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.
Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post :)
Thanks my dear! :)
I tried to make these last night (tried twice) and everytime I added the mint extract my chocolate hardened right up. What am I doing wrong?
There are many issues that could be the culprit but it sounds like your extract has water in it causing the chocolate to sieze. You could likely reheat mixture in 10 second bursts in micro to soften, stirring after each until smooth.
You could use a different type of chocolate.
Or use a different type of extract.
Or you could add vegetable shortening to the chocolate as I recommended in the post.
Many things could rectify the issue but because I don’t know what kind of chocolate you’re using, i.e. baking, candy melts, chocolate chips, and dont know if you’re using shortening and I’m not there with you – those are my tips.
I was using chocolate chips and tried once with and once without the shortening…neither worked. Even tried to reheat in microwave..that didn’t work either. But I just tried again and used vegetable oil instead of shortening and that worked! Thanks! :)
Great!
Ah, I just made these, and they are just so good. I love them. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thanks for the feedback and for making them, Rachel! I am so glad that you love them! :)
Made these tonight and they were approved by DH, his words were “oh, my gosh these are amazing.”. I think we will use these as our Christmas treats this year, only thing, mine didn’t turn green. Did I not let them sit in the chocolate too long? Did I use enough extract?
Mine aren’t green either. If you see hints of green on my cookies, it’s an optical illusion from the reflection from the green plate. I figured that out a few months ago when someone else mentioned that! Glad you loved the recipe and your DH too! Thanks for coming back to LMK!
Wow, these sound just like the ones my Aunt made when I was a kid! So original!
Just finished cleaning up after making these – they’re in the freezer hardening now! I didn’t actually measure the shortening – just estimated what looked like a Tbsp., but had to add a bit more. I used the 3/4 tsp. mint extract… it smelled right (I don’t eat chocolate, I’m making these for others, so I didn’t taste). I started with a 1/2 tsp., but it didn’t smell minty enough, so I added another 1/4 tsp to make the full 3/4. I actually got 23!! (Amazing, as usually I only get about half of what a recipe says it will make… I guess this time the size of cookie was pre-set… I tend to make my cookies big… I just don’t see the point of ‘a teaspoon of dough’ for a cookie… bring on the 1/4 cup or bigger!!) Thanks for this FANTASTICALLY BRILLIANT recipe!!
Hi Nikki – thanks for the detailed comment and info and glad you made them and are so happy with them! Mint (and shortening) are ingredients that vary from brand to brand, and on personal taste preferences so glad you used them accordingly. And I LOLed about your comment about a tsp of dough…I used to be one of those 1 1/2 tsp girls but have realized that nearing a 1/4 cup I actually get better results…and it’s well, a bigger cookie which is a bonus! Have a great day!
I use the andes mints instead of the choc chips and extract, it takes my ingredients down to two and makes it easier!! You could also use the mint hershey kisses.
I seen this recipe after discovering your website yesterday, I ran to the market this morning tho make this recipe:) it came out great! Thanks
Now that the holiday season is almost upon us, I think this would make a quick and easy homemade cookie offering for when you need to bring something to a party. Simple is always best. I have to chime in on the Samoas too… those things are ridiculous, and the box only has like 12 in it, who can’t eat 12 cookies?
I’ve made these twice now, both times with coconut oil, both times they turned out Perfect! I took them to work and even the people that don’t like coconut (couldn’t taste it) loved them. Ran out off cookies within the 1st 5 minutes. So easy to make too, my 5 year old grandson helps. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Thanks for the feedback, Candi, and glad you love the recipe! And it’s very helpful to know that you’ve tried it with coconut oil and even the people that don’t like coconut couldn’t taste it. That’s always a concern when I cook with it, wondering if those who don’t like it will notice it – good to know they were demolished in five minutes. Love that and thanks for writing!
How long are the thin mints good for at room temperture? I wanted to send them to my brother as a Christmas treat, but it takes at least a week to ship to him. Do the ritz end up soggy?
If you’re shipping in cold weather climates this time of year, I think you’d be fine, but I haven’t tried so cannot be sure one way or the other. It’s melted chocolate so not something I’d do in the warm climates in the summertime but let common sense be your guide.
I thought Ritz crackers were loaded with dairy, but I just looked the ingredients up online and they are made with soybean oil! OMG, something to add to my grocery list. Yay! Totally going to make these thin mints.
They’re technically vegan, crazy but true – enjoy!
I would advocate using peppermint rather than spearmint. Peppermint is what you will find in most food, while spearmint is the flavour of toothpaste (although you do get spearmint in food too, it is pretty common in chewing gum as well). Peppermint is not as sharp a flavour as spearmint so a lot of people prefer peppermint. Obviously if you like spearmint then go for it, but if it’s for sharing I would suggest peppermint!
Right – and I used and showed the bottle of peppermint extract in my post. I prefer it to spearmint, absolutely, for this recipe!