Homemade Thin Mints — These homemade Thin Mints require just 4 ingredients, and no one ever guesses what the “secret ingredient” is! Perfect for cookie swaps and potlucks!
Copycat Girl Scout Thin Mints
Thin Mints are those Girl Scout Cookies that I can eat an entire tube of in a sitting. Oh, you too?
I decided to try my hand at a homemade, no-bake, vegan version of Thin Mints. They should be called Thin Mints Cheater’s Mints. No-bake and so easy.
What’s the catch, you’re wondering? Ritz Crackers.
I promise these homemade Thin Mints don’t taste like crackers. The crackers provide a neutral base layer, nice crunch, and are a dead-ringer in size and shape for what will become cookies.
When they’re drenched in mint-flavored chocolate, you won’t know it’s a cracker or care that it started out as a cracker.
These copycat Girl Scout Thin Mints taste incredibly close to the real thing and take all of 15 minutes to make!
Ingredients in Homemade Thin Mints
These homemade chocolate Thin Mint cookies call for just four ingredients:
- Ritz crackers
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Vegetable shortening
- Peppermint extract
How to Make Thin Mints at Home
This is the easiest Thin Mint cookie recipe ever! Here’s an overview of how the no-bake cookies are made:
- Melt the chocolate and shortening.
- Add peppermint extract to the melted chocolate and get ready to dip.
- Place dipped crackers, which I now think of as cookies, on parchment paper. (Food goes from cracker status to cookie status the minute chocolate is involved.)
- Wait for the chocolate to solidify and firm up before digging in.
Baking Tip
I highly recommend adding a tablespoon of shortening for any chocolate dipping projects because it keeps the chocolate smooth, viscous, and much less likely to get that hard-before-you-want-it-to and clumpy consistency.
How to Quickly Firm Up the Chocolate Coating
Because of the shortening, it could take a half hour or more at room temperature for the chocolate to solidify, especially if you decide to do this project on an 80-degree day in the middle of summer without running your air.
Pop the tray in the refrigerator or freezer to speed things up. I like homemade Thin Mints better chilled anyway and store them in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve never made these copycat Girl Scout Thin Mints with anything other than peppermint extract, so I can’t say for sure.
I’ve only made this recipe as written, but some readers have reported success using coconut oil or vegetable oil in place of the shortening.
Yes, although semi-sweet chocolate chips are a must if you want to make true Thin Mint copycats.
I’m sure you could easily make these gluten-free by using a gluten-free Ritz Cracker alternative.
There are different kinds of mint extracts available and are labeled as “mint,” “peppermint,” “spearmint,” and more.
For this recipe, I used store-brand (Kroger/Ralph’s) “peppermint extract” sold in a small 1-ounce bottle. Select the version of “mint” you think sounds best as not all types are available in all areas.
Can You Taste That It’s A Ritz Cracker?
In a word, no. No one who has ever tried these ever guesses that it’s a Ritz Cracker.
The only thing that may give it away is that it’s of course golden in color rather than chocolate-colored like real Girl Scout Thin Mints. So after biting in and examining, yes, there are some clues, but if you did it blindfolded, no clues at all.
It’s actually so amazing that the cracker has an extremely similar texture to Thin Mints, and even though you’d think it’s too buttery tasting or too salty, after being dipped in the mint chocolate mixture, the crackers work amazingly well.
I have always made these with the original version of Ritz although now they have a reduced sodium version you could try. The salt content in the regular crackers I find though is perfect with chocolate.
Chocolate always tastes better to me with a hint of salt.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover Thin Mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for many weeks.
In the freezer, I estimate that these could be kept for 3 to 6 months successfully.
Tips for Making Copycat Thin Mints
Be sure to place the chocolate-dipped crackers onto a parchment paper- or wax paper-lined baking tray. If you don’t line the tray, these cookies will never come off cleanly!
If desired, you can omit the shortening from this recipe. However, you may want to melt the chocolate in batches otherwise it may harden up before you can dip all the crackers into it.
Lastly, note that mint extract is much, much more potent than vanilla extract. 1 teaspoon of mint extract has an extreme amount of potency compared with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
You cannot un-do mint once it’s added so be very, very careful to not over do it and end up with a bottle of Listerine-tasting food.
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Homemade Thin Mints
Ingredients
- 18 Ritz Crackers
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
- 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening, optional but recommended
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract*
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or wax paper; set aside. Clear out a spot in your refrigerator or freezer to accommodate baking sheet.
- In a shallow microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and shortening (the shortening helps the chocolate stay smooth when using it for dipping; it prevents that thick and gloppy, chocolate getting hard before you want it to phenomenon) and heat for 1 minute on high power to melt. Stir and heat in 10- to 15-second bursts until chocolate can be stirred very smooth.
- To the melted chocolate add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract* and stir. If you prefer it mintier, add another 1/4 teaspoon. I used 3/4 teaspoon in total, but because all brands and taste preferences differ, taste your chocolate and add peppermint to taste.
- Add 1 cracker to the chocolate, coat it, and remove it by lightly scooping it up from the underside with a fork, allowing excess chocolate to drain off through fork tines. Place cracker on parchment and repeat with all remaining crackers. If necessary, re-heat the chocolate in 10- to 15-second bursts if it starts getting too firm for smooth dipping.
- After all crackers have been dipped, place baking sheet in refrigerator. Although these will solidify at room temperature, the shortening in the chocolate lengthens the amount of time that will take; the fridge or freezer helps speed it up.
- Store extra Thin Mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for many weeks. In the freezer, I estimate that these could be kept for 3 to 6 months successfully.
Notes
- *Note: Mint extract is much, much more potent than vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon of mint extract has an extreme amount of potency compared with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. You cannot un-do mint once added so be very, very careful to not over-do it and end up with a bottle of Listerine-tasting food.
- There are different kinds of mint extracts available and are labeled as “mint, “peppermint”, “spearmint” and more. For this recipe I used store-brand (Kroger/Ralph’s) “peppermint extract” sold in a small 1 ounce bottle. Select the version of “mint” you think sounds best as not all types are available in all areas.
- Recipe inspiration from Kraft.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Mint Dessert Recipes:
Peppermint Patty Chocolate Cookies — These cookies are fudgy and full of rich chocolate flavor thanks to both cocoa powder and chocolate chips. There are peppermint patties on the top for a burst of minty fresh flavor.
The Best Peppermint Chocolate Cake — I love this cake because it’s a fast, easy, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that delivers amazing results every time without being fussy or complicated. The cake is soft, moist, decadently chocolaty, and perfectly pepperminty!
Fudgy Mint Chocolate Brookies — Chocolate and mint are a match made in holiday baking heaven. Especially when the result is a brookie: part rich, fudgy brownie with chewy edges; part soft and chewy chocolate cookie.
Andes Mint Brownies — The brownies have a box of 28 Andes diced and stirred into the batter, and another box of 28 mints that are diced on top. If you like mint, you’re going love these!
Chocolate Chip Andes Mint Cookies— These quadruple chocolate Andes mint cookies are big, bakery-style cookies that are rich, not overly sweet, and loaded with chocolate and mint chips.
Candy Cane Blossom Sugar Cookies — We’ve all had Peanut Butter Blossoms and these cookies are the holiday version The cookies are soft, chewy, covered in red sprinkles and there’s a Candy Cane Hershey Kiss in the center.
Triple Layer Fudgy Mint Oreo Brownies — These layered brownies are loaded with rich textures and flavors, from the dense fudgy brownies layer, to the soft, fluffy minty layer, with oodles of crushed Mint Oreos throughout.
Originally published July 29, 2012 and republished March 4, 2020 with updated text.
Super cool that you use Ritz crackers in these! I have heard of apple pie recipes that use Ritz crackers instead of apples but people would NEVER know the difference. Don’t know how it is possible, but people who have tried these apple-less apple pies rave about them.
I could see them as the crust – I have nobake lemondade bars that I linked in the post using a ritz crust but I dont get how apples and ritz could be interchanged. If you ever come across the recipe, LMK. I’m intrigued at an appleless apple pie as well!
There are a quite a few different versions floating around the web, but here is one:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Manigault
The crackers really are in place of the apples, and anyone I know who’s tried it swears you can’t tell the difference, lol! Weird!
Ooops, wrong link!
https://www.google.ca/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=appleless+apple+pie&oq=appleless+apple+pie&gs_l=hp.3..0l3.726.3743.0.3943.19.6.0.13.13.0.194.1021.0j6.6.0…0.0…1c.bJelVQ-VZQk&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=e406f5e9e17aa29b&biw=1366&bih=598
I am seriously having problems this morning … sorry! Click here:
https://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/ritz-mock-apple-pie-53709.aspx
thank you for taking the time to dig that up! Wow – now that is clever in the sense that there’s nothing even close to an apple, yet it supposedly tastes like an apple pie! strange but true, eh?!
I think I just loved you and hated you 27 times while reading this and drooling over the pictures. My soul thanks you, my tummy will get over it .
LOL :)
How awesome are these?? Ritz crackers? So easy!!
Those look just as good as the girl scout cookies! What a great way to get your mint chocolate fix during the off season!
Oooh–you are truly a genius!! I love thin mints (especially chilled). These look so easy and I never thought about using Ritz crackers. Great recipe!
SUPER easy, yes!
Thanks! I’m going to try the thin mints recipe!
please come back and lmk if you try them!
Oh my. These are beautiful! They came out perfectly. I will have to try them. I noticed you used chips instead of theTJ’s pound-plus chocolate – any particular reason for that? I tried the pound-plus stuff after seeing it and reading about it on your blog; I love how it melts so easily and smoothly, and stays melted, but sometimes it provides TOO thin a layer of chocolate, and doesn’t firm up as well as chocolate chips.
I LOVE your creme de menthe bars. I have made them more times, and for more people, than I could count!
for all the reasons you mentioned, I didnt use the pound plus – first, real thin mints are not a “dark” chocolate in their flavor, in color, yes, but they are sold to the masses who prefer something in between dark and milk, and err on the side of sweeter. So I wanted a sweeter chocolate and also the too thin nature and prone to cracking sometimes, is why I used choc chips rather than the 72 p.p. bar. For certain things, very specific goals, I do prefer chips to that bar and this was one of them. You’ve now made me creme de menthe bars more than I have I think :)
What a creative idea! I would think the crackers might spoil the “desserty” flavor, but hey – I trust you ;)
No, they are so flavor neutral and mint is such a prominent flavor, it totally takes over and they become perfect as the base!
I’ve made my own thin mints (baked) but this is a great no-bake option!
suuuuper easy version right here :)
I love this recipe, I always make them when I go to cookie exchanges and people are amazed at how much the do taste like GSC.
Ok good! You’ve made them – and can vouch that yes, they are authentic tasting AND that others agree. Thanks for the ‘field report’ :)
Those look amazing! I bet the slight saltiness of the Ritz add a good flavour to the mix!
It does – just a hint, and you can also use the low salt version if you want to reduce it.
I think Ritz are amazingly versatile—I use them as a secret ingredient in so many things, and now…Thin Mints? Crazy good.
I’d love to see more of your Ritz/secret ingredient recipes – I am all about a good Ritz recipe :)
I love using ritz crackers too. I put them in my food processor and make them them super fine and use them in place of bread crumbs for meatballs & hamburgers.
If you like Ritz, these are sooo good! The salty cuts the sweet and they are just creamy and wonderful. Not really a ‘fall’ dessert but they’re easy & fast!
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/04/pink-lemonade-freezer-bars.html
oh my goodness, this has definitely become a way too easy way for me to enjoy thin mints. I’m so intrigued by this recipe that I must try it. I am a fan of minty desserts, but when it comes to Girl Scout cookies, Samoas also have my heart. This is why I don’t buy them, because it is a fact that I’ll eat the entire box in one sitting. It’s bad… but oh so good!
You are making me miss my girl scout thin mints! But this recipe is totally up my alley! I love all of your recipes that are simple! You are so creative! I love mine in the freezer so i can suck on them and make the most out of the flavor!! Love and Shine CourtStar
yum! I will leave out the shortening or sub in something else, but this sounds perfect!
as I told the very first commenter on the post, it’s 1 tbsp for an entire batch and does make life much easier (coconut oil + mint isn’t going to do the same thing I don’t think) – but do whatever works and happy thin mint eating!
awesome thin mints. drooling over here… simply fab… first time on your space… amazing blog you have :-)
thanks for the compliments!