Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Course: cookie, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 12

Chill Time: 10

Total Time: 37

Servings: cookies

Calories: 170kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

These soft and fluffy Andes chocolate cookies are loaded with cocoa powder, chocolate chips, peppermint extract, and real Andes chocolate mint candies!

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
2 Baking Sheet(s)
Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter slightly melted (2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
½ teaspoon peppermint extract *
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder **
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips optional
1½ cups finely chopped Andes mints divided***

Instructions

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat until well mixed, 1-2 minutes.
1 cup salted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and cornstarch together. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined. Do not overmix.
2½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Gently fold in all the chocolate chips and 1 cup of the chopped Andes mints.
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 1½ cups finely chopped Andes mints
Using a 2-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, scoop cookies onto 1 of the prepared baking sheets. The cookies can be placed close to each other on the baking sheet in order to fit them all into the freezer in step 8. Use your hands to roll the cookies into smooth balls.
Press the remaining ½ cup of chopped Andes mints into the tops of each cookie.
Place the cookies in freezer for 10 minutes before baking. This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking. While the cookies chill, preheat oven to 350°F.
Take 6 cookies out of the freezer and place them on the second prepared baking sheet. The cookies should be at least 2 inches from each other on the baking sheet. Bake one tray of cookies at a time., leaving the other cookies in the freezer until you’re ready to bake them.
Bake each tray of cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until cookie edges seem set. The middles of cookies will still look slightly soft/undercooked and this is okay. They’ll finish baking on the hot tray when you remove them from the oven. Remove from oven and let cool completely on tray before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

*For a less peppermint-y cookie dough, just use vanilla extract. You'll still get minty flavor from the Andes.

**While you can use any type of cocoa powder in this recipe, I prefer to use unsweetened natural cocoa powder because the baking soda in these cookies helps to neutralize some of the acidity in natural cocoa powder, leading to a rich chocolate taste!

***If you can't find Andes, try substituting with an equal amount of chopped peppermint patties or After Eight mints.

Tips:

To slightly melt your butter, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 10-second intervals until you notice about ⅓-½ of the butter has melted.
Chilling the cookie dough is important! If the dough is too warm, it will quickly spread and lose its shape in the oven. And since it's filled with mint chocolates, they may also melt away completely--we want those to (mostly) keep their shape too.
If you notice your cookies are coming out flat, be sure that you're letting your baking sheets cool between batches. A hot baking sheet will liquefy the butter faster, leading to more spread and flatter, thinner cookies with less chew.

Storage: Store Andes chocolate cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. When you're ready to enjoy them, let them thaw on the counter. Warm them up in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes or microwave them for 30 seconds.

Nutrition