Low Carb Girl Scout Thin Mints

These are not Girl Scout Thin Mints. I say not for a reason; while nothing replaces the deliciousness of a Girl Scout Cookie, it’s not like we can have the real thing, especially if you suffer from wheat/gluten allergies or intolerance. I mean, those of us on a gluten free, sugar free lifestyle can’t munch into the box of heavenly bite-sized morsels of minty delight, now can we?

Thanks to the brilliance of Baking Bites I was able to adapt a thin mint based on her version of the classic, but using the experience I have with gluten free, sugar free cooking to bring the magic.

The process wasn’t easy (trial and error), but it was worth it. Especially for a cookie worth about 2 carbs (the Girl Scout version is 4.5).

Some things to think about: This is not going to be as crunchy as the standard cookie. The flavors are there, but not the crisp-crisp texture. To enhance the texture, I did leave the cookies to rest overnight before dipping them in chocolate. This is important because almond flour loved to retain moisture, so in order to get more bite out of it, allowing the cookies their time to dry out a bit is key.

Make sure to mill your sugar alcohols prior to using in the chocolate glaze (use a blender, a mill, a Ninja or food processor) or else your chocolate will be grainy.

Make sure to let the cookies sit out overnight to solidify. Almond flour tends to love nothing mkore than to crumble, and while the saying goes, “That’s the way the cookie crumbles,” that ain’t going to be your cookie. Can I get an allelu up in here?

Why did I add arrowroot powder? To thicken the dough. It adds a few carbs, but it’s worth it. You could sub for amaranth or another thickener. The disparity between the carb amounts in the nutritional information is due to the sugar alcohols, which are almost 0 carbs. If you want to count sweetener carbs, add a carb per cookie to be safe.

3/4 of a teaspoon of Truvia is equivalent to 1 Tbsp sugar, so adjust when using other sweeteners. For the chocolate glaze, use sweetener to taste. You might like yours sweeter or less sweet, so you can adjust in sweetener as you go.

Low Carb Girl Scout Thin Mints

Cookie:
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar equivalent substitute
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/3 cup heavy white cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp peppermint extract

Coating:
6 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup butter
8 tsp Truvia (more or less to taste)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot, cocoa powder and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, cream butter with sweetener.
3. Add in cream, peppermint and vanilla on slow speed.
4. Add in dry mixture until a dough forms.
5. Roll dough into 2-1/2″ logs and refrigerate for 2 hours or until the dough is firm.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Slice dough uniformly to 1/4″.
8. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes, until cookies begin to brown.
9. Cool completely on a baking rack, and allow to sit out overnight to solidify.

For the coating:
1. Combine cocoa, butter, and Truvia in a microwave safe dish.
2. Heat for 45 seconds on high and then stir to incorporate ingredients.
3. Heat for another 45 seconds. Stir.

To assemble:
1. Using a fork, carefully drop each cookie into the chocolate and turn over.
2. Place on wax paper to dry.
3. Refrigerate remaining.

Makes roughly 42 cookies.

Nutritional Information per cookie, roughly: Calories: 67g, Carbohydrates: 8g , Fiber: 1g, Net Carbohydrates: 1.6,g Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g

Per the Original Girl Scout Thin Mint: Calories: 40g, Carbohydrates: 4.5g , Fiber: 0g, Net Carbohydrates: 4.5,g Protein: 0g, Fat: 1.5g