These mint chocolate chip cookies could stand on their own. But I always love a good buttercream icing to just give my cookies that extra kick. The chips are mini, which I usually do with cookies that are rolled out and use a cookie cutter. These are the perfect amount of mint and chocolate for a great St. Patrick's Day Cookies.
But the cookies usually are a little lumpy looking because of the chips, so I do like to add an icing on them. I could have used a glazed and dipped the top of the cookies. Then added the green sparkles but I do like a nice buttercream icing. Warning the cookie shape is tricky to put icing on but these are for family they will not care!
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Ingredients for Cookies
- Butter unsalted
- Sugar white
- Vanilla Extract
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder (Guittard Cocoa Powder)
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
- Mint chocolate chips mini
Ingredients for Icing
- Butter unsalted
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Half & Half
- Green sprinkles
Making St. Patrick's Day Cookies
The prepping for these cookies is just getting the ingredients ready so you can mix the cookies and not forget anything. It never fails, if I do not have everything around me, I will forget something.
Prepping
I start by weighing or measuring the sugar into a small bowl then setting it aside. Next, in a larger bowl weigh or measure the flour. If weighing the flour don't forget to hit the tare button before adding the cocoa powder. Finally, add the baking powder and the salt to the flour and cocoa powder. Take a whisk and blend the four ingredients together.
Mixing the Cookie Dough
I cube the butter into a mixer bowl. This lets me know how cold my butter is, so I have an idea on how long to cream the butter.
Mix on a medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until you get soft peaks, and it looks creamy.
Next, add the sugar. You want to mix this for about 3 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until the egg is incorporated into the sugar-butter mixture.
On a medium-low mixer speed add the flour mixture about ⅓ at a time. The mixture will look dry, and you will see flour that has not been fully incorporated. This will fix itself shortly.
Add the mint chocolate chips and mix for about 5 seconds. The dough is stiff so don't mix for any longer. You can disperse the chips more evenly in a minute. Grab a pastry mat.
Knead and Wrap the Cookie Dough
Dump all the cookie dough onto a pastry mat. As you can see it looks dry and in pieces. Scoop up the dough and form a ball. Knead the dough until the chips look even and the dough is coming together.
Now I roll it into a log shape and divide it into two sections. I try to make them even but don't stress over the size. Once the butter has melded into the flour it picks up a little darker color and it will look moist.
Take one half of the log and flatten it out like a pancake. It will make it easier to roll the cookie dough with the rolling pin. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap. Now do the other half the same way.
I have a ¼ size sheet pan that fits into my fridge easily, so I add both wrapped cookie dough disks to the pan and chill for 30 minutes.
Rolling, Cutouts and Baking the Cookies
I add some powdered sugar to the pastry mat and sprinkle a little on top of the cookie dough. I use a straight dowel rolling pin with rolling pin bands. The very outside bands are to make ¼-inch-thick cookie dough. I love the bands for making the same thickness of cookies, so they all bake the same.
Roll out the cookie dough. If you get big cracks along the outside the cookie dough is still really cold. I lay my hands on top of the cookie dough to help warm it up.
I used a shamrock shape cookie cutter. It is 2-¾ inches across at its widest point. I did do only 11 on the sheet pan since I turned the one row sideways, but I probably could have done 12 cutouts to a pan.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and bake for 9-11 minutes. Leave the cookies on the pan for at least 5 minutes after pulling them out of the oven. The leaves and stem are fragile and need a little time to set before moving them off the parchment paper.
Making the Icing
Easy buttercream icing that works so well with this cookie.
In the mixer bowl, cube the butter and mix on a medium mixer speed for about 2 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract along with 2 tablespoons of the Half & Half. I save 1 tablespoon incase the icing is too thick, and I need to thin it out. Start the mixer on a low speed and gradually increase after the powdered sugar has incorporated with the butter. Then turn the speed to a medium high for 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and then mix for another minute.
If you have an icing knife it will make the icing of the cookies a little easier, but you can use a butter knife like I used since I could not find my icing knife. Add the icing then sprinkle with the green sprinkles for a cute St. Patrick's Day cookie.
I leave them out for a couple of hours for the icing to harden some.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
I use Rubbermaid Plastic Easy Find Lid Food Storage Container, 1.5 Gal that you can get from Amazon or even your local grocery store. I do cut a piece of parchment paper in half and put between the layers.
You can if they are small pieces. The problem if you put too many fixings in the cookie they tend to break apart because there is not enough cookie dough to hold it together. So, you may want to back off on some of the mint chocolate chips and add very small pieces of your favorite nut.
Other Mint Cookies
Recipe
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies with Icing
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
COOKIE DOUGH
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) Vanilla Extract
- 1 (1) Egg
- 2 ¼ cups (281.25 g) All-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (64.5 g) Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1 ¼ cups (225 g) Mint chocolate chips mini
ICING
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted
- 2 cups (240 g) Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 3 Tablespoons (3 Tablespoons) Half & Half
- ½ cup (80 g) Green sprinkles
Instructions
MIXING AND BAKING COOKIE DOUGH
- Weigh or measure the sugar into a bowl and set it aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour. Add to the flour the cocoa powder, baking powder, and the salt. I run a whisk through to blend.
- Cube the butter into the mixer bowl and mix on a medium mixer speed for about 2 minutes or until it looks creamy. Now, add the sugar and mix for about 3 minutes. This depends on how cold your butter was, so 3 minutes at least. Next, add the egg and the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
- Scrape down the bowl and on a medium low mixer speed add about ⅓ of the flour mix at a time. It will look dry! Finally, add the mini chocolate mint chips and mix for about 5 seconds. The cookie dough will be stiff but will all come together.
- Place all the cookie dough and crumbs (there will be some) onto a pastry mat or counter. You want to knead the cookie dough and disperse the mini chocolate mint chips evenly throughout the cookie dough. Roll it into a log and divide it into 2 halves. Flatten each half and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). I use powdered sugar to dust my pastry mat. My rolling pin has bands on the ends to determine the thickness of the cookie dough I am rolling out. I did ¼ inch bands. Line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Unwrap one of the flattened cookie dough disks and put it on the pastry mat, let it warm up before rolling it out. Use your cookie cutter for as many cutouts as you can and ball the cookie dough back up and roll it out again. Do this until all the cookie dough is used. I added 11 cutout cookie dough onto a sheet pan. Bake for 9-11 minutes. I leave them on the cookie sheet pan for at least 5 minutes to cool down some before moving them to a cooling rack. If you move them too soon, some of the cutout shamrock leaves or the stem could break off.
MAKING THE ICING
- I cube the butter into the mixer bowl and mix for about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and the 2 tablespoons of the Half & Half. Start on a slow mixer speed until the powdered sugar has been incorporated. Then turn up the speed to a medium high for 3 minutes. Then scrape the bowl down and turn the mixer on for another minute. If it is too thick you can use the 3rd tablespoon of the Half & Half to thin it out a little.
- If you have an icing knife, grab it or a butter knife. I have green sprinkles to put on top of the iced cookies. Add the icing, then the sprinkles and say Happy St. Patrick's Day.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Barbara says
I love a good minty chocolate cookie; I hope you do also!