Homemade And All Natural Thin Mint Recipe Recipehomemade And All Natural Thin Mint

HOMEMADE THIN MINTS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable liner.
• In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate (and the shortening or oil if you're using it - I think it just makes it a bit smoother, but you'll be fine if you leave it out too) over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
• When it's completely smooth, remove from heat, and add the peppermint extract 1/4 teaspoon at a time, tasting between additions to make sure it isn't too strong. My chocolate got all bubbly when I added each teaspoon, but a quick stir brought it back to normal.
• Drop a Ritz cracker in the chocolate, then use a fork or spoon to flip it over to coat the other side. Lift it out the chocolate, shake slightly to remove excess chocolate, and place on the baking sheet.
• When all of your crackers are chocolate covered, put the pans in the fridge or freezer to harden up the chocolate. After about 15 minutes or so, they'll be ready to eat!
• (I like the taste of them out of the freezer better, but they look a little nicer out of the fridge the next day because the chocolate condensates in the freezer. You choose).

THIN MINT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter or margarine until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until mixed well. Beat in egg and mint extract.
• Sift flour, cocoa, and salt together into a small bowl. Add flour mixture by halves into creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
• Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface roll dough into two 1 1/2 inch diameter cylinders. Wrap each cylinder in waxed paper, and refrigerate 5 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thirty minutes prior to baking, place both cylinders in freezer.
• Remove one cylinder at a time, and slice 1/4 inch thick pieces with very sharp knife. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
• Melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine and the semisweet chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Drizzle over warm cookies. Place on wire racks, and let cool and harden completely.

THIN MINT RECIPE - HOMEMADE AND ALL-NATURAL

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350.
• In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract and then the salt and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, like a thick frosting. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and mix just until the flour is incorporated - don't overmix.
• Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and knead it just once or twice to bring it together nicely. Place the ball of dough into a large plastic bag and flatten it into a disk roughly 3/4-inch thick. Place the dough in the freezer for approximately 20 minutes to chill.
• Remove the dough from the freezer and roll it out very thin, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cutter. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
• While the cookies are in the oven, get the coating ready. Use a double boiler to slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. Adjust to taste by adding a drop or two more - but don't overdo it!
• Coat the cookies one at a time, dropping each cookie into the chocolate, making sure each one gets fully coated. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with a fork allowing any excess chocolate to drip off before placing it on a parchment-lined baking sheet to dry. You want a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set.