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.
Chocolate 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,u0022 “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.
I am another one who found this recipe on Pinterest. My daughter was skeptical about the crackers, but you were totally right. You’d never guess or care that these cookies started out as crackers. We used Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips since we weren’t worried about them being vegan. Thanks for the recipe.
omg andes creme de menthe chips….LOVE those things! The chips or the candies – or how about melting the candies and then dipping crackers in there…mmm, so good! And glad your slight skepticism was proven wrong – you’d never guess or care they started out as crackers :) Thanks for the field report!
Love those close-up shots on the blue and green plates. What lens did you use for those?
24-70mm
I’m another person who followed a link from Pinterest to here, mainly because I was intrigued that it used Ritz Crackers. And, I must say, it was definitely worth it. I made these tonight. Delicious, and a taste very similar to a Thin Mint. Perfect way to satisfy that craving. I also love that it is a vegan recipe. :)
thanks for trying them and reporting back – glad they were a success and you liked them!
I followed a link from Pinterest over here, thanks so much for sharing such an easy recipe. I don’t know if Thin Mints (The ones that you get at the Dollar store) are vegan, but when I was little, my mother made a simple Christmas cookie where she laid Ritz Crackers on a cookie sheet and then put a thin mint on each cracker, she put them in a warm oven until just glossy and put a Ritz cracker on top! Those cookies are truly delicious and easy too!
What I could sub vegetable shortening with? I don’t want to buy it for one recipe only, as I’m on a restricted budget. I am in Australia. Thanks for the recipe!
You don’t have to use it; it will simply help the chocolate stay smoother. If you’ve ever worked with chocolate, you know how it can get a bit sticky/hardened/gloppy before you really want it to? This prevents that; but is not required.
What a great idea. And who cares if it’s a cracker or a cookie, as long as it tastes good? ;-) So interesting that the crackers/cookies appear white once they’re coated with chocolate–just like mint! Believe it or not, I’ve never tasted a thin mint (not even sure what it is), but I’m sure I’d like this if I could eat it!
You’ve never had a Thin Mint? That’s like saying Ive never breathed air. Lol
But seriously these are so easy and when you slice a Ritz like I did rather than breaking them and it’s a really clean cut, the inside is white. If you break it, you will almost always see peeks of yellow but not if you cut it. For photography, I usually cut rather than break.
Have a told you lately that YOU ARE BRILLIANT! And any time you need someone to clean your Aruba house, I’m there. XO have a fantastic time!
Seriously – this is dangerous. Very, very dangerous!!
I have been on a crazy mint binge lately too! It must be the heat… Anyway, good thing I’m headed to the store soon — these look incredible!!!
Love the crackers (and everything you have here) – thanks for the photos & such :-)
Averie, I just made these and they’re perfection. I called my husband in to try one and his eyes got wide. He said, “Well, guess we won’t be buying thin mints from the Girl Scouts anymore.”
if only I can stop myself from eating the whole pan, I’ll be all good :)
I am so glad you like them and that they will tide you over til GS Cookie Season – or may replace them all together! Thanks for making them and the field report!
Yes, me too! I could definitely eat a box of thin mints solo ;)
This is an awesome recipe…so creative and yet so simple. I love it!
I can say with 100% certainty I’ll be making these very very soon!!
mmm i loveee thin mints! And these are the perfect idea! No need to wait an entire year for that girl scout to come knocking on the door :)
I was drawn over after seeing the picture on pinterest. How genius to use ritz crackers Averie! Mmm the creme de menthe bars look delish tooo!!!
well thanks for clicking over and the compliments :)