Homemade Thin Mints (from The View From Great Island)
8 ounces butter (1 cup or 2 sticks) softened
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch dark cocoa powder just like the original!)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
For the coating:
10 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 ½ tsp peppermint extract (Make sure you get peppermint, not spearmint!)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter until light and fluffy, then add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Mix in the salt, vanilla and cocoa powder, until the batter looks like thick frosting. This will take a bit, be patient! Add the flour and mix just until the flour is combined. Don't over-mix!
Form dough into a ball and knead a together a few times to soften the dough, then flatten into a disk about 1/2-1 inch thick. Cover in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 15 minutes.
Remove dough from the freezer and roll it out on a floured surface, about 1/8-inch thick. (I like to put parchment paper down first, then flour it a bit. This dough is a bit stiff, and may crack a little around the edges. No worries! Just smoosh it back together.) Cut the cookies into 1 1/2 - 2 inch circles. (I used these little glass cups I have, you could use anything! I noticed that most of my spice jars had lids just the right size. Be creative!)
Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes. You want these crunchy! Some of mine were a bit too soft. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely. When the cookies are cooled, make the chocolate coating!
Chop the baking chocolate into very small pieces. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe dish, preferably glass, and place in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well, and repeat one or two more times, till the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the peppermint extract, until the chocolate is nice and smooth again.
Gently drop the cookies, one at a time, into the coating. Flip them over to cover both sides, then lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and tap the fork on the side of the bowl so the extra chocolate can drip off. This also helps smooth out the tops. Place covered cookie on a parchment or plastic wrap-lined baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. If you want them to set quickly, place them in the refrigerator for a bit. They may set just fine at room temperature.