Andes Mint Cookies
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These Andes mint cookies are full of chocolate and Andes candies. This is an easy to make chewy chocolate cookie dough made with peppermint extract that comes together in minutes. An easy holiday cookie to enjoy with family and friends!
As a kid I definitely would have passed up one enjoying one of these Andes mint cookies. I had such a thing against mint. But thank goodness, as an adult I’ve seen the light! Chocolate and mint, as my mom knew back then, really is a wonderful match made in heaven. Moms know best don’t they? And what a match when they combine in chewy chocolate cookie, am I right?
I thought about saving this easy to make cookie recipe until St. Patrick’s Day being all green and festive. However I just couldn’t wait! These chocolate Andes cookies are too good not to share now so you can enjoy then for Christmas. Chocolate mint cookies are definitely a perfect addition to your Christmas cookie plater this year. Or maybe a fun cookie exchange anyone?
These chocolate Andes mint cookies are pure chocolate mint decadence! These mint chocolate cookies are soft and chewy with lots of mint flavor, and fudgy texture. I can’t believe I used to hate on chocolate and mint together. What a silly kid I was. If you’re not a fan of chocolate and mint I think these Andes mint cookies will change your mind.
Why You Will Love These Andes Mint Cookies
- Quick Prep Time – Like any good cookie recipe, these chocolate mint cookies take about 10 minute of prep time to make the cookie dough. They are super easy to make, which is one thing I love about them of course. (Note: I do, however, recommend chilling the cookie dough to help make for a thicker and softer cookie.)
- Lots of Mint Flavor! – I used peppermint extract and chopped Andes candies in the mint chocolate dough so it’s wonderfully minty.
- Freeze Beautifully – I love getting ahead of my Christmas cookie baking by freezing my cookies ahead of time. You can freeze the baked or unbaked!
Andes Mints
For these Andes mint chocolate cookies, of course the Andes candies are the star of the show. Andes mints, if you’re unfamiliar with what they are, are creme de menthe thins. Perfect little mint chocolates. Each box of Andes mints has 28 mints in them.
I chopped all of the Andes candies in the box and stirred 1 cup of chopped Andes mints into the cookie dough. The remaining candies I reserved to sprinkle on top of the chocolate cookies when they came out of the oven to make for a pretty presentation. If you don’t want to go to all that fuss, then simply stir in all the chopped mints into the dough.
I found my Andes creme de menthe thins in the candy aisle, but if you can’t find any you can always buy some online. Or if you’re really stuck, you can swap out the mints for mint chocolate baking chips.
Ingredients Needed
- All-purpose flour – For these mint chocolate cookies, all you need is some good old all-purpose flour. I recommend weighing your flour so you don’t end up with too much flour making for a cakey cookie. Or use my scoop and sweep method – scoop the flour into your cup, do not pack it down, and then level off at the top with flat edge.
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – You want to use natural unsweetened cocoa powder because it will react with the baking soda. I did not test this with Dutch processed cocoa powder. You can read more here about Natural Cocoa Vs Dutch Process Cocoa Powder.
- Baking soda – Be sure your baking soda is fresh! Test a little in a bowl with some vinegar or lemon juice to see if it bubbles. Baking soda and baking powder are NOT the same thing and will yield different results, so don’t swap one for the other.
- Salt – I prefer to use sea salt for best taste and it dissolves easily into the dough. But you can use also use table salt or kosher salt.
- Unsalted butter – I always bake and recommend using unsalted butter rather than salted butter when baking. You can control the amount of salt and it’s fresher than salted butter. However, if you only have salted butter on hand I would reduce or omit the added salt called for in the recipe.
- Granulated sugar – To help sweeten, tenderize, and help make for a slightly crispier cookie.
- Light brown sugar – This will help make for a nice chewy, chocolate mint cookie. You could also use dark brown sugar but your cookies may be a bit on the chewier side. All out of brown sugar? You can make your own homemade brown sugar with just 2 ingredients!
- Eggs – You want two large eggs. Place your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using to bring to room temperature quickly.
- Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract is best for flavor, but imitation vanilla extract will also work.
- Peppermint extract – Do NOT use mint extract which can taste like spearmint.
- Andes candies – I chopped up Andes mints and stirred them into the cookie dough. I also like to place some Andes mint on top of the cookies after they come out of the oven so they make for a prettier presentation. If you can’t find Andes mints you can always swap out for mint baking chips. They even make Andes mint baking chips to save you from all the unwrapping and chopping!
- Semi sweet chocolate chips – You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or chop up a baking chocolate bar for these cookies.
How To Make Andes Mint Cookies
Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl as needed.
You can use a stand mixer which does the best and fastest job of creaming together your butter and sugar. However, a hand mixer will also work but will require a longer beating time.
Add egg and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined.
Add extracts. Add in vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Beat to combine.
Add dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined. You want to make sure to not overmix.
Add chocolate chips and Andes mints. With a wooden spoon, or spatula, stir in Andes candies and chocolate chips. I chopped up one box of Andes mints and stirred in 1 cup of the chopped candies, reserving the rest for the top of the cookies when they come out of the oven. If you don’t want to go to that hassle, then simply stir them all into the cookie dough.
I do recommend chilling your dough for best flavor and texture. Chilling the dough will create a softer, thicker cookie with better flavor that doesn’t spread as much. Even one hour of chilling time will help improve the cookie’s texture and keep them from spreading as much. For best results I recommend refrigerating the dough up to overnight.
Scoop cookies. If you chilled the cookie dough, I recommend letting the cookie dough rest at room temperature for several minutes so you are able to scoop the dough.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350oF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll in your hands to form a smooth ball of dough and place on the cookie sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies. Bake in a preheated 350oF on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a preheated oven on the middle rack, for 10-12 minutes until edges are set and middles are puffy but dry. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
If you want you can top the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven with a few extra chocolate chips and chopped candies for a pretty presentation!
Heather’s Baking Tips
- Measure your flour correctly. Too much flour will result in a dry, overly cakey cookie that doesn’t spread quite like it should. I recommend using a kitchen scale, but if using cups then stir your flour first. Then spoon into your cup, and level it off. Do not pack it down which will pack more flour into your cup than you need.
- Pack your brown sugar. Unlike flour, which should not be packed into the cup you want to make sure to pack your brown sugar into the cup to get an accurate volume measurement.
- Make sure your eggs are at a room temperature – Place your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using. This will make sure that the cold eggs don’t seize up the butter.
- Use a cookie scoop for even sized cookies – Use a cookie scoop to scoop your Andes mint cookies. Even sized cookies will all bake up the same if you use a cookie scoop, so no unevenly baked cookies!
- Bake the Andes mint cookies in the center of your oven – Make sure your cookie sheet is placed onto the center rack of your oven and set to 350oF. If they are placed too high or too low the tops or bottoms may burn.
- Cookies should be soft in the middle when the timer goes off– When the timer goes off, the edges of the chocolate mint cookies should be set, and soft in the middle. They will continue to bake up and set as they cool.
- Place more chocolate chips and Andes mint on top of cookies when done baking. For really pretty Christmas cookies I always use this trick: As soon as they come out of the oven I place a few extra chocolate chips and mints on top of the cookies before they set to make for a pretty presentation.
- Cool on a wire rack to cool completely. You do not want to let your cookies continue to sit on the baking sheet to cool. Leaving your cookies on the baking sheets can cause them to become overbaked. So after five minutes, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool.
Recipe FAQs
Yes you absolutely can. It doubles well – perfect for Christmas time!
Store these cookies cooled covered in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Yes! These mint cookies cookies freeze well. Let your Andes mint cookies cool completely then place in an airtight container or sealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can let thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
You can also freeze these mint cookies unbaked. Scoop and freeze solid on a parchment lined baking sheet, and then place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, bake frozen, there’s no need to thaw. Simply add on a couple extra minutes of baking time.
For best results I recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight. But even one hour of chilling time in the fridge will help improve the cookie’s texture and help them spread less.
This is probably because your butter was too warm and/or you over-creamed the mixture adding into much air. Try chilling your next batch, for at least one hour, up to overnight, to help firm up the butter and prevent the cookies from spreading so much. For more help check out this post –> Why Are My Cookies Flat?
I haven’t tested these cookies with gluten free flour but generally yes for cookies you can swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten free 1 to 1 flour. This is my favorite go to gluten free flour.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes To Try
Looking for more delicious Christmas cookie recipes to make this season? Check out these other Christmas cookie recipes on the blog!
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Chocolate Andes Mint cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (42 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 227 g) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (213 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup chopped Andes candies
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour ½ cup (42 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. 1 cup (2 sticks, 227 g) unsalted butter 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar 1 cup (213 g) packed light brown sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Add in vanilla extract and mint extract. Beat to combine. 2 large egg 2 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- Add dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined. You want to make sure to not overmix. With a wooden spoon, or spatula, stir in candies and chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least one hour, up to overnight. 1 cup chopped Andes candies 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- Prep pan and ovens. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Scoop cookies. When ready to bake, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for several mintues to allow for easy scooping. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll in your hands to form a smooth ball of dough and place on the cookie sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven on the middle rack, for 10-12 minutes until edges are set and middles are puffy but dry. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Storage: Store these cookies cooled covered in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Freezing: These mint cookies cookies freeze well. Let your Andes mint cookies cool completely then place in an airtight container or sealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can let thaw at room temperature before enjoying. You can also freeze these mint cookies unbaked. Freeze solid on a parchment lined baking sheet, and then place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, simply bake frozen (there’s no need to thaw), and increase the baking time slightly by a few minutes.
- Chilling the dough: For best results I recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight. But even one hour of chilling time in the fridge will help improve the cookie’s texture and help them spread less.
Gluten free: I haven’t tested these cookies with gluten free flour but generally yes for cookies you can swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten free 1 to 1 flour. This is my favorite go to gluten free flour. - Peppermint extract – Do NOT use mint extract which can taste like spearmint.
- Andes candies – I chopped up Andes mints and stirred them into the cookie dough. I also like to place some Andes mint on top of the cookies after they come out of the oven so they make for a prettier presentation. If you can’t find Andes mints you can always swap out for mint baking chips.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips – You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or chop up a baking chocolate bar for these cookies.
Perfect cookie!!!!
Thank you Kathy!
Made these mint cookies this weekend and they came together perfectly. Such a great combination and so delicious!
so glad you loved them! 🙂
I love Andes mints! These cookies look like the perfect way to enjoy the chocolate-mint combination.
These Andes mint cookies are scrumptious, yet easy and quite fast to prepare! Watch them disappear fast!
Andes candies are my favorite so the more ways to enjoy them, the better! These cookies will most definitely make an appearance for Christmas!
These Chocolate Andes Mint cookies are fantastic! Perfectly fluffy and just the right amount of mint flavor.
glad you loved them Leslie!
These are some of my favorite chocolates, to combine them with cookies is just brilliant.
I’m such a chocolate and mint combo fan and these were absolutely delicious! They remind me of Thin Mints only better. These will be on my Christmas cookie baking list for sure.
I knew when I saw that these had Andes mints in them, that I had to make them right away! I love the mint and chocolate combo and the pieces of candy throughout them.
glad you loved them as much as we did 🙂
These cookies are just delightful! The texture was perfect soft and chewy, and the Andes pieces gave it such a wonderful peppermint flavor. I’m saving these to make again for Christmas!
absolutely drooling looking at the pictures. So delicious. Shall be trying soon.
We just loved these flavors and certainly a keeper, Will make again for sure!
wonderful glad to hear!
Chocolate and mint is one of my favorite flavor combinations so these really did it for me! The addition of the peppermint extract makes them extra minty, which I loved. I’ll be making lots of these around the holidays especially!
I love andes mints and to have these as cookies were delicious! I’ll make a larger batch next time cause my kids loved them too!
glad everyone liked them!
This is a double chocolate mint dream, and I don’t want to ever wake up. I can’t wait to make these cookies. I may or may not share…