’t care and really, really wanted this recipe. I’m here to deliver, my friends.
My daughter and I have been seeing those cuties selling cookies as we go in and out of the grocery stores and I explained to her (she’s 6) who they are and what they are doing. I also told her about my favorite Girl Scout cookie growing up….the Thin Mints. I think 90% of the people out there would agree. Those thin mints straight out of the fridge…..cold, crispy and delicious perfection.
I have that same cookie memory renewed and better than ever. Not only do mine have that same rich chocolatey-mint bite of heaven, but they are vegan, gluten-free, no added oils or butters and no nasty additives, colors, artificial flavors, chemicals or preservatives. If I can make a thin mint cookie that I don’t feel sick afterwards eating and it be a lot healthier, but still taste as delicious, then I’m just that much more excited about it!
NEVER ENOUGH VEGAN COOKIE RECIPES
I know I just recently posted these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, which you all have been devouring and freaking over, yay! But, this cookie recipe request was from a dear reader, Estee, who makes my recipes on a weekly basis and it was a pleasure to create these for her, us, you and everybody who loves Thin Mints. And sometimes your recipe inspiration is already right under your nose. I realized I already have a cookie recipe on the blog with the perfect chocolate base, these Chocolate Apricot Cookie Sandwiches. Following that recipe as a guide, I simply adapted it to turn it into the BEST VEGAN THIN MINTS.
I kind of admit that mine look just as authentic as the boxed versions, am I right?? Bonus that they taste just as amazing.
My daughter and hubby were practically fighting over these, that is how good they are. She said “this is the best cookie in the whole world!” My hubby just kept holding his hand out for more. It was late at night and I had to cut him off because I needed enough left to take the photos the next day.
VEGAN THIN MINTS RECIPE
To make these vegan thin mints, you only need 8 ingredients (+salt):
- almond flour
- oat flour
- coconut sugar
- cocoa powder
- pure maple syrup
- roasted almond butter
- peppermint oil
- chocolate chips
And of course, don’t forget some delicious Homemade Almond Milk to go with them!
I really hope you love these as much as we did! I’m telling you, heavenly isn’t enough to describe them.
OTHER VEGAN COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY:
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Best Vegan Snickerdoodles
- 5 Ingredient Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Molasses Cookies
- Vegan Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Almond Butter Blossoms
- Grain-free Chocolate Coconut Cookies
- Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Double Chocolate Espresso Almond Cookies (my all-time favorite cookie)
Vegan Thin Mints (the BEST ever!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (112g) superfine blanched almond flour* (see NOTES at bottom)
- ½ cup (64g) superfine oat flour
- 6 tablespoons (36g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons (30g) coconut sugar (or regular if your prefer)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 7 tablespoons (140g) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (128g) super creamy roasted almond butter
- 1/8 teaspoon pure peppermint oil (not extract, I got my oil at Michaels)
COATING
- 2 cups (480g) semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips (I used mini Enjoy Life)
- 1/8 teaspoon peppermint oil
- 2 teaspoons oil or 1 tablespoon warm milk, as needed, to help thin out the chocolate so it's easily smooth to coat cookies
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- For the peppermint oil, I use this one. To a large bowl, add the almond flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar and salt and whisk very well to ensure there are no lumps.
- To a medium bowl, add the syrup, almond butter and peppermint oil and stir until completely smooth. It’s important to mix the liquids separately from the dry first so that the peppermint is mixed in thoroughly.
- Pour the wet over the dry and stir until it comes together into a thick, sticky batter. It may take a few minutes. Place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and wrap it up tightly. Put it either in the freezer for 30 minutes or the fridge for 1 hour. Don’t chill it too long or it can dry the dough out and make it hard to roll out. If this happens, set it out at room temp until it’s soft enough to roll.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line 2 pans with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the dough and place another large piece of parchment paper over the dough and use a roller to roll the dough out into a large piece, ¼ inch thick. This size is important so that they bake up evenly and somewhat crispy. Use a round cookie cutter 2.5 inch wide to cut out each cookie and keep reusing the dough until it’s all gone. Put 12 on the 1st pan and 6 on the 2nd.
- Bake the 1st pan for 10-11 minutes. 11 minutes will make them more crispy. Cool on the pan 5 minutes and cool COMPLETELY on a cooling rack before coating them, about 30 mins.
- For the coating, add the chocolate chips either to a double boiler or a large microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each. This will help the chocolate to melt evenly and not burn. Once 90% melted, remove and stir until completely smooth and runny, adding the oil or milk for a smoother mixture if it seems too thick. Make sure the milk (if used) is warm and not cold or it will cause the chocolate to seize up! Stir in the peppermint oil. I found 1/8 teaspoon perfect, but if you desire it stronger, add a bit more, keeping in mind a little goes a long way.
- Place a large piece of parchment paper on a flat plate/platter for this next step. Use a fork to place one cookie in the bowl of chocolate and flip it over with the fork until coated and lift it up and tap the cookie gently to the side of the bowl to shake/drain off excess and then drag the bottom of the cookie along the rim of the bowl and place onto the piece of parchment paper. I found this method to go very quickly and easily. Repeat with all the cookies and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set. If desired, for the pretty lines I did on the tops, spoon the extra melted chocolate in a baggie and cut a really tiny corner off and drizzle on the tops. Place back to chill and set in the fridge for a few minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the paper after chilling and store in a container and keep in the fridge. They can be stored at room temperature perfectly fine, but I always loved eating my thin mints straight from the fridge because they are so good cold and hold their crispy texture longer.
Notes
Nutrition
THESE COOKIES ARE AMAZING!! They are in the freezer and HARD TO LEAVE ALONE as I am bringing these as a food gift for Easter, sooooo good!
These look amazing!! Any recommendations for almond butter/flour? I’m allergic to almonds unfortunately 🙁 can’t wait to try these!!
These look amazing!!! I can’t wait to try them! Any recommendations for an almond butter/flour sub? I’m allergic to almonds, but would love to try these!
Hi Kelly! I have listed write on the recipe next to the almond flour to see NOTES at the bottom of the recipe, which lists a sub alternative you can try out!
OMG these are so beautiful and perfect looking and also look so tasty!
Thank you so much Maria, so nice of you to say that!
GFV Thin Mints?! Jackpot! My daughter said they taste “exactly like the originals”. High praise indeed! And yes, the originals may be vegan but they’re not gluten free. Many thanks for allowing those who need GF to relive their childhood, Brandi!
These were the perfect cookies to make on a snow day. The only bummer was I couldn’t find consumable peppermint oil and my research showed essential oil shouldn’t be digested, so I used pure peppermint extract this time and plan to go to Michael’s in the future for the oil you use. Honestly, they’re still awesome with the extract, I just had to taste and adjust accordingly.
I do have a tip that worked well for me… Instead of putting the newly-made dough in parchment, I put it in plastic wrap, rolled it into a 2.5” diameter log while it was malleable and once it was cold, used a serrated knife to cut 1/4” circles. Lazy or genius? You decide. 😉 But it worked and saved me from rolling and cutting out the dough.
I feel like I’ve thanked you a hundred times already, Brandi, but here comes 101- THANK YOU for taking the time to share your brilliant recipes with us! This is another one that’s definitely a keeper!
PS- I Tweeted this incredible recipe on my personal and school accounts, as well as posted it on my Facebook homepage. Yes, it’s THAT good!!
Colleen, this review made me so happy to read!! So happy your daughter thought they tasted identical too because that is exactly what we felt too, haha! Sounds like the perfect way to deal with a snow day too. And hello, yes, totally a genius idea to do that instead of roll out the dough, you are amazing! I’ve done that before with sugar cookies, but didn’t even think to do that with these, will definitely try it, haha! Thank you as always Colleen, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy hearing from you!!
Snow Day number two here in WV and I decided to make these today. Took a while from start to finish (about an hour, plus the cooling of the cookies afterwards). When I first tried them after they cooled and didn’t have the chocolate coating, I was skeptical as it didn’t have much of a minty taste. I doubled up the mint in the coating and it cooled in the garage for over an hour, then I tossed them in a container and put them in the fridge for a few more hours until I was ready to try them. LOVE them! Smooth minty coating, crunchy cookie! I was just a bit shy on the almond butter amount, but it worked out well. I guess I should have doubled up on the mint in the cookie batter. But now I know for next time. My recipe yielded 2 dozen. I guess I had a smaller cookie cutter.
Thanks again for your yummy recipes!
Hi Jeannine! SO good to hear from you again and Yay!! So glad you loved these!! Yes, the mint coating is where I wanted it stronger and some oils and extracts greatly vary in their peppermint flavor, so you may definitely need/want to adjust! So glad you loved them, thank you for making 2 cookie recipes back to back!
Just made these! They’re amazing!
Awesome Cori, thank you so much!!
ALL the thin mints in my mouth!! I eat these around cookie season because my niece is a Girl Scout so I like to support her. I love the combo of chocolate and mint so I am totally okay on this naughty treat from time to time. I have always thought about creating my own but lack of time and laziness has won, LOL But now that you did all the work…..I may have to actually eat these all year long. DROOL.
Ha! If I had a niece that was a girl scout, that would be dangerous, lol! I would want them all the time!
I made these yesterday and they are soooo good! Now I don’t have to spend $5 on a box of cookies with bad ingredients. Very authentic and the amount of peppermint is just right. Even the non-vegans like them. One thing-my chocolate was so thick that it didn’t give a nice smooth coating like yours. Is there a way to thin it? Thanks so much for your recipes-they are the bomb! And I loved hearing your interview on one of the summits.
Wonderful Adria, so glad you loved them! My chocolate worked well and was very smooth. Some chocolates may be smoother than others and should be totally melted/smooth. If you have any trouble you can add a teaspoon of coconut milk or so (not too much) just to help slightly thin it out and help it drain a bit better, I added that to the recipe 🙂 Thank you again for the awesome review and for listening to my interview! Yay!
Ok first off let me say THESE ARE CRACK!
I mean I knew they’d be good, but come on Brandi..you have some kind of witchery going. These are actually not just awesome but we think better than the original Thin Mints. Proof is in the hubby..he keeps coming in for more cookies. My neighbor Jenifer Lange tried one since she generously let me use her fridge and really liked them. Then my other 2 guy friends came over and they about fought over their cookies. Then I received a request for more from my neighbor. Bahahaha these are making people crazy..in a good way!
I used Young Living peppermint oil – 6 drops in the cookie and 8 in the coating. These are just so fantastic. I literally want to bathe in them. Thank you for filling my request Brandi.
Haha, this is the best feedback! Made me laugh and SO happy you and everybody loved these so much! Thank you so much Estee!!
This recipe is fantastic! I made them yesterday and will be bringing them to a party tonight 🙂 They taste so much BETTER than the real thing plus I feel a lot better about eating them.
Yay Ashley! I’m so glad to hear how much you enjoyed these and that they are even better than the Girl Scout ones!! Thank you so much for making them!
Gah!! I got so excited about the cookies that I forgot to mention how beautiful and grown up Olivia is!!! Love that photo you snapped of her!! <3
Thank you so much Mandy! I can’t believe how big she is now!! xx
First of all, I would love to thank Estee for requesting this recipe (THANK YOU, ESTEE!!!)…Thin Mints were my absolute FAVORITE cookie of all time and it has been almost 20 years since I’ve had one. I always see her sweet comments here on your blog – I love that she’s such a huge supporter of you! Secondly, I want to thank YOU because HOLY COW!!!! I made these today and while oats and I aren’t on the best of terms still (ok, we’re really enemies), I had to make them. I told myself I was only going to sneak a bite of one, but before I knew it, I devoured an entire cookie…and almost went back for a second one! Hahaha!!! I am seriously speechless. You freaking nailed the texture AND flavor! Dang, mama!!! And the best part is that my cousin was over today while I made them…he LOVED them!! He’s not normally a chocolate + mint fan, but he said that Thin Mints are the only exception…I sent him home with a couple. I should mention that he’s not vegan or gluten-free, so that’s a big compliment! HUGE two thumbs up all around and Josh has requested that they become a staple in our house. Thank you for reuniting me with my favorite cookie <3 You're seriously a magician…a genius when it comes to simple desserts that are even better than the original. Everyone needs to make these ASAP!! xo
Yippeee! I can’t tell you how freaking EXCITED I was reading your amazing review!! I’m just beyond happy you loved these so much. Thank you a million for such kind words girl! I adore you! And yes, haha, I absolutely love Estee! She is one of the kindest most loyal readers from the very beginning and has become a good friend now! I always love getting her recipe requests and jumped at the chance to make these for her and well, all of y’all too, haha!
I’m also SO honored you ate one since I know you can’t do oats….taking one for the team huh?! Bahahaha. I bet you could try subbing rice flour and see if that works. You can do white rice flour right? I get sooooo many sub questions everytime I post something with white rice flour, so I really avoided it with these, haha. But I’m planning on trying it myself to see. So very happy your cousin loved them too. Thank you so much for making them and letting me know! It means so much! xoxo
Help….what is blanched?!?
It is just blanched almonds ground into a flour. The bag will say blanched on it. It’s sold at pretty much all stores these days in the flour isle. Bob’s Red mill sells one and so does the Kroger brand, Simple Truth. Blanched just means skins removed from the almonds and the almonds temporarily blanched in water.
Though, the official Girl Scout cookies ARE vegan already. But they don’t have that delicious-looking chocolate drizzle!
Hi Jenny! Yes, I know, everybody keeps telling me that, lol! I created this because it was a recipe request and because the Girl Scout cookies are full of unhealthy ingredients, yes vegan, but I’m always recreating classics, like Old-fashioned Iced Oatmeal cookies, ice creams, brownies etc. in a much healthier, whole food-based and oil-free version since I love making healthier, but JUST AS delicious versions of the classics! These are spot on in flavor, hope you try them! 🙂
These look & sound waaay better than the boxed version! When will your cookbook hit the shelves? Your daughter is adorable!
Thank you so much Kathy! My publisher said pre-orders are at the end of this month (March) to secure your copy and then the actual RELEASE date (when it’s sold in stores) and will officially be mailed is a few months after that, but finally the orders can happen this month and any who pre-order get a FREE ebook of a few bonus never before posted recipes!
wow … just wow! These look stunning! We don’t have girl scouts selling biscuits in the UK, but I feel that I really need to try these. Dad’s 91st birthday is approaching, and he has a sweet tooth, so I’m thinking these may be a good gift:) Thanks
Thank you so much Christine! Definitely try them, you will love them!
Oops! I posted twice! Thanks for your response!
I guess I’m so excited to make these that I forgot I posted!😉😋
Let me know when you make them!
Yum!
What could I sub for the oat flour?
Totally want to make these for St Patty’s!
Thank you!
NEVER apologize for back-to-back cookies, especially not when one of them is a variation of what is possibly the greatest chocolate cookie ever. I really think the girl scouts could scale back and just sell thin mints and very few people would complain ha. I am so so glad Estee and her very good tastes asked for this one, and oh my gosh with that drizzle they look even better than the original. The combination of coconut sugar and maple syrup is interesting, but I bet it really helps with the snappiness. Crispy wafer without oil is tricky, but a chewy thin mint would just be wrong (and that’s coming from someone who is usually team soft and chewy cookies all the way!) A batch of these and a freezer and the chance cookie of survival past about 48 hours is VERY slim haha!
I wonder if I used 1 drop peppermint essential oil, if it would taste the same. Thank you so much! 🙂 Stacy
Not sure, the oil I used is 100% oil and very strong so I don’t know if 1 drop would be enough! With the coating though, you can always taste it after adding and adjust since the chocolate is melted!
Isn’t that what you meant with peppermint oil? I was planning on using peppermint essential oil, I wouldn’t think that there is something other than that, is there?
This would also make a lovely filling for a cake, don’t you think?
Hi Ricky, yes, the peppermint oil I used is by LorAnn Oils and is their food grade essential oil. They do have candy oils that are very concentrated flavor oils, but the peppermint one is noted as being 4 times stronger than extract so it should be the equivalent, I’m assuming, of the strength of your essential oil. It is very strong and fresh tasting, as it’s 100% oil. You are welcome to try your essential oil if you like. The comment above from Estee used YL essential oil and noted the number of drops she did. I used the oil that I purchased from Michaels and the oil pours out, not a dropper, so I measured with the 1/8 teaspoon and it was the perfect amount.
YUMMO and now for the chocolate peanut butter one!!!!
LOL we are just never satisfied are we???
Keep up the great work girl.
:>)
Hi Mary Jean! Haha, after I get enough awesome remakes on this one, I’ll do the chocolate peanut butter one…you are referring to the peanut butter patties?
Brandi you are SOOOO bad, you are driving us nuts. Keep up the good work.
I need to take a week off to do all the recipes I want to try, that potato stew is hard to beat.
Hahaha, I’m so evil, I know! But I AM a cookie monster and baking fanatic, so I can’t help myself 😉 Oh yay, so glad you love that stew!!
These look crazy good!! Any subs for the oat flour that you think might work?
Thank you!!
I really don’t know since I’ve only tested them as written above! You can make oat flour into a fine flour by grinding up instant oats very easily! You could try all-purpose flour but I have not tested that.
Bless you!!!!! I miss these sooo much! I can’t want to try them and will report back!
Yay! I hope you love them as much as we did Ingrid! We inhaled them all rather quickly, lol!