Pin it These soft and chewy cookies boast a refreshing mint flavor balanced by rich chocolate chips. The dough’s vibrant green hue adds a festive visual appeal, created with green gel food coloring and pure mint extract. With simple baking steps, including creaming butter and sugars, combining dry ingredients, and folding in chocolate, they bake to perfection in just 10 minutes. Cool slightly before enjoying their tender texture and unique color.
The first time I made these cookies, my kitchen looked like a chemistry experiment gone wrong. I had bright green food coloring everywhere, including somehow on my cat, who was now giving me judgmental looks from the counter. But when that first batch came out of the oven, the mint chocolate aroma was absolutely worth the mess.
I brought a batch to my friends Christmas cookie exchange last year, and lets just say they disappeared faster than anything else on the table. My friend Sarah actually hid three of them in her purse before dessert even started.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: The foundation that gives these cookies their perfect chewy structure
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies spread just right while keeping them tender
- Salt: Crucial for balancing all that sugar and enhancing the chocolate flavor
- Unsalted butter: Softened to room temperature so it creams beautifully with the sugars
- Granulated sugar: Creates crisp edges while keeping centers soft
- Light brown sugar: Adds moisture and that irresistible caramel undertone
- Eggs: Bind everything together and contribute to the chewy texture we love
- Pure mint extract: The star of the show, use the good stuff for the best flavor
- Pure vanilla extract: Rounds out the mint and adds warmth to every bite
- Green gel food coloring: Gel coloring gives you vibrant color without affecting the dough consistency
- Semisweet chocolate chips: Classic pairing with mint, they melt into perfect pockets
- Chopped dark chocolate: Optional but highly recommended for those bittersweet moments
Instructions
- Get your oven ready:
- Preheat to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper so nothing sticks
- Mix the dry team:
- Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until combined
- Cream the butter and sugars:
- Beat together for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is pale and fluffy
- Add the eggs:
- Beat them in one at a time, letting each one fully incorporate before adding the next
- Make it green and minty:
- Mix in the mint extract, vanilla, and food coloring until you reach your desired shade
- Combine everything:
- Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix just until no flour streaks remain
- Fold in the chocolate:
- Gently incorporate both types of chocolate until distributed throughout
- Scoop and space:
- Drop tablespoon sized dough balls onto prepared sheets about 2 inches apart
- Bake to perfection:
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes until edges are set but centers still look slightly soft
- Let them rest:
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack
Pin it These have become my go to for St Patricks Day, but honestly they are requested year round now. Something about that green dough just makes people happy.
Getting The Perfect Green Color
Start with less food coloring than you think you need, you can always add more. The color will bake slightly lighter than it appears in the raw dough, so account for that as you mix.
Mint Extract Matters
Peppermint extract is stronger and more intense than pure mint extract, so adjust accordingly if you decide to swap. I have learned that a quarter teaspoon makes a huge difference in either direction.
Storage And Sharing
These cookies stay perfectly soft for days when stored in an airtight container. If you are gifting them, layer parchment paper between cookies in a pretty tin.
- Freeze unbaked dough balls for fresh cookies anytime
- A microwave for 10 seconds brings day old cookies back to life
- The dough colors everything, so wear an apron you do not care about
Pin it These cookies have a way of turning an ordinary Tuesday into something worth celebrating.
Recipe FAQs
- → What gives the cookies their green color?
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Green gel food coloring is added to the dough to achieve the bright green hue without altering the flavor.
- → Can I use different types of chocolate chips?
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Yes, substituting white or milk chocolate chips works well and creates varied flavor profiles.
- → How do I get a stronger mint flavor?
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Adding an extra 1/4 teaspoon of pure mint extract enhances the mintiness, but be careful not to overdo it.
- → What texture can I expect from these cookies?
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The cookies have a soft and chewy texture with slightly underbaked centers for tenderness.
- → How should the cookies be stored?
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Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- → Are these suitable for vegetarians?
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Yes, the ingredients used are vegetarian-friendly, including butter and eggs.
