These Andes mint chocolate cookies are soft and rich, unapologetically chocolate-y, and crowned with a sweet crème de menthe-flavored “frosting” swirl. What a treat!
One reader, Catherine, commented: “I never write reviews, but this cookie recipe was PHENOMENAL. I have so many favorites from this website, but this cookie gave me the most perfect, chewy texture and it was like heaven on Earth. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Janet, commented: “Made these and the first word that comes to mind is ‘AMAZING!’ I had to quickly freeze a dozen since my husband devoured six before they even had a chance to cool. A new family favorite. Thank you, Sally. ★★★★★“
Peppermint screams flashy red-and-white, as evidenced by recipes like peppermint bark and peppermint mocha cookies. I love mint and chocolate, but today we’re using peppermint’s smooth green counterpart: cool crème de menthe—”mint cream”—for these decadent chocolate cookies.
My family and I used to make these cookies a lot, and we got the recipe from Allrecipes. It’s been YEARS since I made them, and I decided to change the cookie dough so there’s no pre-cooking involved.
You don’t need any special extracts or flavorings for these cookies; just a package of Andes mints. There’s no peppermint extract at all! Do you ever use Andes mints in baking? These crème de menthe-flavored chocolates are billed as “after-dinner mints,” and they melt in your mouth. I chop them up to use in recipes like soft Andes mint chocolate chunk cookies and Andes mint fudge… but you don’t need a cutting board for today’s cookies.
Instead, we’re taking advantage of Andes’ meltaway quality, and letting the warm baked cookies do the work to make a delicious chocolate mint topping. No additional icing recipe to make—it’s such an easy cookie decorating trick, it almost feels like cheating!
Why You’ll Love These Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies
- Super soft and chewy
- Crisp and sparkly sugar coating—like a snickerdoodle or soft molasses cookie, except CHOCOLATE!
- Simple, basic ingredients
- Mint flavor isn’t too sharp or overpowering at all—young kids love these
- Easy decorating: Swirl a melted Andes mint chocolate to make this “cheater’s frosting” 😉
The Softest, Fudgiest Chocolate Cookies
If you were to close your eyes and take a bite of one of these cookies, you’d be surprised to find a cookie instead of one of my mint chocolate brownies in your hand. We can thank my favorite chocolate cookie dough for that, a go-to base I use when making double chocolate chip cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies too. There’s a reason my team and I turn to this cookie dough often (and why so many readers love it as well)… it WORKS! The magical dough creates rich, thick, and chewy chocolate cookies that stay soft for days. If they last that long (a rare occurrence, I can assure you).
For today’s recipe, I made 2 small changes to the base dough. I replaced a bit of cocoa powder with flour so the cookie dough rolls in sugar a bit neater. And there’s still PLENTY of chocolate flavor, especially with the mint chocolate candy on top. I also slightly reduced the milk… just by a smidge.
I’m a broken record again today repeating that you must chill this cookie dough for at least 2 hours (and up to 3 days). It’s imperative in this recipe, so plan accordingly.
Grab These Ingredients:
All basic baking ingredients. You’ll use granulated sugar both in the dough and for coating the cookies. Unsweetened natural cocoa powder is ideal and if you’re interested in learning more, here’s my page all about Dutch-Process vs Natural Cocoa Powder. Cocoa is a very drying ingredient, so don’t leave out the 2 teaspoons of milk in the recipe. Any milk, dairy or nondairy, is fine.
Expect a sticky dough, but again, not nearly as sticky as these double chocolate cookies.
After the dough chills for 2 hours, it’s much easier to handle and roll into balls. You’ll use 1 heaping Tablespoon of dough per cookie, about 25g each if you’re using a kitchen scale. (Same size as these peanut butter snickerdoodles.) Coat each with sugar before placing on your lined baking sheets:
Bake the cookies and watch as they puff up, and then slightly deflate into crinkly cuteness:
Easy Chocolate Mint Cookie “Icing”
These fudge-like chocolate cookies with a hint of mint are similar to my chocolate peppermint thumbprint cookies, but without the added step of making ganache. Or these chocolate frosted cookies and peppermint frosted chocolate cookies, without the added step of making frosting. I think you get the point. These cookies are EASY.
Here’s how to “frost” them: After the cookies have baked, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for just 2 minutes, then lightly press an Andes mint in the center of each warm cookie. Set a timer for 5 minutes, to let the Andes mint chocolate get all soft and melty, then give it a little swirl with a knife or icing spatula. COULDN’T BE EASIER. (Yes, I need to shout that!) You’ll love having this easy recipe in your lineup of Christmas cookies.
What Can I Use Instead of an Andes Chocolate Mint?
If you can’t find Andes chocolate mints, you have a few other options. The process for spreading (step 7 below) is the same for all of these options—some chocolates will melt more than others, though.
- Hershey’s Kisses mint chocolate or candy cane flavor
- Mini York peppermint patties
- Cadbury mint chocolate buttons
- 1/2 of an After Eight mint chocolate thin
- 1 small rectangle/piece of a Hershey’s chocolate bar; if using plain chocolate, add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract to the cookie dough when you add the vanilla.
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 22-24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These crinkly chocolate cookies are soft and rich like a fudge brownie, and topped with a melted Andes chocolate mint swirl. Chilling the cookie dough for 2 hours is imperative.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (45g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) milk (any kind, dairy or nondairy, is fine)
Coating & Topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 22–24 Andes chocolate mints, unwrapped
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg and vanilla extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour into the wet ingredients. Beat on low until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Switch to high speed and beat in the milk. The cookie dough will be thick and sticky.
- Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is imperative for this sticky cookie dough.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. Scoop and roll dough, 1 heaping Tablespoon (about 25g) of dough each, into balls. Roll each in granulated sugar and arrange 2–3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes or until the edges appear set. Tip: If they aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2–3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.
- Cool cookies for just 2 minutes on the baking sheet. Press 1 Andes chocolate mint into the top of each warm cookie. Let the chocolate sit for 5 minutes, and then use a knife, icing spatula, or toothpick to gently swirl/spread the melted chocolate.
- Transfer “frosted” cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool. Andes chocolate sets matte in less than 1 hour, so you can easily store, stack, and transport the cookies. For a shinier look, serve shortly after topping, or gently warm the Andes topping for a few seconds before serving.
- Cover leftover cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (step 3). Baked cookies with Andes chocolate mint topping freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls (before rolling in sugar) will freeze well for up to 3 months. Let sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes, preheat the oven, then roll in granulated sugar. Bake as directed. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Icing Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Larger Batch: The recipe is easy to double in 1 mixing bowl without overwhelming your mixer. Simply double all of the cookie dough ingredients. Dough chill time remains the same.
- Natural Cocoa Powder: Do you know the difference between natural cocoa powder and dutch-process cocoa powder? Use natural cocoa powder in this dough.
- What can I use instead of Andes mints? If you can’t find Andes chocolate mints, other options include Hershey’s Kisses mint chocolate or candy cane flavor, mini York peppermint patties, or Cadbury mint chocolate buttons. If you can’t find any of those, use 1 small rectangle/piece of a Hershey’s chocolate bar; if using plain chocolate, you can add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract to the cookie dough when you add the vanilla. You could also use 1/2 of an After Eight mint chocolate thin. The process for spreading (step 7) is the same for all of these options—some chocolates will melt more than others, though.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
- Recipe idea from Allrecipes using my own chocolate dough.
Reader Comments and Reviews
The dough is chilling in the fridge overnight, but I baked off 4 for tonight’s dessert and WOW! These are amazing. It’s the flavor of a thin mint but with a nice, soft texture and a perfect crunch from the sugar.
I grew up with the version of these made with melted chocolate too. I made them for years as an adult but stumbled into your version this winter. I’ve made so many things from your website that have turned out better than my own recipes so I gave these a try. They were absolutely amazing! The bit of crunch from the sugar on the outside adds so much to these cookies. My husband looks forward to my Andes mint cookies every year and he‘s asked me to make this version from now on. Thanks so much for making a better version of a family favorite!
I have all my ingredients ready & notice there’s no espresso powder in these. Is there a reason for that? Otherwise, how much would you recommend adding?
Hi Barbara, this is the same base dough as our double chocolate chip cookies. You can certainly add espresso powder if you wish — we’d start with about a teaspoon, but feel free to adjust more/less to your tastes. Enjoy!
Thank you *so* much for getting right back to me so quickly — I was just about to add the dry ingredients. You guys never disappoint!
Made these last night. The recipe was easy to follow & turned out wonderfully. Next time I’ll double the recipe. Thanks for your great recipes! Nancy
Mine came out perfectly, just like the photos. I swirled mint with a toothpick and made sure a bit of green peeked through. Cookie is so chocolaty. Delicious!
I really am looking forward to trying these! However, while the hubby loves Andes, he doesn’t care for chocolate cookies. Could I separate out half of the dough before adding the cocoa to keep part of the dough vanilla? Would I need to add anything to the dough to compensate for the lack of cocoa?
Hi Stella, the cocoa powder would need to be replaced with some flour, but unfortunately it’s not always a 1:1 swap. You can certainly try experimenting, or you could use the dough from these candy cane kiss cookies (leave out the peppermint extract if you wish) and place the Andes mint on top of those. Let us know what you try!
I made these gluten free as my child has celiac disease (with King Arthur 1:1 measure for measure flour). These are AMAZING. I’m making my 3rd batch this season right now! My husband brought these to a party and people were raving about them. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Soft and soooo chocolatey! The use of the Andes mint as “frosting” is genius; so easy. Another win from Sally!
Correction: Not “soft” … I should have said “chewy”.
Also note: I’m at high altitude and did not modify. Next time I may try some standard altitude adjustments though these are very tasty as is.
Can the step of rolling the cookies in sugar be skipped? Will the cookies be sweet enough?
Hi Robin! Yes, absolutely.
I made these this week and they were a huge fail for me. I followed the recipe to a T and chilled for 24 hours. They were a huge sticky mess and spread out very thinly when baking so they were crisp, not chewy. I did several batches of just two or three cookies to test the timing and found I had to take them out after less than 10 minutes. Also the mints did not melt on top unless I stuck them back in the oven, so ended up baking for six minutes, adding the mints, and baking for another three minutes. They tasted good but we’re not at all what was pictured. I’m so disappointed, I don’t know what I did wrong.
Hi Katherine, we’re happy to help you troubleshoot. If the dough was overly sticky, it sounds like your flour may have been under measured. Be sure to use the spoon and level method (or even a food scale for the most accurate measurements) to ensure just the right amount of flour to help absorb the wet ingredients. Be sure your butter is just room temperature (it may be cooler than you think!), otherwise warm butter can also increase spreading. This post on how to prevent cookies from spreading may also be helpful to review. Thank you for giving this one a try, and let us know if we can help troubleshoot further.
Thank you, I’ll keep these in mind for the next batch. On another note, I made the M&M cookie bars yesterday and they were perfect and so good!!
I had the same thing happen and after re-reading the recipe I noticed I missed the part where it says natural cocoa and not Dutch processed. Then I read the post about the difference between the two and realized that’s where I went wrong. Not sure if that’s the case for you but knowing this mistake, I’ll try again because the cookie tastes good but doesn’t look great 🙂
I made these over the weekend and they were perfect! I will be making these every holiday season! We had to pack the cookies up so we put them in the freezer for about 2 minutes to set and it worked perfectly.
I saw this recipe and I had to make these!!!!! I’m so glad I did!!! Wow! They were very easy (a bit of a mess when rolling them), but I would toss the dough back in the fridge to try to control the carnage on my hands. The texture is unreal and the Andes mint was amazing A keeper for sure!!!!! Thank you again for yet another great recipe, Sally. I seriously never use any other recipe when I bake.
If I wanted to add some chopped andes and chocolate chips to the dough how much can the dough handle? I’ve made your other andes cookie with add ins and it was delicious I’m just looking for a double chocolate version.
Hi Meghan! You can add up to 1 cup chopped andes mints or chocolate chips to this dough. Enjoy!
These are soooo yummy! I just finished making them for the first time and will have to make another batch tomorrow!
OMG! Delicious! Taste like thin mints. Mine are not as soft and chewy as I like, I’ll take them out sooner next time. I baked 11 minutes.
Sally!! You have done it again. I made these for my friends last night and everyone was obsessed – they couldn’t stop eating them! Thanks for all the great recipes
Is it okay to skip rolling them in sugar? I never like the extra sugar on cookies haha!
You can absolutely skip!
Hi Amy,
Am I able to substitute Cane Sugar for Granulated Sugar?
Thanks!
Abbey
I’m sure that would be fine in this recipe.
I made these yesterday so good. They remind me of thin mints I love how easy they came together great recipe
These were incredible. I did a batch with regular Andes and another with the Peppermint Crunch Andes that are out for the holidays, and those might have been even better.
Hi Sally,
Wow, these cookies are so easy to make. I love them the mint is just enough, but what do you think about rolling them in vanilla sugar instead of plain sugar?
I think they could be very addictive. I’m actually going to make another batch next week.
Sounds delicious! Let us know if you give it a try.
If I wanted to skip the Andes candy and add peppermint extract to the dough, how much would I use? Would I omit the vanilla as well?
Hi Sal, you can add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract to the cookie dough when you add the vanilla (do not omit or change the amount of vanilla).
I made these today to add to a Christmas cookie platter. They were delicious!
Hi! Can these be frozen?
Hi Liz, they sure can!! See the recipe notes for make ahead and freezing instructions.
Sally-I can only find Dutch process cocoa powder where I live. Will it work or should I pass on these cookies?
Hi Amy! You really need natural cocoa powder for these cookies. You can read more about the difference in different cocoa powders in baking if you’re interested!
Thanks for such a speedy answer. I do know about the different kinds, but can only find the Dutch process without spending a lot of money. You guys have many other recipes that I know will be delicious!
Could you add espresso powder to these like your peppermint mocha cookies (which are a big favorite around here)
Absolutely! I would try 1 teaspoon.
What type of espresso powder do you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Michelle! Any brand will work great — Medaglia D’Oro, Dellalo, and King Arthur are a few we use.
Sally, I love, love your chocolate cookies! Can’t wait to make these. Would it be ok to use the Andes mint chips? Or are they like chocolate chips and have stabilizers added? Thanks so much for all your work!
Hi Donna, those usually work just fine!
Another cookie, which, straight from the oven, I think might be the best cookie I’ve ever tasted. After one roll in the sugar, I rolled them in my palm again lightly and then dipped in the sugar again, just for an extra crackle-y sugar shell! mine aren’t anywhere near so pretty as those pictured here, but I’m not gonna be lookin at these for too long at all:P
Donna, I couldn’t find the regular mints so I used the Andes mint chips and they melted perfectly fine for me.
Thank you! Making the dough today!
I’m very interested in making these for gifting. How long does it take the “frosting” to set?
Hi Denise, it doesn’t take long at all. Less than an hour.
Question: Does the frosting harden after it cools or remain soft? I’m thinking about how to box or store them so that the cookies retain their good looks! Thanks!
It remains soft, but not melty. Andes chocolate mints are on the softer side, so it’s just like that. They set so you can stack the cookies.
If the icing remains soft, can the cookies be stacked, as shown in the photograph?
These are SO SO pretty!! These are being added to my long list of to-bakes this year!!
thank you!
Oh, now these look delish!!! I need a good holiday cookie to bring to a cookie swap this weekend…I won best cookie last year, want to keep the streak going!!!
What cookie made you win?
I also am curious which cookoe you won with?
Oh, that’s great! What cookie are you planning to go with
Did you win this year?