Crisp chocolate wafers meet a two-stage chocolate shell that snaps like the real thing — because I finally learned to wait between layers.
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At 10:13 p.m. on a Tuesday in February 2022, I pulled a tray of chocolate wafers out of my oven, dipped one into a bowl of melted dark chocolate, and set it on parchment to dry. Twenty minutes later, I picked it up and the chocolate shell cracked down the middle like a broken windshield. The wafer underneath was perfect — crisp, dark, and minty — but the coating looked like I'd dropped it. That was batch number four. The first three batches had been worse: chocolate that refused to set, chocolate that pooled at the bottom, and one memorable attempt where the coating was so thick it tasted more like a chocolate bar with a cookie garnish than a thin mint.
The breakthrough came when I stopped trying to coat these cookies in one dip. The Girl Scout Thin Mint has a shell that's thin enough to snap cleanly but thick enough to taste like chocolate, not wax. That's a narrow window. After fifteen batches spread across three weeks, I figured out that the only way to hit that window at home was to dip twice, freeze between coats, and add just enough coconut oil to the chocolate to keep it from cracking on contact. This is not a fast recipe. But it's the only homemade thin mint method I've tested that actually mimics the texture of the boxed version instead of just approximating it.
The reason most homemade thin mint recipes fail isn't the cookie — it's the chocolate. Specifically, it's the way chocolate behaves when you try to coat something cold and thin. Chocolate, when melted and cooled, wants to contract. If you dip a cold cookie into a thick layer of melted chocolate and let it set, that contraction creates stress fractures. The thicker the layer, the more dramatic the cracking. I learned this the hard way on batch two, when I dunked each wafer into a deep bowl of melted Ghirardelli and ended up with cookies that looked like they'd been through a small earthquake.
The two-stage method works because it splits the thickness across two thin layers instead of one thick one. First dip: a thin base coat that seals the cookie and sets firm in the freezer. Second dip: another thin layer that bonds to the first one while it's still cold, creating a unified shell without the internal stress that causes cracking. The freeze between coats is non-negotiable. I tested a version where I let the first coat set at room temperature and then dipped again — it worked, but the second layer slid off in patches because the first layer had fully hardened and wouldn't accept the new chocolate.
The coconut oil is the other half of the equation. Refined coconut oil (not virgin — you don't want coconut flavor here) lowers the viscosity of the melted chocolate just enough that it coats thinly and evenly, and it also lowers the melting point slightly, which means the finished shell has a little more flexibility before it snaps. I use 2 tablespoons of coconut oil for every 340 grams of chocolate. That ratio took me six batches to dial in. At 1 tablespoon, the chocolate was still too thick and prone to cracking. At 3 tablespoons, it was so thin it didn't coat properly and left bare spots.
The cookie base for these thin mints is a chocolate wafer — not a soft chocolate cookie, not a brownie-textured drop cookie, but a thin, crisp wafer with a clean snap. That texture depends entirely on using Dutch-process cocoa powder. I tested this recipe with natural cocoa powder once, thinking it wouldn't matter as long as the cocoa-to-flour ratio stayed the same. It mattered. The cookies made with natural cocoa were chalky, slightly bitter, and had a reddish-brown color instead of the deep, dark brown you expect from a thin mint. More importantly, they tasted acidic — not chocolate-forward.
Dutch-process cocoa has been treated with an alkalizing agent, which neutralizes its natural acidity and darkens its color. The result is a smoother, mellower chocolate flavor and a cookie that tastes like dark chocolate, not baking cocoa. For this recipe, I use Droste or Rodelle Dutch-process cocoa. Both are widely available and both produce a wafer that's as dark as the Girl Scout version. If you can only find natural cocoa, you can technically make the recipe work by reducing the baking soda to ¼ teaspoon (instead of ½ teaspoon), but the flavor will still be off.
The other structural element in these wafers is the cold egg. Most cookie recipes call for room-temperature eggs because they incorporate more easily into creamed butter. This recipe does the opposite. The cold egg keeps the dough from getting too soft during the creaming stage, which means the dough holds its shape better when you roll it out. I tested a batch with a room-temperature egg and the dough was noticeably softer and stickier — it required more flour during rolling, which made the baked wafers slightly tougher. The cold egg also slows down gluten development just enough to keep the wafers crisp instead of chewy.
The difference between a thin mint and a chocolate cookie is about 1/16 of an inch. I'm not exaggerating. The first time I made these, I rolled the dough to what I thought was "thin" — probably closer to 3/16 of an inch — and the baked cookies were tender and cake-like, not crisp. They tasted fine, but they didn't snap. The second time, I rolled the dough so thin it was almost translucent, maybe 1/16 of an inch, and the cookies baked up brittle and prone to breaking during the dipping stage. At 1/8 of an inch, the wafers are thin enough to be crisp all the way through but thick enough to handle the double-dip process without shattering.
Here's how I measure 1/8 of an inch without a ruler: I use two wooden chopsticks (or two wooden dowels of the same thickness) laid parallel on either side of the dough. I roll the dough until the rolling pin rests on both chopsticks and can't go any lower. Standard chopsticks are about 1/8 of an inch thick, which makes them a perfect guide. If you don't have chopsticks, you can use two stacked popsicle sticks on each side — same principle. This method guarantees even thickness across the entire sheet of dough, which means every cookie bakes at the same rate.
The dough needs to be chilled before you roll it. After mixing, I divide the dough into two discs, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This firms up the butter and makes the dough easier to handle. If you try to roll it immediately after mixing, it will be too soft and will stick to the rolling pin even if you use parchment paper. I learned this on batch one, when I tried to skip the chill and ended up with dough that stretched instead of rolled and cookies that baked into irregular blobs.
Peppermint extract and peppermint oil are not interchangeable in this recipe, and the difference is dramatic. Peppermint extract is alcohol-based, which means it's less concentrated and its flavor dissipates slightly during baking. Peppermint oil is pure essential oil — no alcohol, no dilution, just concentrated mint. For these cookies, I use ½ teaspoon of peppermint oil mixed into the melted chocolate coating. That half-teaspoon delivers the exact sharp, cooling mint flavor you get from a Girl Scout Thin Mint. If you use peppermint extract instead, you'll need at least 1 to 1½ teaspoons to get close to the same intensity, and even then, the flavor will be softer and slightly sweeter.
I tested both in back-to-back batches in March 2022. The extract batch tasted like chocolate cookies with a hint of mint — pleasant, but not thin mints. The oil batch tasted like the box. The difference was so obvious that my neighbor, who taste-tested both versions blind, immediately identified the oil batch as "the real one." Peppermint oil is sold in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, usually near the extracts. Make sure you're buying food-grade peppermint oil, not essential oil meant for aromatherapy. They're chemically similar, but aromatherapy oils aren't regulated for consumption and can contain additives.
One warning: peppermint oil is potent. Start with ½ teaspoon and taste the melted chocolate before you dip the cookies. If you want it mintier, you can add another ⅛ teaspoon, but go slowly. I once added a full teaspoon by accident (I wasn't paying attention and poured instead of measuring) and the cookies were so minty they tasted medicinal. My husband said they tasted like "edible toothpaste." I couldn't argue.
The first time I made these cookies, I dipped them once, set them on parchment, and left them on the counter to set. After 30 minutes, the chocolate was still tacky. After an hour, it was firm but dull-looking, not glossy. After two hours, it had developed a chalky white film (chocolate bloom) because the chocolate had set too slowly and the cocoa butter had separated. That batch went into the trash. The second time, I put the dipped cookies directly into the freezer and left them there for 10 minutes. The chocolate set immediately, but when I took them out and let them come to room temperature, the shells cracked within 20 minutes.
The timing that works: 15 minutes in the freezer after the first dip, then 20 minutes in the freezer after the second dip. The first freeze sets the base coat firm enough that it can support the second layer without melting. The second freeze sets the final shell completely and prevents bloom. After the second freeze, I let the cookies sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before transferring them to an airtight container. This allows the chocolate to stabilize without shocking it with a sudden temperature change.
Why not just refrigerate instead of freeze? I tested that. The fridge (at 38°F) takes about 45 minutes to set the chocolate as firmly as the freezer does in 15 minutes, and during that longer setting time, the chocolate has more opportunity to develop bloom or to crack as it contracts. The freezer's rapid set locks the chocolate in place before it has time to misbehave. It's the same principle professional chocolatiers use when they temper chocolate and then cool it quickly to set the crystals.
After making these cookies more than twenty times, I've identified four failure modes that account for almost every batch that didn't turn out right. First: chocolate that won't set. This happens when the chocolate is too warm when you dip the cookies, or when the cookies themselves are warm. The chocolate needs to be between 88°F and 92°F for dipping — warm enough to flow smoothly, cool enough to start setting on contact. If it's above 95°F, it will slide off the cookies and pool at the bottom. If it's below 85°F, it will be too thick to coat evenly. I use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature before I start dipping.
Second: chocolate that cracks after it sets. This is almost always caused by dipping too thickly in one coat, or by skipping the coconut oil. The coconut oil adds just enough fat to keep the chocolate shell flexible. Without it, the chocolate is brittle and will crack the first time you pick up the cookie. I also see cracking if I let the cookies sit in the freezer for too long — more than 30 minutes — before bringing them to room temperature. The extreme cold makes the chocolate contract too much, and when it warms up, it fractures.
Third: wafers that spread during baking. This happens when the dough is too warm when it goes into the oven, or when the butter was too soft during the creaming stage. The fix is to chill the cut cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before baking. I do this even if the dough was properly chilled during rolling. Those 10 minutes in the fridge firm up the edges and prevent the cookies from spreading into each other. If you skip this step, you'll end up with cookies that are more oval than round, and the edges will be thinner and more prone to burning.
Fourth: cookies that taste bitter or chalky. This is a cocoa problem. If you used natural cocoa instead of Dutch-process, or if your Dutch-process cocoa is old and stale, the cookies will taste off. Cocoa powder doesn't spoil in the traditional sense, but it does lose its flavor intensity and develop a dusty, flat taste over time. I replace my cocoa powder every six months, and I store it in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard. If your cocoa smells faint or musty, throw it out and buy fresh.
For the coating, I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao baking bars or Guittard semisweet chocolate bars. Both melt smoothly, set firm, and have a clean chocolate flavor that doesn't taste waxy or artificial. I buy the bars in bulk at Costco or order them online. The key is to use real chocolate, not chocolate chips. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers (usually soy lecithin and sometimes wax) that help them hold their shape during baking. Those same stabilizers interfere with the chocolate's ability to set into a smooth, glossy shell when melted. I tested a batch with chocolate chips once, and the coating set up dull and slightly grainy, not glossy and snappy.
The cacao percentage matters. I've tested this recipe with chocolate ranging from 54% to 72% cacao. At 54%, the coating is too sweet and doesn't have enough chocolate flavor to balance the mint. At 72%, the coating is too bitter and the cookies taste more like dark chocolate bark than thin mints. At 60–70%, the balance is right: enough bitterness to taste like dark chocolate, enough sweetness to taste like candy. If you can only find 70% or higher, you can add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar to the melted chocolate to soften the bitterness slightly.
I chop the chocolate finely before melting it — pieces no larger than a chocolate chip. This ensures even melting and prevents hot spots that can cause the chocolate to seize. I melt the chocolate in a double boiler (a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water), stirring constantly, until it's about 90% melted. Then I remove it from the heat and stir until the remaining chunks melt from residual heat. This prevents overheating, which can make the chocolate grainy or cause it to separate.
The most successful variation I've made is a white chocolate peppermint version, where I replace the dark chocolate coating with white chocolate and increase the peppermint oil to ¾ teaspoon. The process is identical, but white chocolate is more temperamental — it seizes more easily and requires a slightly lower dipping temperature (around 85°F instead of 90°F). The finished cookies look like reverse thin mints: dark chocolate wafers with a white shell. They're visually striking and taste like peppermint bark. I made these for a holiday cookie swap in December 2022 and they were gone within ten minutes.
I've also tested a double-chocolate version, where I replace the peppermint oil with ½ teaspoon of espresso powder dissolved in 1 teaspoon of hot water. The espresso deepens the chocolate flavor without making the cookies taste like coffee. These are less "thin mint" and more "intensely chocolatey wafer," but they're excellent if you're not a mint person. My husband, who tolerates mint but doesn't love it, prefers this version.
One variation that didn't work: adding crushed candy canes to the chocolate coating. I tried this in December 2021, thinking it would add texture and extra mint flavor. Instead, the candy canes dissolved slightly in the melted chocolate, making it grainy and causing it to seize. The cookies looked pretty (speckled with red and white), but the texture was wrong. If you want a candy cane version, I recommend sprinkling finely crushed candy canes on top of the second coat of chocolate immediately after dipping, before it sets. This gives you the visual and flavor boost without compromising the chocolate.
These cookies store exceptionally well, and they actually improve slightly after the first day. The chocolate shell softens just enough to lose its brittle edge, and the mint flavor mellows and distributes more evenly. I store them in an airtight container at room temperature, with parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. They'll keep for up to two weeks this way, though they've never lasted that long in my house. The wafers stay crisp, and the chocolate stays glossy.
You can also freeze these cookies for up to three months. I freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container. They thaw in about 15 minutes at room temperature, and the texture is indistinguishable from fresh. This makes them ideal for make-ahead baking — I usually double the recipe and freeze half for later. Frozen thin mints are also excellent eaten straight from the freezer, which is how I prefer the Girl Scout version. The chocolate shell gets even snappier when frozen, and the mint flavor is more pronounced.
Do not store these in the refrigerator unless you live in a very hot climate and have no air conditioning. The fridge's humidity will cause the chocolate to develop bloom (that white, chalky film), and the cookies will absorb moisture from the air, making the wafers less crisp. If you must refrigerate them, wrap the container tightly in plastic wrap to create a moisture barrier, and let the cookies come to room temperature before serving so the chocolate regains its snap.
In March 2023, I brought a tin of these cookies to a book club meeting and set them on the table without comment. Three people reached for them, assuming they were store-bought Girl Scout cookies. One person opened the tin, paused, and said, "Wait, did you make these?" The giveaway, apparently, was that the cookies were slightly irregular in size — the Girl Scout version is machine-cut and perfectly uniform. But the taste and texture were close enough that two people didn't realize they were homemade until I told them.
That's the standard I hold these cookies to: they should be indistinguishable from the boxed version in a blind taste test, even if they don't look factory-perfect. The two-stage dip method, the coconut oil, the Dutch-process cocoa, the 1/8-inch thickness, the peppermint oil — every one of those details exists because it closes the gap between "homemade thin mint" and "actual Thin Mint." This is not a recipe for a cookie inspired by thin mints. This is a recipe for thin mints, made at home, with the same snap and the same glossy shell and the same sharp mint-chocolate balance. It just takes two hours and a freezer.
You can, but the flavor balance will be off. Milk chocolate is sweeter and less intense than dark chocolate, and it doesn't provide enough contrast to the mint. The Girl Scout Thin Mint uses a dark chocolate coating specifically because the bitterness balances the sweetness of the cookie and the sharpness of the mint. If you prefer milk chocolate, I recommend using a blend: 2 parts dark chocolate (60% cacao) to 1 part milk chocolate. This gives you a slightly sweeter coating without losing the dark chocolate backbone.
You can, but the chocolate shell will be more prone to cracking and the coating will be thicker and harder to work with. The coconut oil serves two purposes: it thins the chocolate so it coats evenly, and it adds a small amount of fat that keeps the set chocolate flexible. If you don't have coconut oil, you can substitute an equal amount of vegetable shortening (like Crisco), but the flavor will be slightly different. Do not use butter — it contains water, which will cause the chocolate to seize.
The most common cause is that the butter was too soft when you creamed it, or that the dough warmed up too much during rolling. Make sure your butter is at cool room temperature — it should hold its shape when pressed but yield easily. If your kitchen is warm (above 72°F), chill the rolled and cut cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before baking. This firms up the edges and prevents spreading. Also check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer — if your oven runs hot, the cookies will spread before they set.
Yes, but you'll need a good gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that includes xanthan gum or another binder. I've tested this recipe with King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour, and it works well — the wafers are slightly more delicate, but they still have a good snap. Do not use almond flour or coconut flour; they don't have the structure to produce a crisp wafer. Also note that gluten-free doughs tend to be drier, so you may need to add 1–2 teaspoons of cold water if the dough won't come together after mixing.
The chocolate should feel warm to the touch but not hot — around 88–92°F. If you don't have a thermometer, test it by dipping a spoon into the chocolate and letting it drip back into the bowl. The chocolate should flow smoothly off the spoon in a thin stream, not in thick globs. If it's too thick, warm it slightly. If it's too thin and runny, let it cool for a minute or two. You want the consistency of heavy cream, not melted butter.
You can, but start with ½ teaspoon and taste the melted chocolate before adding more. Peppermint oil is very concentrated, and it's easy to overshoot. If you add too much, the cookies will taste medicinal or soapy. If you want a stronger mint flavor, I recommend increasing the oil to ⅝ teaspoon (a little more than ½ teaspoon) rather than jumping straight to ¾ teaspoon. You can always add more, but you can't take it out once it's mixed in.
This is usually caused by chocolate bloom, which happens when the chocolate sets too slowly or is exposed to temperature fluctuations. Make sure you're freezing the cookies immediately after dipping, and don't leave them in the freezer for longer than 20–30 minutes. Also check that your chocolate wasn't overheated during melting — if chocolate gets above 120°F, it can lose its temper and set up dull. Finally, make sure you're using real chocolate, not chocolate chips, which contain stabilizers that prevent a glossy finish.
The exact tools and ingredients matches I use in my kitchen to get that perfect cookie texture.
"Pan for baking bread or meatloaf."
"Electric tool for blending ingredients quickly"
"Flat metal tray used for baking cookies, pastries, and more"
Crisp chocolate wafers meet a two-stage chocolate shell that snaps like the real thing — because I finally learned to wait between layers.
Production by Sally's Baking Recipes
In a medium bowl, whisk together the180g all-purpose flour,45g Dutch-process cocoa powder,½ tsp baking soda, and¼ tsp fine sea salt. Whisk for a full 30 seconds — you want the cocoa fully distributed, not streaky. I learned this the hard way when I got marbled cookies instead of uniform chocolate wafers.
If you see cocoa clumps, break them up with your fingers before whisking. Dutch-process cocoa can be stubborn and won't dissolve once the dough comes together.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the115g softened butterand150g granulated sugaron medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture is pale and fluffy. It should look like whipped frosting, not grainy paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
Add thecold eggand1 tsp vanilla extract, and beat on medium-low for another 30 seconds, just until combined. The mixture will look slightly curdled — that's normal. The cold egg keeps the dough from getting too soft before you roll it out.
Don't skip the scraping step. Butter loves to hide on the sides of the bowl, and you'll end up with pockets of unincorporated fat in your dough.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture all at once. Mix on low speed (or stir by hand with a sturdy spatula) until the dough just comes together and no dry flour remains. It will look dry and crumbly at first — resist the urge to add liquid. After 30–45 seconds of mixing, it will suddenly clump into a cohesive, fudgy dough.
Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, press it into a flat disc about 1 inch thick, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate forat least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.
If you try to roll this dough out warm, it will stick to everything and tear. The chilling step is non-negotiable — it firms up the butter and makes the dough rollable without adding extra flour (which would make the cookies tough).
Preheat your oven to350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Unwrap the chilled dough and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out to⅛ inch thick— about the thickness of two stacked credit cards. If the dough cracks at the edges, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften slightly, then continue rolling.
Use a2-inch round cutter(or a drinking glass) to cut out circles. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. They don't spread much, but they need airflow to crisp up properly.
I used to roll this dough too thick (closer to ¼ inch) and ended up with soft, cakey cookies instead of crisp wafers. The thinness is what gives you that snap when you bite through the chocolate coating.
Gather the dough scraps, press them back together into a disc, and refrigerate for 10 minutes before rolling out again. You can re-roll this dough twice without it getting tough. After that, the cookies start to lose their snap.
Don't skip the re-chill between re-rolls. Warm dough = sticky dough = frustration.
Bake for10–12 minutes, until the cookies are completely set and no longer shiny in the center. They won't look "done" the way a chocolate chip cookie does — there's no browning to signal doneness. Instead, look for a matte surface and firm edges. When you gently press the center of a cookie, it should feel solid, not soft.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. They'll firm up as they cool.
If you pull these too early, they'll stay soft and won't have the crisp texture you need for dipping. I once under-baked a batch by 2 minutes and the chocolate coating never set properly because the cookies were too moist.
In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water (don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water), combine the340g chopped dark chocolateand2 tbsp refined coconut oil. Stir constantly with a silicone spatula until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth, about 3–4 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the¾ tsp peppermint oil. The mixture should be glossy and fluid, not thick or grainy. If it's too thick to coat smoothly, add another ½ tbsp coconut oil.
Peppermint oil is NOT the same as peppermint extract. Extract is alcohol-based and will make the chocolate seize. I use LorAnn Oils peppermint oil — it's potent, so start with ¾ tsp and taste before adding more.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Working one cookie at a time, drop a cooled wafer into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to flip it over, coating both sides, then lift it out and let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Drag the bottom of the fork gently across the edge of the bowl to remove even more excess.
Place the coated cookie on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with all cookies. You want a thin, even coat — not a thick shell. If you can't see the outline of the cookie through the chocolate, you've used too much.
This first coat won't look perfect. It might have bare spots or streaks. That's fine — the second coat will cover them. The goal here is adhesion, not beauty.
Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer for10–15 minutes, until the chocolate is completely set and no longer tacky to the touch. This is the step I skipped for years, and it's why my homemade Thin Mints always looked messy. The freeze sets the first coat so the second coat doesn't drag or mix with it.
Don't skip this. If you try to apply the second coat while the first is still soft, the chocolate will pool unevenly and you'll lose that clean, thin shell.
Reheat the remaining chocolate over the double boiler if it's thickened, stirring until fluid again. Dip each frozen cookie a second time, using the same fork method. This coat will go on smoother and more evenly because the first coat is acting as a barrier.
Return the cookies to the parchment-lined sheet. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for20–30 minutesto fully set.
The second coat should be thin enough that you can still see the texture of the first coat underneath. If it's too thick, you'll end up with a candy bar, not a Thin Mint.
Once the chocolate is fully set, transfer the cookies to an airtight container, layering them between sheets of parchment paper. Store in thefreezerfor up to 3 months. Eat them straight from the freezer — they're meant to be cold. The chocolate stays snappy and the wafer stays crisp.
Room temperature Thin Mints are sad Thin Mints. The freezer is where they shine. I keep mine in a gallon-size freezer bag and pull out a few at a time.
This recipe delivers the crisp snap and glossy shell of Girl Scout Thin Mints through a carefully tested freeze-between-coats method. The Dutch-process cocoa wafers are deeply chocolatey without bitterness, and the two-stage chocolate coating sets with a professional finish.
36 servings per recipe
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Nutritional values are estimates. Ingredient brands and manufacturing processes vary. This site does not provide medical dietary advice. Always verify ingredient labels if you have severe allergies.
These cookies keep beautifully in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 3 months. If you're making them ahead for a party or gift box, freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray, then transfer to a freezer bag once solid. They thaw in about 10 minutes on the counter, and the chocolate coating stays glossy and intact. One last thing: if you're tempted to skip the peppermint oil and use extract, I'll tell you what I learned the hard way — extract contains water, and water makes chocolate seize into a grainy mess. Peppermint oil is alcohol-free and won't ruin your coating. It's worth the extra trip to the baking aisle or the Amazon order.
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