Don’t be sad that it’s Girl Scout Cookie season, because now it’s gluten-free Girl Scout Cookie season, and you can partake in gluten-free Thin Mints. You can even dive into Paleo Girl Scout Cookies, otherwise known as Paleo Thin Mints.
Give thanks for this to the fabulous Tammy Credicott, author of Paleo Indulgences
- 1 cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- 1 teaspoon coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- ⅛ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons palm shortening
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 6 ounces chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- In a food processor, combine almond flour, coconut flour, cacao, baking soda, and salt
- Pulse in shortening, honey, and peppermint extract until dough forms
- Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thick
- Freeze dough for 15 minutes
- Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out dough
- Transfer circles to a parchment lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350° for 4 minutes
- Cool completely on the baking sheets, then freeze for 1 hour
- Melt chocolate and peppermint extract in a small saucepan over very low heat
- Dip each cookie in chocolate, then place on a parchment-lined plate
- Transfer plate to freezer for 1 hour
- Serve
Store your Paleo Thin Mints in the freezer for the best texture and crispy crunch.
These healthy, gluten-free cookies are the perfect hostess gift, housewarming present, or DIY holiday gift. Since Purim is right around the corner (February 23, 2013) you can give gluten-free Thin Mints alongside your Hamantaschen.
I love to reduce, reuse, and recycle. So when I give gifts for holidays such as Purim, I focus on making something simple, yet special, and definitely not wasteful. I place my homemade baked goods in reusable tins. You can purchase used tins for your cookies and candies at your local thrift store. Carefully scrub and de-glutenize the tins, then run them through the dishwasher. This makes a great gluten-free holiday gift, or hostess gift, and reduces waste during Christmas and other holidays such as Purim.
Here are some more paleo dessert recipes you might like to use for Purim, other gift baskets, holiday cookie exchanges or any time of year:
Steve says
So I went ahead and made a batch of these tonight. I limited my experimentation to baking half the cookies for 4 mins and the other half for 10-12mins. They are all delicious, but I prefer the crisp bite of the cookies baked slightly longer. I was concerned they would be hard hockey pucks, but there was a lot more wiggle room in the baking than I expected with such a short time listed.
I should note these were baked on a silpat lined baking sheet, which probably played a part in the difference in cook times.
With the leftover minty chocolate coating, I went ahead and made some peppermint patties, using some coconut butter, shredded coconut, honey and coconut oil.
This recipe is so much like the “real” thing, it seems almost too good to be true!
Elana says
Steve, so glad to hear that these are like the “real” thing :-)
Steve says
Going to take my first shot at these tonight.
Im curious about how adding an egg to the cookie dough recipe would affect these. Would that provide some buffer from burning the cookies while enhancing the crispness?
There is a similar recipe that does use an egg, doesn’t use coconut flour and bakes for 11-15 minutes. http://fedandfit.com/2013/03/11/paleo-thin-mint-cookies/. Trying to figure out which recipe produces a more crisp cookie
Theresa says
Oh my word! These were soooo delicious! My daughters and I started eating the dough, then decided after baking them for the 5 minutes they didn’t need the chocolate coating! Perfect cookie! I give them 5+ stars!
Krista @ MakingLemonade.ca says
Love this recipe Elana! I included it in my recent blog post: 15 Junk Food Makeovers @ MakingLemonade.ca
Nancy says
Not sure what I did wrong, but the chocolate sauce, in spite of it being 6 full ounces of chocolate, only covered front and back of half of the cookies. For the other half, I had to spoon and spread the sauce on top.
That all being said, the batter for the dough was out of this world. And I still can’t wait to try the fully finished product. My 9.5 year old and I have been on GAPS and now a blend of GAPS and Paleo for over 2.5 years. Even prior to that, we only ate organic sugar (such as evaporated cane) and only organic flour. So she has never had a thin mint cookie before. I started this project just before dinner and with all of the wait time in between cooling and freezing, didn’t get done until after she went to bed. So she is greatly looking forward to trying a cookie tomorrow. Which is the last thing she said to me as I was shutting off her bedroom light and closing the door.
I didn’t have a cookie cutter, so I used the rim of a drinking glass placed upside down (the skinny, 6 ounce “juice glass” size), which happens to be 2″ in diameter. Works great! Although actual thin mints are only 1.5 inches in diameter. I have seen other home versions of girl scout cookies (non Paleo) that call for putting the dough into parchment paper and shaping it into a log that is 1.5″ diameter, freezing, and then cutting (approximately” 1/4″ slices. I am guessing that with the very soft almond flour dough, in order to even shape the log, the dough would have to be chilled first, shaped, then frozen before cutting, if it would even work. I may give that a try some time in order to go for the smaller size.
Good luck everybody!!! And happy eating!
Cindy markley says
Need sugar free for these cookies. What can I use as coating instead of chunks. Would like to make all your candies but need sugar free chocolate. Thank you
Anon says
Then use sugar free chocolate -_-
Amy says
I use this recipe to make the best chocolate chip cookies ever. I omit the cacao powder and increase almond flour by two tablespoons, use coconut oil instead of shortening, use vanilla instead of peppermint and add a handful of chips once batter is mixed. I do not put in the freezer, I just drop tablespoon full on parchment lined cookie sheet and use a small piece of parchment to smush the batter down with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 4 minutes or til edges are golden. If you can wait, letting them cool completely is best as they firm up. Thank you Elana.
Amy says
I also reduce the amount of honey to 2 tablespoons instead of 1/4 cup. 1/4 cup of honey is equivalent to 4 tablespoons I believe.
Mia says
Thank you Elana! These are a wonderful treat!
I didn’t have coconut flour, so I left it out and it turned out fine.
glutenfreemaven says
Which chocolate chunks do you use that are paleo friendly? Are they sugar free?
Amber says
Amazing. Made these tonight and they are perfect. Just SO good. When left in the freezer, they are better than the original thin mints. I did have to bake the cookies for 8 minutes (not 4) but mine were probably a little thicker than 1/8″.
Christina says
Hi Elana, I love your recipes and have followed you for years…and I’m a Boulder County resident as well!! So quick question: Could I use coconut oil instead of palm shortening in the Paleo Thin Mint recipe (and others)? I hesitate to support the palm oil industry because of the effect it has had on climate (see Years of Living Dangerously series), but who knows maybe the coconut industry similarly impacts the environment… Thanks!
Fiona Taylor says
My first thought was that I would like to try these but can’t use palm oil for the same reasons, specifically because of the environmental devastation which is caused by harvesting palm oil. Can you please come up with a replacement?
Elana says
Hi Fiona, thanks for your comment and for sharing your concerns. I haven’t experimented with other oils in this recipe, so not sure what a good replacement would be. If you do experiment I hope you’ll stop back by and let us know what works!
christine says
Grass-fed butter worked wonderfully for us!
Elana says
Christine, thanks for sharing your substitution, so glad to know it worked!
ShazInNV says
My sister-in-law had this problem. She found if she made the dough the night before and refrigerated it overnight, it held together fine.
Jane says
Hi there,
What could I substitute for chocolate please? As I am on a paleo diet. Thanks.
Kellie says
These were very easy to work with and tasted great. THe only thing I had to do differently was that I had to bake the cookies for 14 minutes, not 4. Also, I only had mint extract (a combo of spearmint and peppermint) on hand, so the peppermint flavor was not as intense as I would’ve liked. Will try these again using peppermint extract.
Amanda says
OMG… these are so great my non paleo family and friends love ’em too… now… if I could just stop eating them….;) Thanks for the recipe;)
Val S says
Hi there! I have a question, I have tried many of your recipes, and they always taste great. When I make any of your cookies, they completely fall apart. I’m wondering if it may be altitude, or If I’m doing something wrong. I’m right at sea-level, so you know if this should change anything? And if not, is there any suggestion you have for preventing this!
Thanks!
Melissa says
Tried these today. FREAKIN YUM!!!! I would have a hard time telling them apart from the real deal. After they came out of the oven I wanted them a little bit crunchier than they seemed to be so I threw them in the dehydrator for 12 hours. Now they have that perfect thin-mint crunch. Definitely going to be a favorite!
BaK says
Brilliant!! going to do the same.
Nancy Ryan says
These sound yummy! What do you use to dip them? Just sounds real messy if using my fingers.
Anne Rollo says
Elena,
These sure bring back memories from my Girl Scout Days! What would the Carb count be on these cookies, please?
Thank you,
Anne
Jessica says
Thank you Jamie W. for the suggestion of substituting pumpkin seed flour & sunflower seed flour for almond flour!
Jessica says
Is there anything that can be substituted for the almond flour? It seems most recipes contain nuts.
Claudia says
Hi. Is there a substitute youlike for Almonds? Son is allergic to all nuts and soy.
Brooke says
This recipe is awesome!! I made these for a friend who recently discovered many food allergies, and she really loved them. I substituted coconut oil for shortening, and agave for the honey, just because it was what I had on hand. I ended up with 50 cookies, however, so I had to use about 10 oz of dark chocolate. My husband loved them, too, and this will be a go-to recipe from now on. Thanks so much!
carol Perkoski says
Hi Elana,
I am gluten free and grain free and pre diabetic. I really appreciate all your wonderful recipes. I am hoping you will post more recipes with coconut sugar and nectar rather than agave. I am an inexperienced baker and wonder if you can provide info in your FAQ’s about the equivalents using coconut sugar. I found a frosting recipe online that uses coconut sugar and arrowroot blended to make it into a powdered sugar consistency for frosting.
Terry says
These were amazing! Just one question. My melted chocolate was so thick I couldn’t dip the cookies. I smeared it on them with a spoon. Anybody else have that problem or a solution? How do you make the chocolate runnier??
Brooke says
I added some coconut oil to mine to thin it out a little.
LMB says
Wow, these were fantastic, so similar to the real thing! I substituted coconut butter for the shortening and they were really great.
LeanChick says
What an amazing recipe – the coconut flour works great.. I of course substituted coconut oil.. Perfection! Thank you!!
cindy says
you are my chef hero elana! thank you for this recipe. now i can feel even more guilty for turning down girls scouts and there fundraising efforts! ;-)
Sarah says
These cookies are amazing! Thanks for another wonderful recipe! :)
Kristin says
Elana,
Just finished making up the dough and it’s in the freezer as we “speak”. I wondered why the recipe was for such a small batch before I made it, and now I know why…the dough is soooo delicious that if I didn’t have a small batch I’d eat half of it raw!!!! (I don’t want to face my kids with only 10 cookies left, the shame of it) Thanks a million for all your wonderful recipe’s. My daughters and I are currently baking our way through your cupcake book and absolutely loving it too. Favorite so far is the Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache. They were much too good for words!
KoalaGirl says
Does anyone know if you can substitute peppermint oil (edible essential oil) for peppermint extract?
Steph says
Yes, but use a lot less because it is much stronger. More like 1/8-1/4 tsp. :)
Betty says
! I have celiac and adrenal issues and have bee. Grain free a few years with the help of your books and website! I make your chocolate chip scones (I add some shredded coconut and walnuts) every week. They are my emergency food. I’m still nursing my 14month old and can’t lose my final 10 pounds. How do you keep from gaining weight with almond/coconut flours? I’d love your tips. I see that Elana can’t answer comments. Any body else have any tips?
Jessie says
Great recipe share. Girl Scout cookies are so delicious but full of calories. Plus now with this recipe, I can have these any time I get the urge for these cookies rather than just during the “girl scout cookie season”.
Whitney @ The Newlywed Chefs says
Oh, yum! This looks fabulous, and I love the whole ingredients that are used. Wonderful!
Cindy Sue says
gosh I sound like a pest, but one more thing, has or does anyone use King Arthur Blanched Almond Flour?
Cindy Sue says
Oh, and I forgot, can I use butter for coconut oil or palm shortening?
Cindy Sue says
I just pre-ordered her latest cookbook, and have just gotten the first two, although I am overwhelmed, it is a GOOD overwhelmed, I am thrilled! Am I understanding correctly that you can substitute honey for any agave in Elana’s recipes? Is this one of the major differences in the Paleo recipes?
Side Note:
I buy local honey from the Co Op, one teaspoon a day of your local honey is suppose to help with allergies over a period of time.
Hannah says
These are better than the originals! Thank you Elana!
Mary Gordon says
Hi Elana, I am new to GF and GF allergies : (
What can I substitute for the coconut flour and the shortening and how much of each substitute? I cannot have coconut or potato flour!
Emily says
I sub coconut oil for palm shortening in just about all recipes. Not sure about coconut flour though….maybe more almond? or arrowroot powder?
Tana says
I find it endlessly fascinating with so many sites, be it paleo, vegan, grain-free or gluten free, the endless amount of sweet recipes there are. Sweet seems to trump savory hands down. Yet, as I eliminated wheat from my diet, my tolerance for things sweet diminished substantially.
And yet, over everything else, it is really the sweets that I think are causing the bulk of our diabetes epidemic. It’s quite a thing to witness really. Thanks for all your work, sweet and savory!
Britt in TX says
Yes!!!!!! You’re the best!!! I can’t wait to try making these!! Man, it’s a good thing I ate the girl scout thin mints the other day. My mom been telling me to watch my sugar; )Now I can make this and she well love it too!! Thanks again!
Jennifer says
I made this recipe as soon as I saw it the other day. It should have had a warning that you will not be able to control yourself and will keep going back to the freezer for more :) Completely love, this has rocketed to be one of my favorite recipes and I will completely post on my blog about making them and photos of how mine turned out. I didn’t have a small circle cookie cutter so I just cut into diamond-ish shapes. It worked really well!
Rachel says
I am beyond excited to have found this site….gf thin mints a celiac chicks dream….I would love to have you follow my journey..the more likes I get the more fitness challenges I must do http://www.facebook.com/Rachels365DayChallenge
elizabeth says
Can anyone tell me exactly what is meant by dark chocolate chunks? Is this unsweetened chunks or sweetened?
Tina says
Dark chocolate is not the same as unsweetened. Dark would be similar to a bittersweet chocolate but you could also sub in semi-sweet which is pretty easy to find. Semi-sweet is sweeter than bittersweet.
Anastasia Healthy Mama Info says
These look absolutely delicious! The kids will love these & so excited to try this recipe, not to mention, all the ingredients are healthy & organic:) Thank you!
Ellen says
My daughter is a Girl Scout and also has a severe gluten allergy. She is out selling her cookies but can’t have even one. She remembers thin mints from her ore allergy days a d misses them. I made these as a surprise for her. She LOVED them! Thank you so much for making a little girl feel like a Girl Scout.
Annsley says
These look amazing! Can you substitute butter or Earth’s Balance instead of shortening? Also, instead of almond flour can you use a GF blend?
Thank you!
ginger says
Hi I am very very new at not being able to eat any grains. so I have been searching for recipes. So anyway I wanted to make the Simple Bread which I down loaded from your site. I fallowed it just like it said etc. there was not enough liq. to make any kind of batter. so I just wasted two and a half cups of almond flour. was there a miss print in the recipe or what. We live on a very fixed income so I can not afford to waste food. please let me know if the recipe is wrong of what, it is so simple to make up but it won’t turn out. Ginger
Emily @ Tips on Healthy Living says
This looks amazing–it makes me feel better about Girl Scout cookie season :)
Stacy Malinow says
Please continue to support my petition to Encourage the Girl Scouts to sell a gluten free cookie
http://www.change.org/petitions/encourage-the-girl-scouts-to-sell-an-allergen-free-cookie
Dani says
Signed!
TJ says
They are test marketing a chocolate chip gluten free cookie in certain parts of the United States this year. If sales go well, it should be released nation wide next year.
beth says
my husband’s birthday is next week and he asked for these instead of a cake…sooooo excited. THANK YOU!!!!
Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily says
OH Geez! Now I’m in trouble! These are one of my favorite indulgences. Now I can make them whenever I get an emergency Thin Mint craving! ;)
Joyce says
Elana, these were fabulous. I used hazelnut flour in place of almond, and coconut oil instead of shortening. So good! Thank you!
Bob Gordon says
Elana, I’m going to try your two desserts – paleo thin mints and the cc scones. My wife is trying hard to be Gluten Free; plus 2 of her kids have health reasons to avoid gluten. I think having an awesome baked desert will be a lot of fun. I like to bake and if I can show up with a thoughtful and tasty dessert, I’ll be back in the running for cool food guy.
Sarah says
These were absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing. A top-notch substitute, for sure. I had a hard time transferring them to the cookie sheets, but I probably waited too long after taking them out of the freezer. I also just spread the frosting over the tops of the cookies rather than dipping them in. So tasty!
Christyn says
These are so good! I substituted coconut oil for shortening and also xylitol plus 1/4 cup water for the honey to make them even lower sugar. I did need to freeze the dough about 30 minutes before rolling out and they were still pretty fragile but I got them up with a thin spatula… They seriously take just like I remember thin mint cookies (which I’ve dreamed about for years) tasting! Thanks Elana!
Shari in NC says
Elana,
I just made them; they smell delicious!! We’ll taste once they come out of the freezer! Can’t wait!
What suggestions do you have for dipping the cookies in the peppermint chocolate? I dipped them in the pan (on low heat) on a fork; some cookies broke in the process and many bent (but then straightened out back on the pan.)
Thanks for educating us,
Shari in NC
Aimee says
I just used my fingers. It was warm, but not uncomfortably so, and darn, I had to lick my fingers when I was done.
Paige says
YUM! Making these today! BUT, substituting Creme de Menthe flavoring instead of peppermint to get the real girl scout cookie flavor..bought it last year to make healthier whole wheat thin mints before celiac came to the house and now paleo…….mmmm!
Tonya says
Thank You Elana!!! I made these today and they are as good as I remember the originals being. I did use coconut oil instead of the palm shortening and I used peppermint oil instead of extract. They are fantastic! My daughter is gluten and dairy free and has been for the past 5 years. This is her first experience with Thin Mints and I’m sad to report that she LOVES them and I’m going to have to share them with her. :)
Aimee says
Thank you so much for the recipe! My whole family loved these. I am lazy and didn’t freeze the dough or roll them out. I just made little balls and flattened them out on my baking sheet, they came out imperfectly shaped, but tasty just the same.
Anne says
I’m so glad you said this, I was just thinking I’d like to try these but am way to lazy for rolling and cutting :)
Randa says
You could also shape the dough into a log and chill that way… Then just slice the log into 1/4″ rounds.
Randa says
Oops, I meant 1/8″ as Elana’s recipe says.
Alyssa says
I’m so excited that you posted this recipe because it led me to your Paleo Samosas recipe!!
melissa says
I made these and found the honey flavor to be distracting….. has anyone tried anything else in it’s place? I can’t do agave syrup though…. maple syrup??? Not sure if that would go with peppermint either.
Cassie says
I used yacon syrup with great success.
Mia says
I’m going to try organic brown rice syrup in place of honey.
Dee says
Have you tried a different varieties of honey? I find light coloured honey, such as acacia honey, works better in recipes where you don’t want a honey flavour
Becky says
Coconut nectar subs beautifully for agave or honey :).
Steph says
I’ve never noticed much maple flavour using syrup in baked goods, as long as there are other flavours strong enough to mask it (i.e. chocolate & mint!).
Monica P says
I wish I saw this sooner :- ) Oh, well .. I already purchased a box of thin mints to support a colleague’s daughter. Next year I’ll know better.
Monica
Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free says
Thanks for the wonderful recipe, I have a grain free girl scout thin mint recipe on my site but it was when I was still using dairy free butter and sugar! I love your ingredients, thanks again!
Cassidy
Debbie says
any substitute for almond flour for a nut free version?
Neera@gfcfrasoi.blogspot.com says
Wonderful. These cookies are so tempting. I am going to give a try. :)
Mia says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am looking forward to trying it.
Mia says
Thank you again Elana!!!
I love these cookies. I make a double batch every time and keep them in the freezer. Everyone I’ve shared them with loves them too.
For dipping I use 99% TCHO baking drops (one bag for a double batch). They are very easy to melt. I add powdered birch Xylitol, to my preferred sweetness, to the melted chocolate along with the peppermint extract.
Blessings,
Mia
Karen says
Oh, you’ve done it again! Cannot wait to try these. My favorite cookie. I wonder if you have any idea how much you have enhanced the quality of my life with your recipes…….. Thank you!
tracy says
be still my heart …
Anne Quintanilla says
Thin Mints are my fave GS cookies! It just happened, I began my Whole30 on the month of GS cookie sales :( Thanks to you, I will be able to get my fix, of course, after this month. Love your recipes!!!
Heather says
Omogosh these look fabulous and I love the ingredients!
Debbie B. says
Elana, I absolutely love your sense of humor, in addition to your recipes, of course!
(That you’re Jewish makes your blog the best! Shabbat Shalom.
Anne Jeffres says
I was thinking that EXACT same thing! By the way, I have 2 Girl Scouts and I’m a troop leader, and we don’t even eat the cookies since they are so unhealthy!
Kenna says
Yay! Up next…the peanut butter (sun butter) tagalongs? I think I may use your cookie as ground work and spend some time this weekend trying to get those fatty patties in my belly. Thanks for rockin’ it, Elana!
Tonya says
I just have to say that I love that you said “get those fatty patties in my belly”. Just totally made me smile.
Kenna says
Ha! Glad I could make you smile, Tonya. In case you are interested, I think I did a decent job creating those fatty patties…
Use Elana’s cookie recipe, minus the cocoa.
1/2 cup Sun Butter
1/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
2 tsp. Vanilla
Chocolate chunks
Bake the cookies after cutting the shapes. Melt chocolate. Let cool. Generously apply butter. Paint chocolate over cookie. The first batch I did had too much chocolate (I dipped them) and not enough filling.
I haven’t had the tagalongs for years, but this did my belly wonders. :)
autumn says
Is the sunbutter layer the combo of the honey/coconut flour/vanilla or just the sunbutter? And using the rest of the ingredients for the cookie? Just to clarify… I can’t wait to make them :)
Annsley says
Have you gotten the tag alongs to work? I’d love to see the recipe!
candice says
any substitute for almond flour for a nut free version?
Shawna says
I’ve had great success using butter instead of palm shortening in her recipes.
Jaime W says
Candice, my children and I can not have tree nuts, we use pumpkin seed flour and sunflower seed flour with great success!!! I use these flours to replace the almond flour in a lot of Elana’s recipes and they all worked beautifully!
Mia says
Hi Jaime,
Please tell me where you purchase your pumpkin seed and sunflower seed flour.
Thank you!
Mia
Kathy says
I will just never get over how amazing you are Elana!
Claire Traas says
Oh DARN, I can’t make this recipe because i don’t have any CELTIC sea salt, I only have the NORMAL kind! Shucks!
Faith says
I don’t think using the normal salt would hurt the flavor.
Lauren says
I didn’t even use salt and they were fine.
Peas - Jenn says
You can always tell it’s Celtic from the accent!!
Johnna says
Thin Mints were my absolute favorite Girl Scout cookie. I’m so excited to try these!
Leilani says
I’m so excited for these!! Thank you!!
Marian says
Would also love to know a substitute for the vegan shortening- would coconut oil work or butter?
Aimee says
I have used coconut oil in place of vegan shortening with much success. I used this substitution in the Choc Chip Scones and worked beautifully. Happy baking!
Karyn says
I subbed coconut oil in this recipe- just softened it a bit. Worked and tasted great!
Lauren says
I used coconut oil too – it seemed to make the dough more oily so I ended up adding more almond flour – but it worked really wonderfully!
Susan says
I made them with butter, worked out great! Sounds like either substitution works. I’m so very happy with this recipe. My husband has the real GS thin mints, and I’m having to chase him away from mine.
Candice says
Substitute for vegan palm shortening??
Renee Rose says
I used coconut oil and it came out fine!
Terry H. says
Thank you – I was thinking Coconut Oil, also.
Tamara Finley says
butter,coconut oil,palm oil all work just as well. Just warm slightly to melt.
Kim says
Elana – I love your site and your recipes & have been following you since I first went gluten free four years ago. With this recipe though, you have made my life complete! I am GF, DF & egg-free, so many Paleo recipes don’t work for me. I am so excited about this one! Thin Mints were always my absolute favorite Girl Scout cookie, and now I can finally have them again (and feel good about what I’m eating)! Thank you SO much!