So, I know it’s almost Christmas and I failed to acknowledge this fact for the entire month of December. Sorry. Can one glorious holiday-inspired chocolate mint cookie redeem my lack of Christmas spirit up until this point? Most definitely.

What we have today are like the classic thin mint Girl Scout Cookies, except veganized and (mostly) unprocessed. Sure, they use dark chocolate chips and coconut oil, but it IS the holidays, after all. This recipe was adapted from one I saw on VegNews, but with a slightly more unprocessed ingredient list and the addition of coconut. They are phenomenal. My plan is to leave them out for Santa on Christmas Eve in hopes that he loves them enough to drop a fancy new Sony a7 mirrorless camera under my tree. Hey, a guy can dream, right?

Have a very merry Christmas, everyone! Enjoy the time with family, eat a bunch of thin mints, and I’ll see you later this week with an exciting announcement! 🙂

Makes ~16 cookies

Ingredients: 1/2 cup white or whole wheat flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup applesauce 1/3 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

Shredded unsweetened coconut, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350º F

Step One

Combine all the dry ingredients (flours, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda) in a large mixing bowl and stir together. In another bowl, melt the wet ingredients (coconut oil, applesauce, almond milk, vanilla, and peppermint extract) and whisk together until fully incorporated. Note: if you prefer less “healthy tasting” cookies, feel free to add more coconut oil and less apple sauce.

Step Two

Carefully add the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold together. At this point, roll up your sleeves and use the best kitchen tools you have (your hands) to squeeze this dough together and form it into one large ball.

Step Three

Add the dough to a lightly-floured surface and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Then, use a cookie cutter (or the rim of a cup) to cut out rounds about 1 1/2 – 2 inches in diameter. Bake on parchment paper at 350º F for 12-16 minutes until the cookies are firm and cooked all the way through.

Step Four

Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool and prepare the chocolate coating by melting dark chocolate chips/chunks in the microwave and adding a few drops of peppermint extract. You can either brush the chocolate over the cookies or go all-in and simply dip them into the bowl of melted chocolate. Finally, top with a dusting of finely-shredded coconut (and optionally, crushed candy cane pieces).

Allow to cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour so that the chocolate can set… if you can wait that long. 🙂