After purchasing my dehydrator, no on-its-way-out herb stood a chance. I have containers full of dried chives, cilantro, rosemary, sage and thyme just waiting to be used. I finally got around to finding a way to showcase my dried mint.
I put the dehydrated mint through a (clean) spice grinder to make this super green and fragrant powder. It. Smells. So. Good. And look at how freaking pretty it is. It took a large bunch of mint to get a tablespoon of this powder so I’m treating it like powdered gold.
Use a little sprinkle or a big sprinkle of mint powder depending on the strength of the powder you’ve made. It will vary, so use your judgement on how much to use to get a nice minty touch. The cookie, which was intended to be the carrier for the mint powder, is actually really delicious. It’s crispy and chocolatey…MMM! The cashew meal gives it a slight nutty flavor while the turkish coffee powder enhances the chocolate flavor. This is a perfect cookie recipe for the holidays… great, I’m like, 4 months late. Next year maybe. Though I will have about a million new ideas before now and the next holiday season. WAIT! IT’S GREEN! HAPPY SAINT PADDY’S! ha!
THIN MINTS
MAKES 30 COOKIES
1/2 cup (65g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp (5g) turkish coffee grinds
1 tsp (5g) baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup (85g) cashew meal
16 tbsp (2 sticks – 226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup (250g) sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup(180g) good quality white chocolate, chopped roughly
dehydrated mint powder, recipe HERE if you do not have a dehydrator
In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluff, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to cream for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy again. Add in the flour mixture and combine on low speed until the dough is homogenous.
Divide the dough in two and wrap each in plastic wrap. Press them down into a disc for easy rolling later. Place the discs in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Pre-heat the oven to 325˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone pad.
Roll the cookie dough on a lightly floured surface, about 1/4″ thick. Cut out 3″ circles with floured cookie cutter. Transfer the cookies onto the baking sheet. If this is difficult to do and they begin to warp as you transfer them. Place the cookie sheet in the fridge before cutting out the circles.
Bake for 18 minutes and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
Melt the white chocolate over a double broiler. Drizzle the chocolate over top of the cookies, or alternatively, you can dunk them into the white chocolate. Sprinkle with a little or a lot of mint powder to taste. Enjoy!!!