thin mints!!!!!!

Where to begin? I love Thin Mints let's just get that out of the way. A manic obsession with a seasonal cookie leads to a very unhealthy February. I need to be able to regulate my supply. I need Thin Mints year round.

Secondly, this was so messy that my camera took one for the team. So did my husband who was less than thrilled about the chocolate covered kitchen that this adventure produced. Resist the temptation to scroll down and look for a delicious macro pic of the grand finale. It won't be there because I learned when I loaded these pics that I'd smudged up not only every inch of my kitchen but every inch of my camera lens as well.

Don't let that deter you from trying these! They are worth it!! I was in a hurry to throw these together and I'm generally a mess anyway. Make them! Make them!
Oh, another thing. Who has a food processor that holds that much dough? Not me. Mine's for hummus and pesto. I therefore subjected the dry ingredients and the butter mixture to the food processor in batches and then moved it all to my RED KITCHEN AID STAND MIXER (sigh, true love) where I added the milk, etc. The milk, vanilla, peppermint mixture looked a lot like Bailey's... which gave me an idea for the inevitable sequel.
My mixer (and what I wished had been Bailey's) produced this chocolate minty deliciousness that I wanted to devour out of the metal bowl. I may or may not have tasted a little.
Or a lot. So then, while the roll of future Thin Mints froze up on top of my fillo dough and next to my Blue Bell, I thoroughly cleaned every inch of my beloved mixer. I even used a tooth pick.
Here is the roll. Ready to be sliced. Be sure that your roll is really 1 3/4 of an inch in diameter, no more than 2 inches because these really do spread and thin out.
On the left is the thinness imagery. Too wide in diameter but acceptable in thinness. And you can see the beginnings of the camera lens issue. Oh and the one on the right is just some chocolate ready for melting in its cute bowl. Without further ado...

Peppermint Flavored Dark Chocolate Coated Chocolate Wafer Cookies aka
thin mints!!!!!!!!!!
INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen
3 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract
{chocolate peppermint coating}

1 1/2 to 2 pounds good quality dark semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2 t peppermint extract to taste
DIRECTIONS
Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl and mix thoroughly. Using the large holes of a cheese grater, grate the butter into to the bowl. Combine with your hands and then transfer mixture to food processor. Pulse several times. Combine the milk and vanilla in a small cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade or the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.
Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper and freeze for 20 minutes.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into slices a scant 1/4-inch thick and place them one inch apart on the lined sheets (cookies will spread). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. If you are doing multiple sheets in the oven simultaneously, rotate halfway through. The cookies will puff up and deflate; they are done about 1 1/2 minutes after they deflate.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks, or slide the parchment onto racks to cool completely.
{the peppermint coating}
Coating works best in multiple small batches to keep the chocolate melted. Placing glass or ceramic bowl of melted chocolate on the warm range while the batches of cookies are baking or the oven is cooling works surprisingly well. Divide the chocolate in
to two microwave save bowls and use one at a time. Heat the chocolate on high 1 min in the microwave. Remove and stir in peppermint extract, to taste, stir well and heat 15- 30 more seconds if needed. Chocolate should become glossy and smooth as you stir.
Coat the cookies one at a time and then gently set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. Make 3 or 4 dozen cookies.

These are best room temperature or even cold. Serving outside in the sun is not recommended. Plain chocolate wafer cookies can also be used as the beginning of a glorious cheesecake crust. Which I may or may not be considering.