By now, you all know just how much I love sugar cookies. But today, we are going to have a little interlude with a classic Christmas cookie. My littles are always begging for a chance to help me bake and decorate, and honestly, sugar cookie decoration is a bit outside their skill set right now, but this one is just right. Minty, chewy, and perfect for little hands to bake.
Who doesn’t love Andes mints? If someone doesn’t, then I don’t want to know about it. This is a cookie that almost everyone has had at some point during a holiday season, but I bet not everyone realizes just how easy they are to make up on a cold winter day (or a hot summer day, I won’t judge you!). Generally, this recipe takes two boxes of Andes mints, so buy three and head off any complaining from your family about there being no mints to unwrap and eat on their own. Without further ado, let’s get baking!
Click here for a quick print version of this recipe!
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Andes mint pieces, crushed roughly
24 Andes mints for topping
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl. Beat in the egg and extracts until well-blended. Slowly add in the flour/cocoa mixture, mix until combined.
Crush a box of Andes mints in a Ziploc bag. This is my girls’ favorite part! Mix them into the dough. The dough will be thick.
Using your hands, roll the dough into balls about 1″ around and place 2″ apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate at least two hours.
Preheat the oven to 350. While you wait, unwrap the second box of mints and break them all in half. Take the cold baking sheet out of the oven and bake the cookies for about 9 minutes. They may look a little puffy and underdone when you pull them out, but this is okay. You don’t want them to be crunchy. (Or do you? I’d still eat them.)
As soon as the sheet comes out of the oven, press two mint halves lightly into the center of each cookie. Wait about a minute, then use the back of a spoon to smooth the mint into a melted circle on top of the cookie. Allow to cool several minutes on the baking sheet before moving a rack.
Quick Print Recipe!
Andes Mint Meltaway Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup Andes mint pieces roughly crushed
- 24 pieces Andes mints broken in half
Instructions
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and extracts.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine. Mix in the crushed Andes mint pieces.
- Roll the dough into 1" balls and place 2" apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate two hours.
- Preheat oven to 350. Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes. Immediately after removing from oven, place two Andes mint pieces in the center of each cookie.
- Allow the pieces to melt for about 1 minute, then smooth the mints into a circular shape with the back of a spoon. Cool on the sheet for several minutes before moving to a rack.
