Thin Mint Fervor

I am still gluten free, but I am craving...absolutely jonesing, for a thin mint. 

You know, those little chocolate and peppermint-flavored wafers covered in dark chocolate deliciousness sold by little girls dressed in green sashes? They used to go door to door pushing their crack in a cookie but now they deal to their parents' work colleagues and from tables in front of grocery stores. Since I work from home most of the time and grocery shop online, I thought I was safe. And then I went on Facebook where an unsuspecting friend posted pictures of an open sleeve of thin mints.

And now, I am consumed by a desire for a thin mint. No...not true. I want many, many, many  thin mints. Although the box probably says that a serving size is 3 or 4 cookies, we all know that is not true. A serving of thin mints is a sleeve.  There are two sleeves and thus, two servings per box. Having just one thin mint would be like earning a single badge for your girl scout sash. A little silly, don't you think?

I tried really hard to raid my pre-grocery delivery cupboards for a worthy substitute, but no dice. The Panda Puffs cereal sans milk did not do the trick.  So, I Googled "gluten-free thin mints" and found this recipe from Baking Bites.

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Gluten-Free Thin Mints 

Ingredients:

6 tbsp butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract or oil
4 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour (pref. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour*)
1/4 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts, followed by the cocoa powder. Blend thoroughly. Add in gluten free flour and salt and mix until mixture comes together in a soft dough and no streaks of flour remain visible.

On a large piece of parchment or wax paper, shape dough a log about 1 1/2 inches (or about 4 cm) in diameter. Roll up tightly and freeze for at least 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove dough from freezer. Dough may be very firm, and if so, allow it to sit for a few minutes before slicing.

Slice dough into rounds not more than 1/4 inch thick – if they are too thick, they will not be as crisp – and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies will not spread very much, so you can put them quite close together.

Bake for about 12-13 minutes, until cookies are firm at the edges. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cookies will firm up more as they cool.

Cool cookies completely before dipping in chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Coating
10-oz dark or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract or oil

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt on high power in the microwave, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is very smooth. Stir in extracts. Chocolate should have a consistency similar to thick chocolate syrup.

Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, turn with a fork to coat, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to set up for at least 60 minutes, or until chocolate is cool and firm.
Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it smooth and easy to dip into.

Cookies can be stored at room temperature (unwrapped) if they will be eaten within a couple of days, otherwise they should be kept in the freezer for long term storage. Makes about 3 dozen.

*Note: Other gluten free flour blends will work, but I had the best results with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour. I’ve seen this at most supermarkets in my area and at stores like Target. You can also buy it online. The raw dough (which I don’t recommend eating in general) doesn’t taste great, but don’t be put off by that. This flour makes great gluten free cookies.

Ok. So now I just need to find a girl scout to bake them for me.