This thick, super soft, mint chocolate cookie cake is deliciously inspired by Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies...but GIANT! Use my DIY foil pan hack to make this easy cookie cake without a fancy pan!
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Why I Love This Thin Mint Cookie Cake
- It's like a soft, chewy thin mint! I love the crunchy thin mint cookies but this recipe has that delicious texture of a traditional, chewy cookie cake!
- Tastes amazing: Using peppermint extract in the dough & coating, along with Hershey's "dark" cocoa powder gives it a rich, mint chocolate flavor (the dark cocoa also tends to make the cookie softer than regular cocoa powder!).
- Easy to make! You don't even need a cookie cake pan to make this; simply bake on a cookie sheet and use my DIY foil pan hack to help it keep its shape!
Tips for Success
- Use a good-tasting cocoa powder! You don't need to spend a fortune on super-high quality cocoa powder but alot of generic brands taste pretty bad. I love using Hershey's "dark" cocoa powder for this recipe because it's easy to find, tastes great, and is affordable!
- Don't overbake: The key to a soft & chewy cookie cake is to not overbake! It can be a bit harder to tell of brown-ness with a chocolate cookie, so just keep an eye on it and take it out once the center no longer looks "wet".
- Melt chocolate slowly: Whenever melting chocolate in the microwave, always heat on 50% power. For this recipe, heat for 30 second increments until full melted, stirring in between. Microwaving on 50% power is important to melt the chocolate slowly to prevent from the chocolate seizing or burning.
How to Make Thin Mint Cookie Cake:
This is just an overview with step-by-step photos, jump down to the full recipe card for ingredient amounts and instructions.
Step 1: Mix Dough
Warm the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan until it's just melted. Combine the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir them together.
Next, stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, followed by the baking soda and salt. Mix in dark cocoa powder and flour, followed by the chopped chocolate chips. Mix the dough until well-combined.
Tip: I recommend mixing this by hand (rather than with a mixer) to ensure a chewy texture
Step 2: Press Into Pan
Grease your cookie cake pan well (make sure you get all the edges!) and spread the dough into an even layer. If you plan to invert the cake onto a tray, I also recommend lining the bottom with parchment paper in order for the cookie cake to invert out of the pan easily.
Tip: If you don't have a round cookie cake pan, you can make an easy-peasy DIY foil cookie cake pan!
Step 3: Bake
Place the cookie cake in an oven preheated to 350ºF and bake it for 16-18 minutes (for DIY foil pan) or 12 to 14 minutes (for metal pan), or until the center no longer looks super wet. It might look a little under-baked, but the residual heat from the pan will continue to bake the cookie even after you take it out of the oven. Let cool completely before decorating.
Step 4: Cover with Chocolate
- Add 1 cup whole chocolate chips and ¼ cup butter to a small to medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Heat on 50% power for 30 second increments until full melted, stirring in between. Microwaving on 50% power is important to melt the chocolate slowly to prevent from the chocolate seizing or burning.
- Once melted, add in the ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract and stir. Before spreading, set aside about 2 tablespoons of chocolate for the drizzle
- Spread melted chocolate over cooled cookie cake until tops and sides are covered. Place the 2 tablespoons of reserved chocolate in a piping bag or ziploc bag with a tiny corner cut off, then drizzle over top for added presentation.
Step 5: Slice & Enjoy
Allow chocolate to harden before cutting, then slice and enjoy! For clean cuts, use a large chef's knife and use a hot towel to wipe off the knife in between each cut.
Frequently Asked Questions:
While I like the dark color & texture the dark cocoa gives (it gives it a softer, chewier texture), you can definitely use regular cocoa powder (you can see the color difference in my Triple Chocolate Cookie Cake).
If you don't have a 11-inch cookie cake pan, make my easy DIY cookie cake pan out of foil!
If you make this giant thin mint chocolate cookie cake, be sure to leave a comment below and tag me on Instagram @designeatrepeat. I LOVE seeing what you made!
Giant Thin Mint Cookie Cake
Ingredients
Cookie Cake Recipe
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) You will be melting this - use real butter and not margarine!
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Hershey's unsweetened "dark" cocoa powder I love Hershey's "Special Dark" cocoa because it results in a softer cookie but you can use regular unsweetened cocoa, if needed.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (You'll be chopping these).
Quick Chocolate Coating
- ¼ cup unsalted butter Use real butter and not margarine!
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips I find Hershey's brand to melt the smoothest in the microwave
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ degrees.
- Roughly chop 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips using a knife, rolling pin, or meat mallet (if not using a knife, place chips in a plastic bag while crushing). Set aside.
- Warm the unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick) in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan until it's just melted.
- Combine the melted unsalted butter with the light brown sugar (½ cup) and granulated sugar (¼ cup) in a mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir them together (*do not use a mixer!).
- Next, stir in the egg (1 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), and peppermint extract (½ teaspoon), followed by the baking soda (½ teaspoon) and salt (½ teaspoon). Mix in unsweetened dark cocoa powder (½ cup) and all-purpose flour (1 cup) until well-combined, then stir in chopped chocolate chips.
- Immediately spread dough into a greased 11" cookie cake pan or DIY foil pan.
- Bake at 350° degrees with timing dependent on the type of pan (see my DIY foil pan hack in the post above). Bake the center no longer looks super wet. For metal pan: Bake for 12-14 minutes.For foil pan (spray foil with nonstick cooking spray): Bake for 16-18 minutes.
- Cool completely before spreading on chocolate.
To Make Chocolate:
- Add whole semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup) and unsalted butter (¼ cup, i.e. ½ stick) to a small to medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Heat on 50% power for 30-second increments until fully melted, stirring in between. Microwaving on 50% power is important to melt the chocolate slowly to prevent the chocolate from seizing or burning.
- Once melted, add in the peppermint extract (¼ teaspoon) and stir. Before spreading, set aside about 2 tablespoons of chocolate for the drizzle
- Spread melted chocolate over cooled cookie cake until tops and sides are covered. Place the 2 tablespoons of reserved chocolate in a piping bag or ziploc bag with a tiny corner cut off, then drizzle over top for added presentation.
- Allow chocolate to harden before cutting, then slice and enjoy!
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
SOOOOO GOOD! tastes just like a thin mint 😋