Tag: butter

The Best Homemade Thin Mint Cookies

Hey there, fellow cookie enthusiasts! Welcome today we’re diving into the delicious world of homemade Thin Mint cookies. Now, if you’re like me, you probably wait all year for the coveted Girl Scout cookie season to roll around just to indulge in these minty chocolate delights. Thin Mints are iconic—crisp, refreshing, and downright addictive. But here’s the kicker: they’re only available for a short period every year through Girl Scouts. So, what’s a Thin Mint aficionado to do during the rest of the year? Well, I’ve got the answer for you.

Today, we’re taking matters into our own hands and learning how to make these beloved cookies from scratch. Spoiler alert: it’s easier than you might think! With this simple recipe, you’ll be able to enjoy Thin Mints any time you crave them, not just during Girl Scout cookie season. No more stockpiling boxes in the freezer (though that’s a great strategy too)—we’re going to show you how to whip up a batch of these minty marvels whenever the craving strikes.

So, join me as we go through every step, from mixing and baking the cookies to dipping them in their signature chocolate coating. Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newbie to the world of Thin Mints, this recipe will quickly become a household favorite. Get ready to make these Thin Mint cookies and enjoy them all year round. Let’s get started!

Ingredients

Homemade Thin Mint Cookies Recipe

Servings: About 36 cookies

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

  • 1 cup (8 oz/225 g) butter, softened
  • ⅔ cup (5 oz/142 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg (at room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 2 cups (10 oz/284 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (2 oz/57 g) cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the Chocolate Coating:

  • 2 ⅔ cups (16 oz/450 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint oil
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon coconut oil

Directions:

1. Prepare the Dough:

  1. In a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Mix until well combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
  4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a smooth dough forms.
  5. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm.

2. Bake the Cookies:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Remove one dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thick (0.3). Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut the cookies and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between each.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

3. Prepare the Chocolate Coating:

  1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the finely chopped semisweet chocolate and coconut oil. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until the chocolate is smooth and completely melted.
  2. Stir in the peppermint oil and vanilla extract into the melted chocolate until well incorporated.

4. Coat the Cookies:

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Dip each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate mixture, ensuring it’s completely coated. Use a fork to lift the cookie out of the chocolate, allowing any excess to drip off.
  3. Place the chocolate-coated cookies onto the prepared baking sheet and allow them to set at room temperature until the chocolate hardens. You can speed up this process by refrigerating the cookies for about 15-20 minutes.

5. Enjoy Your Homemade Thin Mint Cookies:

Once the chocolate coating has fully hardened, your homemade Thin Mint cookies are ready to enjoy! Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze them for longer storage.

Nutritional Values (Per Serving – 1 Cookie):

  • Calories: 110-120 kcal
  • Protein: 1-2g
  • Carbohydrates: 13-15g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1-2g
  • Sugars: 7-9g
  • Fat: 7-8g
  • Saturated Fat: 4-5g
  • Cholesterol: 10-15mg
  • Sodium: 35-45mg
  • Potassium: 50-60mg

Note: Nutritional values are approximate and may vary based on specific ingredients and portion sizes. Enjoy your homemade Thin Mint Cookies!

The Best Homemade Thin Mint Cookies

You can read our post on how to make homemade vanilla extract here: https://mylowcountryliving.net/how-to-make-homemade-vanilla-extract/

KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer https://amzn.to/3OhsHri

12 Pieces Round Cookie Biscuit Cutter Set, Graduated Circle for Pastry,18/8 Stainless Steel Donut Cutter Ring Molds https://amzn.to/3vYJ7hJ

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure policy.

Homemade French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup is a favorite in my family.  In fact, one of my daughters always loves to have it for her birthday.  One of the best places to get it was a restaurant in Fort Collins, Colorado called Canino’s.  The restaurant recently closed after more than 40 years of business when the owner retired, but I can still taste that soup every time I think of it.  French Onion soup is surprising simple to make and you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry.  So, let’s get out the onions and make some soup!

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter

4 Onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 fresh thyme sprigs

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup red wine

3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 quarts beef broth

1 baguette, sliced

½ pound grated Gruyere cheese

Directions:

  1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. 
  3. Add wine and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated (about 5 minutes)
  4. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
  5. Dust the onions with flour and give them a stir.  Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for about 5 minutes. 
  6. Add beef broth and bring back to a simmer for 10 minutes.
  7. Salt and Pepper to taste.
  8. Preheat the broiler and arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet and cover with the gruyere and broil until bubbly and brown.
  9. Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.
  10. Enjoy!
Homemade French Onion Soup

You can purchase a Dutch oven to make French Onion Soup at Amazon.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure policy.

How to make Sourdough English Muffins

Have you ever wondered what else you can do with your sourdough discard?  One of the many things you can use it for is to create sourdough English Muffins.  Sourdough English Muffin are delicious and easy to make.  My family loves these home made English Muffins and we eat them for breakfast with butter or jam and we even put on some sausage and egg to create our own version of the McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin.  Join me and let’s make a batch.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of fed starter

2 Cups of milk

2 TBS of honey

5 Cups of all-purpose flour divided

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

1 tsp

Directions:

  1. Add starter to a bowl and then combine with the milk.  Stirring to dissolve starter into milk.
  2. Add honey and mix in.
  3. Add 4 cups of flour and mix in.
  4. Cover and let it rest at room temperature overnight.
  5. Uncover and punch down dough.
  6. Add baking soda and salt to dough and kneed in, add flour as needed to keep dough from sticking.  May need to add up to 1 cup of flour.  Kneed for 5 mins.
  7. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out to a ½ inch thickness, then using a 3-inch biscuit cutter cut out your muffins from the dough.
  8. Place cut muffins on parchment paper that has corn meal sprinkled on it.  Sprinkle corn meal on top of the muffins. 
  9. Let muffins rise for 45 mins. 
  10. Cook 4 to 5 muffins at a time in a buttered cast iron pan at low to medium heat.  Cook the muffins approximately 4 mins per side until each side has a nice golden color.
  11. Remove from pan and eat! You can eat them with butter, peanut butter, jam, or add egg and sausage with some cheese to make a sausage muffin. 

How to make Sourdough English Muffins

Old Fashioned Homemade Pancakes, just like grandmas!

Pancakes are the ultimate feel-good breakfast food and you probably have settled for making yours with a mix from a box. The box pancakes are fair, but it you want those light and fluffy tasty pancakes that your grandma used to make without having to drive out to the nearest IHOP. All you have to do is follow this simple recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup white sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup room temperature milk
1 egg at room temperature
1 tbsp oil

Directions
1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Add milk, egg and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well.
3. Preheat a griddle or a cast iron pan over medium high heat, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
4. When griddle is hot pour batter onto griddle in a 4-5 inch circle. Cook until bubbles form on the top of the pancake and the edges are dry (this will take 4-5 minutes). Flip and cook until browned on both sides (another 4-5 minutes). Repeat with remaining batter and all batter is cooked.
5. Plate the pancakes and top with your desired toppings such as butter, fruit, powdered sugar, or maple syrup.
6. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/OspREDaYCqg
Old Fashioned Homemade Pancakes

Better than Olive Garden Alfredo!

Alfredo is one of life’s great comfort foods. Surprisingly, it is super simple to make and you can create a fettuccine alfredo meal in just 20 minutes that tastes even better than the alfredo you get at the Olive Garden.

Ingredients:

½ stick of butter (8 tbsp)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cups heavy cream

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup grated Romano cheese

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Pinch salt

1 pound fettuccine noodles

Directions:

  1. Fill large pot with water and preheat it to boil the fettuccine noodles.  When the pot of water starts boiling add the pasta to the water and cook it according to directions.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat.  Add the minced garlic to the melted butter and cook for one minute.
  3. Whisk in the flout to the melted butter and cook for 1 minute while stirring.
  4. Add the heavy cream and continue to stir while the mixture comes up to a light boil.  Reduce the heat and stir as it thickens. 
  5. Stir in the Parmesan and Romano cheeses into the butter and heavy cream.
  6. Add the white pepper and salt.
  7. Drain the pasta and mix it into the alfredo sauce.
  8. Plate the pasta with alfredo sauce and garnish with parsley and/or add chicken if desired.
  9. Enjoy!
Better than Olive Garden Alfredo!