did you have a good weekend?
we rode on saturday.
scary storms and taxes yesterday [i am sure the two are related!!]
and it was snowing when i woke up this morning.
but, you are really here for the cookies, right?!
today, i made *vegan* thin mints.
you say : 'wait! i thought all // some // most girl scout cookies are vegan!'
i say : not true. i learned a lot about gs cookies when i made this recipe. two factories make gs cookies ; one uses milk, eggs, cream & the other doesnt. where your cookies come from depends on your proximity to each factory.
and while girl scout cookies are *delish* ; regardless of where they are made, they use some pretty strong preservatives in ALL OF THEM [nobody needs high fructose corn syrup!]
read more about it here.
so, because i like to know whats in my food & i make sure to treat my body well ; i decided to make my own.
dairy free thin mint knock-offs :
recipe adapted from here
what you need :
*2 tbsp almond // soy milk [i use vanilla flavored]
*1/2 c vegan butter, room temperature [i use earth balance]
*1 c sugar [we use turbinado]
*3/4-1 tsp peppermint extract [i used less & would have liked a bit more 'punch']
*1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
*1/4 c cocoa powder [i like dark chocolate]
*1/8 tsp baking powder
*2 c chocolate chips [again, dark chocolate ;)]
*2 tbsp coconut oil
how to do it :
1) preheat oven to 350* ; spray cookie sheet
2) place butter & sugar in mixing bowl ; beat until creamy
3) mix in flour, cocoa powder & baking powder. the mixture gets *very* thick. add peppermint extract. bring it together in a ball. if its too dry, add almond milk until it all comes together.
4) on the countertop, roll out the dough [1/4 inch thickness] & use a cookie cutter to cut out your cookies. place dough-cookies on cookie sheet. continue until you are out of dough. [if you dont have a circle cookie cutter, you can always use the top of a small jar]
5) bake for 10-12 minutes. [since they are pretty thin, do NOT over-bake. they will become super hard!]
6) remove & let cool on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes. move to a wire rack or a cool cookie sheet.
7) melt chocolate chips & coconut oil on the stovetop, stirring the entire time. once chips are 75% melted, remove from heat & stir hard until all lumps are gone.
8) drop the cookies in the chocolate to coat. remove them with a fork & place back on cooled cookie sheet.
9) place cookies in freezer to set the chocolate.
these were SO good! such a fun hostess // birthday // spring party gift.
this might be my newest go-to dessert!
