I promise the next recipe on here will be something other than macarons. I’ve just been on a macaron making kick and I want to share them all with you! This week we’re turning a classic Girl Scout cookie into a macaron and I think you’ll love it. Say hello to thin mint macarons!
Thin mints and Samoas are my two favourite Girl Scout cookies. I’m sure at some point I will turn Samoas into macarons too, but I decided to go with the slightly easier option and went with thin mints first.
Now, I didn’t buy any cookies from the sweet Girl Scout this year, but I did make my own thin mints and that’s what we’re using to decorate these macarons. If you did buy some and you haven’t eaten them all, you can use those. Less work for you! Although honestly, I wouldn’t blame you if you have eaten them all. They’re good.
Ok, let’s get back to what you all came here for, thin mint macarons!
Here’s what we’re doing to turn our cookies into macarons.
- Chocolate shells, because the cookie is a chocolate cookie covered in more chocolate.
- Chocolate peppermint ganache, to get that delicious chocolate peppermint flavour.
- A chocolate drizzle and crushed thin mints – drizzle for the crushed thin mints to stick to and crushed thin mints because, duh.
I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything, but I’ve had nothing but rave reviews for these macarons. Three people who claim to not like chocolate and mint together ate multiple of these and loved them. If that isn’t the best compliment, I don’t know what is! These will please even the fussiest of eaters!
So, my dear friends, find your thin mints (or make them), and whip up a batch of these macarons. I promise you will love them!
Thin Mint Macarons
Ingredients
- Shells:
- 275g almond flour
- 245g powdered sugar
- 5g dark cocoa powder
- 210g sugar
- 210g egg whites
- Chocolate Peppermint Ganache:
- 500g dark chocolate, chips or chopped
- 14 fl. oz. heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
- Topping:
- Melted chocolate
- Crushed thin mints
Directions
- Step 1 Shells:
- Step 2 To start, put the almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder in a food processor and blend thoroughly. Sift into a bowl to ensure there are no lumps.
- Step 3 In the bowl of a stand mixer (make sure it’s clean and dry), beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar, about 2 tbsp at a time, beating on a medium speed. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase speed to medium high and beat until a thick glossy meringue forms. The mixture should form stiff peaks and you should be able to tip the bowl over your head with none of the mixture coming out.
- Step 4 With a large, flat rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of almond flour/powdered sugar mixture into egg whites until combined. Repeat until all of the almond mixture has been added. Fold to combine until you see no streaks of almond flour in the batter. The batter should be pretty fluid, a lot of people describe as a lava-like consistency. It should run smoothly off the spatula when you pull it out. This part comes with practice. Once you know the consistency, you’ll just be able to feel when it’s ready.
- Step 5 Pipe the batter into circles onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheets. Bang the tray a few times on a table to remove air bubbles and allow to sit for about 30 minutes before baking. To see if they’re ready for baking, touch your finger to them. If you get batter on your finger, they need to rest longer.
- Step 6 While resting, preheat your oven to 300°F with a rack placed in the lower third of the oven. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 15-18 minutes (this depends on your oven, my old one was fine at 15 minutes, this one needs 17-18). The shells should cool completely before you remove them from the parchment/silicone.
- Step 7 Chocolate Peppermint Ganache:
- Step 8 Put chocolate chips/pieces into a bowl.
- Step 9 In a saucepan, heat the cream and extract until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir to fully incorporate then add in the butter and stir until combined. Cool to room temp and let it sit until reached desired piping consistency.
- Step 10 Shell Decoration/Assembly:
- Step 11 Pair up the macaron shells. On the top side of half of the shells, drizzle some melted chocolate and top with crushed thin mints.
- Step 12 Pipe the peppermint ganache on one half of each pair and sandwich the shells together.
