Fresh Mint chocolate Chip Cookies, GF

By MaryEllen

Move over Thin Mints. These cookies use fresh mint leaves in the cookie dough for an incomparably fresh flavor.

Ingredients

• Ingredients:
• 2 1/3 (338 g) cups gluten free all-purpose flour such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Blend
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (160 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (149 g) sugar
• .75 ounce (20 g) fresh chocolate mint leaves (1 cup lightly packed, leaves only), such as chocolate mint or peppermint, washed and dried, very finely minced. Very. (See Tips)
• 1 cup (2 sticks; 226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 12 ounces (340 g; about 2 cups) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks, cut into approximately 1/2 inch (12 mm pieces; we like 60% to 70% cacao)

Details

Servings 24
Preparation time 1mins
Cooking time 1mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preparation:

Whisk together flour blend, baking soda and salt to aerate and combine; set aside.
Place brown sugar, sugar and minced mint in the bowl of standing mixer or a regular mixing bowl. Use flat paddle attachment for a stand mixer or just the regular beaters for a handheld mixer and beat the sugars and mint on medium speed for about 2 minutes. The rough sugar particles will be grinding against the mint leaves extracting all that cool minty flavor that we want.
Add the butter and continue beating on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Fat is a great carrier of flavor and the aromatic mint oil will combine with the butter at this point, setting the stage for the most awesomely fresh mint chocolate chunk cookies you have ever tasted. Beat in vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time allowing each one to be incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the dry mixture until a few streaks of flour remain. Add chocolate and beat just until combined. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
Position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F/190° Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Form golf ball sized balls and place the cookies 8 per pan, spaced evenly apart. No need to press them down.
Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned with the edges firmer than the centers, which should be soft. The cookies firm up tremendously upon cooling. Cool cookies completely on pans set on racks. (Make subsequent batches with cooled pans). Cookies are best served the same day but may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tips

Truth be told I like to chop my mint for this recipe in the food processor fitted with a metal blade. I pulse the processor a few times and then process the mint until it is as fine as can be without turning into a paste. Of course, this means that you would be using and dirtying both a food processor and an electric mixer for this recipe and that might seem like a lot to ask. You can mince the mint by hand using a sharp chef’s knife. Just be patient and chop, chop, chop.