Chocolate Mint Cookies are a fresh and flavorful mint chocolate treat. These Creme de Menthe Thumbprint Cookies are just perfect for winter, and especially Christmas!
Chocolate Mint Cookies
These Chocolate Mint Cookies are just so good. Mint chocolate thumbprint cookies with a Creme de Menthe ganache. Yum!
Delicious cookies are a must during the holiday season. I feel like pies are the official Thanksgiving dessert, but COOKIES are the best dessert for Christmas. There are already so many easy cookie recipes to choose from, but these Chocolate Mint Cookies are one of my favorites this year!
Chocolate and mint is one of those flavor combos that I just can’t get enough of. I’ve always loved Andes chocolate mints (I even made some Andes Mint Fudge), and these cookies taste just like them! They are mint chocolate thumbprint cookies with mint chips baked right in. But that’s not all! We’re finishing them off with an amazing Creme de Menthe ganache to fill in the middle, and it makes all the difference. I’m telling you, these are SO good, and they are the perfect flavor for Christmas.
This thumbprint cookie recipe is really easy to make, so start baking a batch of these and enjoy!
Mint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Thumbprint cookies are so fun to make. Not only do you get a delicious cookie, but you get an amazing filling to add even more flavor! These chocolate mint cookies are the perfect combination: a mint chocolate cookie with a Creme de Menthe ganache filling. The chocolate and the mint balance each other out really well, and I love the flavor explosion when you bite into the ganache.
Find all of my easy Christmas cookie recipes right here!
Creme de Menthe Ganache
The chocolate mint cookies are good, but I think my favorite part of this recipe is the Creme de Menthe ganache! These little thumbprint cookies wouldn’t be complete without the minty filling to finish them off. Luckily the ganache is pretty simple to make, and can be done in just a few minutes while the cookies are cooling.
Mint Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
- Heavy Cream
- White Chocolate
- Unsalted Butter
- Creme de Menthe Liqueur (or flavoring)
How to make Creme de Menthe Ganache:
- Chop up white chocolate and butter into small pieces and place in a bowl.
- Heat up heavy cream in the microwave (just to a simmer), then pour over white chocolate and butter.
- Stir it all together, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then stir again until smooth.
- Add in the Creme de Menthe and stir.
This ganache adds a delicious explosion of flavor when you bite into the cookies. Yum!
How to Make Chocolate Mint Cookies
Making mint chocolate thumbprint cookies is so simple. Make the cookies, make the ganache filling, then combine. We talked about the Creme de menthe filling above, so let’s go over the cookie part.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, beat butter and sugar together, then add in the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Combine the wet and dry mixtures in a mixing bowl, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- When the dough is ready, roll it into 3/4 inch balls, then roll each ball into the creme de menthe baking chips.
- Place the balls of dough on a baking sheet, and use a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to make “thumbprint” indentations.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes at 350°F.
- Once the cookies have baked and cooled, fill them with the creme de menthe ganache.
Can thumbprint cookies be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze thumbprint cookies. If you know you’re going to be freezing them for later rather than eating them right away, freeze the cookies without the ganache. You can then make the ganache fresh and fill them when serving. However, if you just want to store the leftover cookies, they are fine to freeze as is. I just prefer the filling when it’s fresh.
These Chocolate Mint Cookies will surely be a favorite this Christmas season. So much delicious mint flavor in one amazing cookie. Everyone will love them!
See the recipe card below for details on how to make Chocolate Mint Cookies. Enjoy!
If you like this thumbprint cookie recipe, try these other holiday cookie recipes:
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
- Snowball Cookies Recipe
- Chocolate Spritz Cookies
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies
- Cherry Cheesecake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Milano Cookies
- Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (2 Flavors)
Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120 grams
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 28 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar 133 grams
- 1 egg yolk 14 grams, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons whole milk 28 grams, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 10 ounces Crème de Menthe baking chips 283 grams, finely chopped (1 package)
For the Créme de Menthe Ganache
- 1 cup finely chopped white chocolate 170 grams (SEE NOTE)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 14 grams, chopped
- ¼ cup heavy cream 57 grams
- 1 tablespoon Créme de Menthe liqueur 12 grams (or ¼ teaspoon Crème de Menthe candy & baking flavoring)
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.1 cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until lighter in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes.8 tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and continue beating at medium-high speed until fully incorporated.1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoons whole milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Set speed to low, add the flour mixture all-at-once, and stir just until no flour is visible.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.
- While the cookie dough rests, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set oven rack to middle position, and preheat oven to 350°F.
- When the dough is ready, form it into ¾-inch balls.
- Firmly roll each ball in the finely chopped Crème de Menthe chips, and place the balls, 2-inches apart, on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Press an indentation in the middle of each ball (about ¾ way through the ball) with the greased rounded end of a wooden spoon handle or ½-teaspoon measure.10 ounces Crème de Menthe baking chips
- Bake the cookies for 10-12, minutes or until set.
- Remove cookies/tray from the oven and allow to cool for 1 minute. (If needed, carefully reshape the indentation on each cookie.)
- After 1-minute, transfer the cookies to the cooling rack to cool completely before filling.
- While the cookies cool, make the ganache.
- Place the white chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Set aside.1 cup finely chopped white chocolate, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Pour the cream in a different microwave-safe bowl and heat to a simmer (or just until a few bubbles are visible).¼ cup heavy cream
- Carefully pour the hot cream over the white chocolate/butter mixture, stir then leave it alone 2 minutes.
- After the chocolate has set for 2 minutes, stir until smooth.
- If the white chocolate and butter don’t fully melt, place ½ of the mixture in a clean microwave-safe bowl and heat 10-30 seconds (stirring every 10 seconds) until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Be careful the chocolate doesn’t get too hot – white chocolate is sensitive and can seize up if it gets overheated.
- Add the hot mixture to the cooler mixture and stir until smooth.
- Add the Crème de Menthe or flavoring and mix until smooth.1 tablespoon Créme de Menthe liqueur
- Once cookies have completely cooled, fill each with ½ teaspoon of Crème de Menthe Ganache. (The ganache should be soft. If necessary, reheat it in the microwave just until it has softened.)
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- NOTE: White chocolate will seize (harden) if any water is introduced to the mix or if the chocolate gets too hot.
- Be sure to use the best quality white chocolate available for the ganache, NOT baking chips.
Nutrition Information
These look yummy. I have a couple of questions.
It calls for unsweetened cocoa powder. Is that the same as cocoa?
Also what is your technique to fill the thumbprints with the ganache?
These cookies look like these have nuts in them. The creme de menthe does not melt when baked? Looks good!
The mint chips don’t fully melt. The cookies don’t have nuts, those are just the mint chips. You can melt them down fully, but when baking they hold their shape similar to the way chocolate chips do. Hope that makes sense!
Thank you. Sometimes I can’t play/watch you make the recipes. Do you know what I might be doing wrong? I click on it and it just keeps spinning.
That’s so odd…I’m not sure! I’ll ask my tech person what he thinks. Thanks for letting me know.