These easy Andes cookies are perfectly chewy, packed with just right amount of melty mint chocolate chunks, and the exact cookie I imagine us sitting around my coffee table eating with steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Lights will twinkle on the tree, I’ll play Michael Bublé’s Christmas album for the fifth time, and we’ll all help ourselves to a third cookie. Doesn’t that sound festive?
My Christmas season never feels complete until I’ve made at least one mint chocolate baked good. These Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Mint Brownies were favorites in years past. This season, I wanted to go for a slightly different theme with my cookie recipes. As I alluded in my post for my Perfect Cream Cheese Cookies (<—P.S.A. they’re the only recipe for cut out cookies you’ll need), over the last few weeks, I’ve been playing around with classic Christmas cookie recipes. We often make the same recipes year after year at the holidays. My goal is to take the most popular treats on the cookie tray and give them a little twist, without sacrificing the traditional flavors and memories that make baking this time of year so special, fun, and connected to both the past and present. This mint Christmas cookie recipe is the first! I’m so excited for you to try these Andes mint cookies. Their texture reminds me of the barely crisp at the edges, thick and chewy in the middle, and you-know-this-has-to-be-real-butter cookies that my grandma would make, with a few modern updates.
How to Make the Best Andes Mint Cookies
Be generous with the Andes mints. This recipe reflects my ideal mint-chocolate-candy-to-dough ratio. You’ll have a generous, borderline naughty amount of Andes mints in every bite but not so many that you lose the wonderfulness of the cookie itself. You can use either chopped Andes mints candies or Andes Crème de Menthe Baking Chips. Personally, I prefer chopping actual Andes mint candies because I like the mix of smaller and larger pieces, BUT it is more time consuming to open all those little wrappers. If you prefer speed, a bag of the crème de menthe chips does the job and still makes for very yummy, easy Andes Mint Cookies. ^^If you have leftover candies and are looking for Andes mint recipes to use them up but don’t have quite enough for the full recipe, you can also mix the chopped candies and baking chips. Ditch the dye. I know it’s common to make green Andes Mint cookies by mixing in green food coloring, but I’m less of a fan. Food dye can have an odd aftertaste. Plus, I love the way the bits of chocolate stand out against the deeply golden color of the cookies. Add espresso powder. This is my secret weapon whenever I’m baking anything containing chocolate. It won’t make the cookies taste like coffee; rather, it helps the flavor of the chocolate to pop. If you do omit it, your cookies will come out a bit lighter than mine, so be sure not to overbake them. Go whole wheat. I snuck in my customary white whole wheat flour for a little extra nutrition boost, and you cannot tell one bit! Remind yourself of this nutritious addition as you reach for another.
If you are a lover all of things Andes mint cookies, you can also check out my Andes Mint STUFFED Cookies, which are pillowy soft sugar cookies with Andes mints inside and vanilla glaze on top. They’re more painstaking to make than this recipe for easy Andes mint cookies, which is straightforward and similar to making any chocolate chip cookie recipe. They are, however, indisputably delicious, and I suspect you won’t regret taking the time for them one bit.
A Few Final Andes Mint Cookies Recipe Notes
I haven’t tried this as gluten free Andes mint cookies, but I think you could swap a 1:1 gluten free baking flour blend like this one for the regular flour. You’ll notice this recipe doesn’t have an egg, which is correct. That means it is nearly vegan, so if you want to make it completely vegan, you can replace the butter with melted coconut oil. Don’t skip chilling the dough. This is super important for the right texture, ensuring the cookies don’t spread too much, and giving the dry ingredients valuable time to absorb the wet ingredients.
How to Store These Andes Mint Cookies
To Store. Store cookies at room temperature for up to 5 days. To Freeze. Place cookies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Did these Andes mint cookies and I just make your Christmas baking list a little longer? I sure hope so ?.
