If there’s one smell or taste that immediately takes me to the Christmas season, it’s these Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies. Soft brownie-like cookies with a hint of melted Andes mint chocolate: it’s pure holiday magic. Growing up, my mother would bake batch after batch every year during the holidays – so irresistible that they never lasted long! She stored excess batches in boxes on our garage shelves, where they stayed perfectly chilled thanks to the frigid Nebraska winters.
One of my favorite parts of the tradition each year was unwrapping the Andean coins with my mother. I loved watching and helping her gently swirl the melting chocolate on each cookie to create their signature look and taste. Now I get to continue this Christmas tradition with my twin daughters. Just like I did as a child, they eagerly unpack the mints with me. And I make sure I have plenty of extra on hand, as more than a few inevitably disappear into their little mouths before they reach the cookies.
Unpacking the mints
Whenever I take these to a party or event, they are always a hit and someone asks for the recipe. People just love them. I hope these cookies add as much magic to your holidays as they always do to mine!
Check out some of my tips in the comments at the end of the recipe. After the comments, I’ve also added links to some of my favorite baking ingredients and equipment. Have fun baking!
Andes chocolate mint cookies
Andes chocolate mint cookies
Makes about 65 cookies
Preparation time: 90 minutes (including minimum chilling period of 1 hour)
Cooking time: 1 hour (approx. 12 minutes per batch of cookies plus time to swirl mints)
Plan ahead: You’ll need plenty of time to make this recipe, as the dough will need to chill for at least an hour, or ideally overnight.
What do you need to make Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies
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·2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
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¾ cup (1 ½ sticks/168 g) butter (see notes)
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1 ½ cups dark brown sugar, packed
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½ teaspoon. pure vanilla extract
How do you make Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies?
Make the dough and let it cool:
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In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
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Melt the butter, sugar and water in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula until smooth.
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Add the chocolate chips to the pan and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth. Place the mixture in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and let it cool slightly for about 5-10 minutes.
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Break the eggs into a bowl and add the vanilla.
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Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium-high speed, add the eggs and vanilla, one egg at a time, mixing briefly before adding the next, about 5 seconds for each egg. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together. Mix on medium speed for about 20 seconds.
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Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the remaining half and mix again on low speed until incorporated. Do not overmix. Use a plastic scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and bring the dough together completely by hand.
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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm, at least an hour or overnight.
The dough
Bake the cookies and unwrap the mints:
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Divide two oven racks evenly and heat oven to 350ºF.
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Use a tbsp. cookie scoop to portion dough (or roll into balls) and place 12 dough balls, evenly spaced, on each prepared baking pan.
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Bake for 8 minutes. Rotate the pans, switch racks and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. The cookies will puff and wrinkle slightly, and will barely feel firm when touched with a finger.
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While the cookies bake, Remove the Andes mints from the packaging, place them in a bowl and set aside. (I unpack based on the number of cookies in the oven during each batch, so as not to unpack too much.)
Scoop out the dough
Spin the chocolate coins:
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When the cookies come out of the oven, immediately place an Andes coin on each cookie. Let the mints begin to melt and use a butter knife to gently swirl the melting mints onto each cookie.
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Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Repeat with the remaining dough.
Placing the mints
Comments
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Mix it: I have often made these with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer. Both work equally well in terms of finished product, but if you have access to a stand mixer it makes things a lot easier.
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Grain of salt: I usually make these with salted butter and Diamond Crystal baking soda. If you use Morton salt, consider using unsalted butter so it doesn’t become too salty. Of course, it all depends on your personal taste preferences!
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Cool it down: Make sure you let the melted chocolate mixture cool enough so that the eggs don’t cook when you mix them in.
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Chill it out: This dough must be sufficiently chilled, otherwise you will end up with hard, overcooked cookies. Unless I’m pressed for time, I always let this dough chill overnight.
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The scoop: The chilled dough can be quite firm and a little difficult to scoop straight from the refrigerator. It may help to let it sit for a few minutes before scooping it out.
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Baking time: It’s worth repeating: be careful not to overbake these. The cookies continue to cook after they come out of the oven, remaining on the pans until the Andes mints have melted and swirled.
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appearances: When the mints are placed on top of the cookies, it is normal for the cookies to deflate and appear slightly flatter.
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Melt it out: The mints should be so melty that it takes almost no effort with the knife to rotate them. If you encounter resistance, let them sit for a while.
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Keep it fresh: These cookies will keep at room temperature for five to seven days if stored in an airtight container. They keep even longer in the refrigerator or freezer and taste just as good (or better) cold as they do at room temperature.
Spinning the coin
Recommendations for equipment and ingredients
These are some of the ingredients and equipment that work great in this recipe (and many others). Of course you can exchange other brands and items based on your own use and preferences.
