Girl Scout Cookies

By michaelmeiner

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (7.5 ounces) flour
• 1 cups (4 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa powder -- divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter -- at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 T. (11 ounces) sugar
• 1 extra large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
• 10 ounces mint chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup (3 ounces) vegetable shortening

Details

Servings 1

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325. Place 2 oven racks as close to the center of the oven as possible. Line 2 heavy duty baking sheets with parchment paper (greased and floured) or a silpat.

Sift the flour, 3/4 cup of cocoa powder, and the salt into a medium bowl. Set aside. Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the egg, 1 T. of water and the mint extract. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. The mixture may look curdled at this point, but that is fine. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well to incorporate all the flour. The dough will be stiff; it may be necessary to raise the mixer speed, or even finish mixing the dough with a wooden spoon.

To form the cookies, place the remaining 1/2 cup of cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Use a teaspoon to scoop up walnut sized pieces of dough. Roll them into balls with your fingers. Drop them into the cocoa and use a spoon to roll them in the cocoa to coat them completely. Place the balls on the baking sheets, leaving 1 1/2 inches between balls. Cover the balls of dough with deli wrap or wax paper. Use a flat-bottomed drinking glass to gently press the balls into disks that are 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Try to keep the edges the same thickness as the centers so that the cookies will bake evenly.

Bake the cookies for 16 minutes, switching the sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Remove the sheets from the oven, but maintain the oven temperature. Use a wide spatula to gently flip the cookies over. Return the sheets to the oven and bake for another 4 to 5, until the cookies are completely dry on both sides. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack.

To make the coating: melt the mint chips with shortening in a double boiler. Stir until melted and smooth, then strain it through a sieve into a small bowl. The mixture should be completely smooth, on the thin side and free-flowing.

Dip the cookies in the chocolate and set on a clean cookie sheet. Let the cookies harden at room temperature and then store the cookies between sheets of wax paper tightly covered. I personally refrigerate them for a while to set them better.