Chocolate Peanut Butter Thin Mints Posted on March 7, 2014 (February 1, 2021) by Lynna You can`t tell through your screen, but I am thoroughly excited about sharing this recipe with you. It has been in the works for months. I don`t really want to bore your with the whole backstory…but I`ll be quick (haha!), so you can get to eating these addicting cookies that are like Girls Scout`s thin mints, but not really. 😛 Not sure if you know, but I`m obsessed with thin mints. (And samoas, but they are not the star of the show today.) These wonderfully, addicting cookies only comes once a year. I swear, every year, I eat a whole box of thin mints and samoas myself. No lie. I always buy more than 1 box of each to share, but I pretty much down those cookies like nobody`s business. (I`m desperately hoping, I am not the only one here either!) Anyhoo, I buy a lot so I can stash them in my freezer for the rest of the year (evidenced by Instagram). Plus, let`s be honest here. Thin mints are seriously the best from the freezer. Once I started eating them cold, from the freezer, I have not gone back. The mint is more apparent when it`s cold…for some reason? I wanted to make my own for that sad moment where I`ve eaten all the thin mints, but I`m craving more. Sure, you can buy the Keebler`s take on them…but I`ve compared the two side by side. They`re slightly different. One cookie is thicker? Something, like that. I knew if I made my own, it wouldn`t be exactly the same, but I wouldn`t mind since I made them! I saw recipes using Ritz crackers. But, thin mints are chocolate cookies…so one day, while I was snacking on some Oreos…I had a brilliant idea. Why not use only the chocolate cookie parts of Oreos to make thin mints? WHAT? I was mind-blown. It was going to be revolutionary. I told my sisters and they were like, “Do it! Do it!!” I was pumped! However, I actually dislike working with melted chocolate. It gets so messy and I`m a neat freak…so I never jump at the idea of dipping things in chocolate. So, I just let the idea sit in my brain. Then, one day, I saw that the wonderfully, talented Izy, from Top With Cinnamon, had the same idea. Devastated, I scrapped the idea and tried to figure something else. Then, I realized, I sometimes dip my thin mints in peanut butter. Because, why not, right? I already dip Oreos in peanut butter. Once, I cheered up a friend by giving him frozen thin mints and peanut butter and called it “happiness”. It totally worked, too! 😀 Long story, short: these cookies were born. They`re chocolate peanut butter cookies coated in mint chocolate! They`re basically the peanut butter version of thin mints. So, enjoy some “happiness” with a fellow thin mint + PB fan! 🙂 Chocolate Peanut Butter Thin Mint Cookies Adapted: Created By Diane| Yields: about 3 dozen| Level: Medium | Total Time: 90 minutes | Print Ingredients: Cookies: –         1 ¼ cups all purpose flour –         ¼ cup cocoa powder –         ½ teaspoon baking powder –         ½ cup  peanut butter –         ½ cup unsalted butter –         ½ cup brown sugar –         ½ cup granulated sugar –         1 large egg –         1 teaspoon vanilla extract Chocolate Coating: –         3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips –         2 tablespoons shortening –         ½ teaspoon peppermint extract Directions: Cookies: 1.      Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper, or baking mat. 2.      In a medium bowl, whisk together flour , cocoa powder, and baking powder well. Set aside. 3.      In a bowl with electric mixer, cream together peanut butter, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).  4.      Add egg and vanilla extract and combine. 5.      Gradually add flour mixture, half at a time, until combined. 6.      On a clean, flat surface, roll out your cookie dough until about ¼ inch thick. 7.      Using a flour-dusted cookie cutter, cut out cookies into desired shapes. 8.      Space each cookie about 1 inch apart on baking sheet. 9.      Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden. 10.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before removing them to cool completely on a cooling rack. Mint Chocolate Coating: 11.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 12.  Using a double broiler (or a heat safe bowl on top of a pot of simmering water), melt together the chocolate and shortening. 13.  Once chocolate is completely melted, stir in the peppermint extract. 14.  Dip each cookie into melted chocolate with a fork and place on parchment paper. 15.  Chill until chocolate hardens or let chocolate harden at room temperature. *Notes: –         Andes chocolate baking bits will also work, omit peppermint extract. Chocolate might be slightly clumpy and it’s easier to melt. –         Personal preferences, I like the cookies hard from the fridge/freezer. They are softer at room temperature. –         My cookies were about 1-1 ½ inches in diameter (pretty small).Â