Loaded with real dark chocolate and peppermint, these thick, chewy keto thin mint cookies are 3.4g net carbs apiece. This low-carb copycat is the recipe I've been testing since 2018.
I didn't set out to make a copycat Girl Scout cookie. I was just trying to get peppermint and dark chocolate to work together in a keto cookie without that weird artificial aftertaste most sugar-free versions have. But after three years of adjusting ratios, swapping sweeteners, and making my family eat batch after failed batch, I landed on something that people keep mistaking for the real thing.
These are thick and chewy on purpose. Most copycat thin mint recipes go for a thin, crispy wafer dipped in chocolate. I tried that version. The almond flour crumbled, the coating cracked, and the whole thing tasted like a chocolate-covered crouton. So I went the other direction. A dense, fudgy cookie with the peppermint baked right into the dough. The texture is closer to a brownie bite than a wafer, and that's exactly what makes it work.
The peppermint is the hardest part to get right. I landed on exactly 1.5 teaspoons of peppermint extract for a single batch. Even a quarter teaspoon over that and it tips from refreshing to medicinal fast. If you're making a double batch, use 2 to 2.25 teaspoons, not the full 3. Peppermint compounds as the dough sits, so go lower than you think and taste the dough before scooping.
The dark chocolate base needs to be 70% cacao or higher. I use coconut oil instead of butter because it gives these cookies their chew without making them cakey. When you melt the chocolate, go slow (30-second intervals in the microwave) and let it cool before mixing into the dry ingredients. If the chocolate is too hot, it'll seize up when it hits the almond flour.
I keep a batch of these in the freezer most weeks. They're my go-to when I want something sweet after dinner that isn't a fat bomb or a mug cake. If you like chocolate and peppermint together, you should also try my keto German chocolate cookies or my keto Neapolitan cookies for something with layers. For a simpler keto cookie starting point, my almond flour cookies use a similar base. And if you want the opposite vibe (no oven at all), my keto no bake cookies come together in about ten minutes.
What surprised me most is how well these pass the taste test with people who aren't keto. One reader told me her dinner guests actually searched the table for a box they thought she'd opened. Another said her daughter had one, went quiet, and asked if there were more (she still doesn't know they're low carb). That's the bar I was aiming for, and it took about 40 batches to get there. If you're making these for the first time, trust the recipe. The dough will look dark and oily. That's normal. They set up as they cool and the texture clicks after about ten minutes of cooling on the baking tray.
After 10 minutes on the baking tray, the cookies finish cooling on a wire rack.
The chocolate flavor comes from 5 ounces of 70% dark chocolate plus a quarter cup of Cacao Bliss or unsweetened cocoa powder. Cacao Bliss sponsored this recipe.
Which Chocolate to Buy
This recipe uses dark chocolate that is 70% cacao or higher, plus sugar free chocolate chips. Most regular chocolate bars and chips have added sugar, so read the label. If you can’t find sugar free chocolate, baker’s chocolate from the baking aisle works. It is 100% unsweetened with no added sugar.
How to Melt Chocolate on the Stove
If you don’t want to use the microwave, a double boiler works. Set a saucepan with 1 to 2 cups of water on the burner over low heat. Place a bowl that is not plastic on top, and make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the chocolate and stir while the steam below the bowl melts it.
Tips for Getting These Right
Melt the chocolate slowly. I use 30-second intervals in the microwave and stir between each one. If you rush it, the chocolate seizes and you'll end up with grainy lumps in the dough. Let it cool for a few minutes before combining with the dry ingredients.
The coconut oil is doing more than adding fat. It's what gives these cookies their chew. I tested a batch with butter once and they spread too thin and came out crispy (the opposite of what I wanted). Stick with coconut oil for the right texture.
If you're using cocoa powder instead of Cacao Bliss, add the monkfruit sweetener. Without it, the cocoa version leans bitter, especially with 70% dark chocolate already in the mix. I spent a few batches dialing in the monkfruit ratio because too much goes metallic. The amount listed in the recipe is where I landed after testing.
One thing I wish I'd known earlier: these cookies keep getting better in the freezer. The peppermint mellows slightly and the chocolate firms up. I pull one straight from the freezer and eat it cold. If you like copycat keto treats, my keto oatmeal cream pies have that same nostalgic quality. And my keto peanut butter cookies use a similar almond flour base if you want to try a different flavor profile.
Using a microwave or a double boiler method, melt the dark chocolate at 30 second intervals or over low heat (respectively) until melted. Add in coconut oil and mix until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool.
3
Mix dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, Cacao Bliss or cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4
Add vanilla & peppermint
Stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts and sugar-free maple syrup into the chocolate mixture. Mix well. Then add to the dry ingredients.
5
Add eggs and chocolate chips
Mix in eggs and sugar-free chocolate chips until fully combined.
6
Add dough to cookie sheet
Scoop out a tablespoon of cookie dough and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Place cookie dough about 1 inch apart. Flatten down with the back of a spoon if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
7
Let cool
Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking tray after removing them from the oven. Then transfer to a wire rack.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 cookie
Calories
238
Fat
21.7g
Protein
5g
Total carbs
12.6g
Net carbs
3.4g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will these come out crispy like real thin mints or chewy?
Chewy, and that's intentional. I tested a thin, crispy wafer version with almond flour and it crumbled apart. The thick, fudgy approach holds together and actually tastes better. If you want a keto cookie with crisp edges, my keto Christmas tree cookies go that direction. But for this recipe, the chew is the whole point.
How do I scale the peppermint extract when doubling the recipe?
I've doubled this recipe probably a dozen times and my ratio is 2 to 2.25 teaspoons of peppermint extract for a double batch (not the full 3 teaspoons you'd get from straight doubling). Peppermint compounds as the dough sits, so it intensifies over time. I always taste the dough before scooping. If it's subtle at the dough stage, it'll be right after baking.
Can I dip these in a chocolate shell like the original Girl Scout cookies?
I've done it and it works, but you need to freeze the cookies for at least 30 minutes first. A frozen cookie gives you a clean dip without the chocolate sliding off. I melt sugar-free dark chocolate with a teaspoon of coconut oil for the coating, dip halfway, and set them on parchment. The shell firms up in about ten minutes at room temperature.
Can I make these without eggs?
I've tested this with flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flax plus 3 tablespoons water per egg, let it sit 5 minutes). The cookies come out slightly denser and don't spread as much, but the flavor is the same. I wouldn't skip the binding entirely though. Without eggs or a substitute, the dough falls apart.
Why does my dough feel oily after mixing?
That's normal and it worried me the first time too. The coconut oil and melted chocolate make the dough look wetter and oilier than a typical cookie dough. It sets up during baking and cooling. If your chocolate was too hot when you mixed it in, the oil can separate more. I let my melted chocolate cool for about 3 minutes before combining. The finished cookies won't be greasy.
How should I store these cookies?
I keep mine in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, but honestly they're better cold. After the first couple of days I move them to the fridge where they last about two weeks. The chocolate firms up in the fridge and the peppermint mellows a bit, which I actually prefer.
Can I freeze these for later?
This is how I store most of my batches. I lay them in a single layer in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and they keep for about three months. I eat them straight from the freezer. The texture is almost like a frozen fudge bite. If you want them soft again, 20 minutes on the counter does it.
What if I want to skip peppermint and do a different flavor?
I've had readers swap in espresso powder for a mocha version and it works. My one note: if you're using espresso with 70% cacao chocolate, the combination gets seriously dark and bitter. I'd bump the monkfruit sweetener up by a tablespoon or two to balance it. The base recipe is flexible enough for orange extract too, though I haven't tested that one myself yet.
Making a double batch for a cookie exchange later this month and want to get ahead. My big question is the chocolate dipping step. Better to bake and freeze them undipped, then coat after thawing? Or assemble fully and just freeze the finished cookies, pulling them out a day before? I’ve had bloom on frozen chocolate before. That’s what I’m worried about here. Also curious if the peppermint layer holds up differently than plain chocolate would.
Min, I’d freeze them undipped. I lay mine in a single layer in a freezer bag with the air squeezed out, and after they thaw I pop them back in the freezer for 30 minutes before dipping, so the shell sets clean and you skip the bloom. The peppermint’s in the dough here, not a separate layer, so it holds up the same as the chocolate does.
My microwave runs hot so I was nervous about the chocolate melting step. 30-second intervals saved it. They came out actually chewy, which I didn’t expect with almond flour. First keto baking project here, so honestly I was just hoping they’d hold together. Question: is the peppermint supposed to be that intense right out of the oven, or does it calm down as they cool?
Diane, that’s the real test. I’ve brought these to two different school events and gotten the same reaction. Keep them in the fridge after day two. The texture gets even better cold.
Chalky was the exact thing I kept running into with other keto versions. Melted dark chocolate instead of leaning on cocoa powder alone is what fixes it.
Don’t straight-scale it, Yuki. For a double batch I use 2 to 2.25 teaspoons instead of the full 3 – peppermint compounds as the dough sits. For triple I’d start at 3 to 3.5 and taste before you add more.
The peppermint extract hit when I opened the oven and I teared up a little. I know that sounds dramatic but my mom used to get boxes every spring and that smell just took me there. Made the whole batch in one afternoon and sat with a warm one for probably five minutes. Two years keto, I stopped expecting food to do that.
Pulled back the peppermint to 1 teaspoon and they taste more like the actual Girl Scout cookie to me, that ratio where the chocolate still comes through instead of the mint taking over. Also melting the dark chocolate with the coconut oil together at the start instead of separately saved me a bowl and the dough came together noticeably faster.
1 teaspoon is where the chocolate actually comes through without competing with the mint. I usually land around 1.25 for my taste but 1 is a legit call if you want it closer to the original ratio. Melting them together is what I do too.
Thin mints were the one thing I genuinely missed going keto. This nailed the peppermint-to-chocolate ratio in a way I’d stopped expecting. Already on my second batch this month.
Second batch already is the right call. These freeze really well if you want to stretch batch three a little longer. I eat them straight from the freezer.
Grew up eating Thin Mints straight from the freezer, whole sleeve at a time. Hadn’t let myself think about them in three years. The peppermint-to-chocolate ratio here is dead-on. Made a batch last night and ate four standing over the counter.
The 1.5 teaspoons of peppermint extract looked like way too much when I was measuring it out. It’s not. That ratio with the dark chocolate is what gets these tasting like actual thin mints and not just a rough keto stand-in.
Batch six and I finally stopped second-guessing the 1.5 teaspoons of peppermint. That’s the sweet spot. Chocolate sets up clean in the fridge, inside stays chewy even on day three.
Day three is actually when I like them best. The chocolate firms up and the inside goes full fudgy. Took me a while to trust cold storage on these but it’s the right call.
Thin Mints were my thing every Girl Scout season. Not one box, multiple. I gave them up when I started keto two years ago and convinced myself it was just a habit, not something I actually missed. Then I made these. The peppermint extract in that dark chocolate dough hits exactly where it should, and the texture is not what I expected from a keto cookie at all. Thick and chewy in a way that feels real. I sat down with two of these and a cup of tea and teared up a little, which sounds dramatic, but I hadn’t let myself want something like this in a long time. I’ll be making these every March from now on.
My daughter saw these cooling on the counter and immediately said ‘those look like the ones from the green box.’ She had one, went completely quiet, then asked if there were more. I used Lily’s chips for the chocolate and I was honestly nervous the peppermint would be too strong, but it hit exactly right. She has no idea they’re keto and I’m keeping it that way.
Making a double batch for a Valentine’s Day treat exchange and wanted to check before I start: should I hold back on the peppermint extract when scaling up? It seems like one of those ingredients that goes from refreshing to toothpaste really fast. I usually scale extracts to about 75% when doubling a recipe, but curious if you have found a better ratio for these.
Your 75% instinct is right. I’d do about 2 – 2.25 tsp for a double batch, not the full 3. Peppermint compounds as it sits, so go lower and taste the dough before scooping.
Thanks for the tasty keto cookie recipe! Mine came out pretty well, although they didn’t look exactly like yours. We all loved them. Next time, I’m going to try omitting the peppermint extract and instead add some instant espresso powder for mocha-style cookies :).
