Keto Thin Mints are crispy keto cookies with a sugar-free mint chocolate coating. They’re the perfect way to indulge in Girl Scout cookies without all the sugar and carbs.
Fact: Nothing derails a keto diet faster than a box of Girl Scout Cookies. But never fear, Keto Thin Mints are here!
These are the low carb cookie recipe of your dreams. Or maybe my dreams. Perhaps we’ve been dreaming about this together. This thin mint cookie recipe was first posted in 2011.
Those Girl Scouts will be knocking on your door soon, and I so thought it was time I gave these beloved sugar free cookies a little update. Because you need all the help you can get to ward off the sugary temptation.
Sugar-free Girl Scout cookies
If you have trouble resisting the sweet and tasty treats sold by Girl Scouts, you are not alone.
The only possible solution? Making your own healthier versions at home. Whatever your favorite flavor is, I have a keto-friendly version. Such as keto tagalong bars, keto Samoa bars, and even keto Do-si-do cookies.
And of course, these delicious Keto Thin Mints.
All of these recipes really satisfy that craving for cookies. And best of all, they’re easy enough to make any time you need them.
Ingredients
This Keto Thin Mints recipe uses standard low carb ingredients that are readily available at most grocery stores. You will need:
- Almond flour
- Cocoa powder
- Erythritol sweetener (such as Swerve)
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Egg
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Peppermint extract
- Cocoa butter (or coconut oil)
- Sugar-free dark chocolate
How to make keto thin mints
It’s easy to make these crispy keto chocolate cookies. Be sure to check out the video in the recipe card for step-by-step instructions.
The cookies
Thin mints start with a good crisp chocolate wafer. I use these same wafers in my keto oreos too!
- Use finely ground almond flour: As always, a good fine almond flour produces the best results in keto baking. Your cookies will be more cohesive and crisp up better. Read more about baking with almond flour.
- The sweetener matters: I know everyone has their preferences but only erythritol-based sweeteners, such as Swerve, produce crisp cookies.
- Roll the dough evenly: I like to roll mine less than ¼ inch thick, so that I get a lot of cookies. But what matters most is that they are all of an even thickness, so that they bake evenly.
- Cut out circles: Grab a 2-inch round cookie cutter and get cutting!
- Bake at a low temperature: I keep my oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for these keto thin mints, so that they crisp up without burning. How long they take depends on how thinly you rolled out the dough.
The coating
Now for the fun part… dipping the wafers in a minty chocolate coating.
- Don’t use unsweetened chocolate! Several readers have made the mistake of using unsweetened chocolate, which has absolutely no sweetener whatsoever. And of course the keto thin mints turned out quite bitter! Make sure you are using a good no-sugar-added chocolate like Lily’s, which is sweetened with erythritol and stevia.
- Set up a double boiler: A double boiler allows you to melt the chocolate more gently, without overheating it.
- Add a little oil to thin the chocolate coating, making it easier to dip the wafers.
- Mint extract to taste: I recommend using an oil-based extract, to make the chocolate less likely to seize. I use a teaspoon of Frontier peppermint flavor but you can always use more if you prefer a stronger flavor.
- Dip the wafers: Drop them into the melted chocolate, toss them to coat, and lift out with a fork. Then tap the fork on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Place the keto thin mints on a waxed paper lined baking sheet until set.
Pro tip: Freeze the wafers before you start dipping them, so that the chocolate sets faster. It’s much less messy that way!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure thing! Try using sunflower seed flour in place of the almond flour. You may need a little bit more to firm up the dough properly.
That works too! Try using coconut oil in place of the butter for the cookies and make sure to use dark chocolate for the coating.
If you want crisp cookies, you must use an erythritol based sweetener such as Swerve or Lakanto. Any amount of allulose will make these cookies very soft and spongey.
You could do that, but if you want nice even circles, I recommend rolling the dough out and cutting with a cookie cutter. The slice-and-bake method would be just as much work, in my opinion.
There are a couple of possibilities. You may have let the heat get too high when melting it. And you may have gotten some liquid in there, as any amount of water will cause seizing.
Yes! They are a great make-ahead cookie. You can either just make the wafers, and dip them when ready, or you can make the finished cookies and freeze those.
Storage Instructions
Store the cookies at room temperature in a covered container for up to a week, or in the fridge for 10 days. They can also be frozen for several months.
Keto Thin Mint Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup cocao powder
- ⅓ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg slightly beaten
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Coating:
- ½ ounce cocoa butter or 1 tablespoon coconut oil**
- 7 oz Lily’s dark chocolate chopped
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 300F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, cocao powder, sweetener, baking powder and salt. Add in egg, butter and vanilla extract and stir well until dough comes together.
- Roll out dough between two pieces of parchment paper to desired thickness, but no more than ¼ inch thick. Lift off top piece of parchment and set aside.
- Using a 2-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and lift gently. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet. Gather up scraps of dough and reroll until too little is left to roll out.
- Bake cookies until firm to the touch,20 to 30 minutes (this will vary depending on how thinly you rolled your dough). Remove and let cool. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.
- Pro tip: Once cool, place the wafers in the freezer so the chocolate sets faster.
Chocolate Coating
- Set a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Add the chocolate and cocoa butter, stirring frequently until smooth and melted. Remove from heat and stir in the peppermint extract.
- Dip the cookies into the chocolate, using two forks to turn over and fully coat cookie.
- Lift out the cookie and gently tap the fork on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate, then place on a waxed paper lined baking sheet.
- Refrigerate until fully set.
Dionne says
I'd like to place an order for two boxes, please. 🙂
Lindsey says
These Thin Mints look scrumptious and definitely give those little green boxed cookies a run for their money. 🙂 So glad you made it over the divide and discovered the Samoa. Those are my favorite too!
Jeanine says
Wow, those look amazing!! Fantastic job! At least you had the Brownies, we had nothing but boring school fundraisers that we sold for. 😛
Turmericnspice says
home made think mints…it is a must try…looks amazing!!
Cakewhiz says
I am loving the fact that i can eat these without having to worry too much about gaining weight! Thanks for sharing this healthified recipe 🙂
Btw, i really like your second picture!
Susi says
I'm a samoa girl myself, but my daughter loves any and everything mint/chocolate and would love these. Your version looks so much better to me and I doubt the girl scouts use Lindt chocolate (yum) in their coating :o)
Brian @ howtobaker says
Wow…now I'm feeling better about not yet buying Girl Scout cookies this year! These look amazing and the fact that they are gluten free adds a very interesting twist. I'll have to make these next time our gluten-intolerant friends come over.
Cheryl and Adam @ pictureperfectmeals.com says
Thin Mints are among our favorite cookies and this is a great recipe especially free of the hydrogenated oils. Thankss for sharing this!
Kim - Liv Life says
Well done, Carolyn!! My family always chooses the Thin Mints, and I'm thrilled to have not hydrogenation in the little guys. That was always one of my biggest frustrations with the cookies when I was a leader, here I was doing meetings on nutrition and the dangers of hydrogenated oils and then I asked my girls to sell cookies with the oils in them! And not just a little oil, lots.
One year our troop had 40 boxes left over and not wanted the Cookie Mom who had worked so hard and thru no fault of her own to get stuck with them I wrote a check. Yep… 40 boxes of cookies in my pantry! We gave most of them away, but I might add that they freeze well and the Thin Mints in particular are somewhat addiction frozen!
Pretend Chef says
Hands down my favorite Girl Scout cookie! Thin Mints make me giddy. These look so delicious and I have to make these now. Never would have thought to make my own. How will I ever be able to walk into my local grocery store now without having to see the sad little looks on their faces when I tell them "Tough luck. Carolyn's are way better!" It'll look as if I kicked their puppy.
JJ says
Do the same thing I do with Boy Scouts and their popcorn! Hand them a $5 donation and say this is for your troop. It is a fundraiser, so that’s a way to help them out without bringing a bunch of carbs home. I don’t think they make $5 off even 2 boxes of cookies so it works out.
Fresh and Foodie says
Cool! These look great. I love keeping my Thin Mints in the freezer — they're so good cold. I'd love to try making them myself.
Brandie@thecountrycook says
Where can I find erythritol? I would love to make these for my Mom – she would go crazy for these!! 🙂
Tricia says
Buy Erythritol from Amazon
Emily @ A Cambridge Story says
What a fantastic idea!! I have such fond memories of Thin Mints…
Sandra says
Ok Mrs. Guide:) these look awesome, perfect and so tasty!! Stunning photos!!!
The Souper says
Enjoy the annual GS Thin Mints, but homemade Thin Mints sound like a must try. Looking forward to preparing your recipe. Thanks for posting it.
The Souper
Katrina says
We are on the same wavelength!!! I made Samoas and Thin Mints this week!! Yes – they are delicious!! 🙂
Katrina says
We are on the same wavelength!!! I made Samoas and Thin Mints this week!! Yes – they are delicious!! 🙂
ravienomnoms says
I love Thin Mints, they are one of my favorites (besides the caramel delight cookies with the coconut). I have always wanted to try and make these at home and now I have a recipe to help!
Lauren at KeepItSweet says
I love thin mints and so does my gf sister, I can't wait to try this recipe!!!
Foodiva says
I can imagine how the almond flour would make these cookies more delicious. I was a Brownie once too, but somehow never made it to the Girl Guides! LOL, those were the good old days…
Heather says
LOVE these! They are a winner!!
Question – can I use semi-sweet chocolate?
Is the NO SUGAR about health… or will choc with sugar impact the finished cookie somehow?
Carolyn says
Any chocolate will do, if you don’t care about being low carb.