Amazing 220 Calorie Andes Mint Cookies

Okay, if you’re anything like me, the moment you see that cool green and brown foil, you know exactly what you need: something intensely chocolatey with that perfect cool, refreshing mint kick. We’re talking about the ultimate holiday bake—the **andes mint cookies** that disappear first on any dessert platter. I’ve spent years perfecting classic American recipes, just digging into the chemistry of why they work, so I can bring you a guaranteed winner. Trust me, this isn’t some dry, crumbly imitation. This recipe delivers the softest, chewiest, double chocolate andes mint cookies you’ve ever pressed your hands into. It’s all about simple ingredients made extraordinary, just like we do here at Taste This Plate. You can read more about how we test everything in my little corner of the kitchen over on our About Page. Ready to bake some magic?

Why This is the Best Andes Mint Cookies Recipe (Soft and Chewy)

So, what makes this specific recipe stand out from all the other Best Andes Mint Cookies floating around? It all comes down to the texture, friend! We are gunning for rich, fudgy, and seriously gooey. That chewiness comes directly from how we treat the fats and sugars. We use more brown sugar than white sugar, which keeps the cookies soft for days—no rock-hard holiday treats here!

This approach ensures you get those incredible Gooey Chocolate Mint Cookies. You won’t find a better melt than when those Andes Mints warm up in the oven and just pool slightly in that dark chocolate dough. It’s perfection!

Achieving the Perfect Soft and Chewy Andes Mint Cookies Texture

Here’s the secret sauce for the texture: Brown sugar means moisture, plain and simple. The molasses in it loves to pull water and keep things tender, even after they cool down. But the other big rule is stopping when you stop! When mixing in your flour mixture, you just want everything *barely* combined. If you overmix, you wake up the gluten, and suddenly your soft cookie turns into a little chocolate frisbee. We don’t want frisbees; we want chewy bliss. Stop mixing right when you don’t see any more dry flour streaks!

Gathering Ingredients for Your Andes Mint Cookies

Alright, let’s look at what you need to grab from the pantry. Remember, our philosophy here at Taste This Plate is simple ingredients, extraordinary results! For these rich, decadent Andes Mint Cookies, we aren’t messing around with substitutes for the core items. You absolutely need that butter to be completely softened—not melted, just soft enough to dent easily with your finger. Also, when measuring that brown sugar, really pack it down into the cup! I’ve listed everything below, but make sure those beautiful Andes Mints are properly chopped up before they land in the dough.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Andes Mint Cookies

A quick note on the eggs: For the best creaming action with that sugar, make sure your eggs aren’t straight out of the fridge. Room temperature eggs incorporate air much better, which is key for a great cookie structure. If you are out of peppermint extract, you *can* skip it, because the candies give a lot of flavor, but honestly, that little bit of extract really makes them pop! And since these are Double Chocolate Mint Cookies, use the best cocoa powder you can find. A standard Dutch-process powder works wonders to deepen that chocolate flavor and keep the color dark and inviting.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Gooey Chocolate Mint Cookies

Now for the fun part! Time to put these amazing ingredients into action and create those rich, decadent Andes Mint Cookies. We’re moving fast, but remember, patience during the mixing stages pays off huge later. First thing: get that oven warmed up! We need it roaring hot at 350°F (175°C) ready to go, and make sure you line those baking sheets with parchment paper. It saves so much scraping later, trust me on this one!

Here are the core steps to follow:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and peppermint extract.
4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips and the chopped Andes Mints.
7. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. The edges should be set, but the centers should still look slightly soft.
9. Immediately after removing from the oven, press a few extra pieces of chopped Andes Mints onto the top of each warm cookie.
10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you are looking for more straightforward goodness, check out my recipe for Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies—same rules apply regarding not overmixing!

Mixing the Wet and Dry Components for Andes Mint Cookies

Let’s talk about Step 2, creaming the butter and sugars. You want this mixture pale and fluffy—that’s how you trap all that lovely air that keeps the final product tender, not dense. After the eggs go in, make sure you mix in the vanilla and, critically, the peppermint extract. That extract boosts the mint flavor way beyond what the candies provide alone! Then, when you hit Step 5, go slow adding those dry ingredients. If you dump it all in at once, you risk kicking up all that flour and cocoa, and then you’ll be tempted to overmix trying to get the streaks out. Just a few pulses on low speed is all you need to combine them!

Baking and Finishing Your Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

The baking time is super quick, so don’t wander off! For these Double Chocolate Mint Cookies to be perfectly gooey, we are intentionally *underbaking* them slightly. You are looking for the edges to look solid, firm enough to handle, but when you look right at the center, it should still look a little puffy and slightly shiny—that means it’s still gooey inside. The second they come out, this is your moment to shine! While they are still piping hot, quickly press a few extra chopped Andes Mints right on top of each one. This melts them just enough to look gorgeous and gives you those extra little pockets of mint flavor when you bite in.

Baking with Andes Mints: Pro Tips for Success

We did the hard work with the chocolate dough, but now let’s talk about making these the absolute best Andes Mint Cookies they can be. If you find your cookies are spreading out into thin puddles, I want you to try this: chill the dough! Seriously, pop that bowl in the fridge for about 30 minutes before you scoop them. Those fats solidify a bit, and it helps the cookie hold its shape longer in the oven, keeping them thicker and chewier. It’s one of my favorite little secrets for almost any soft cookie.

If you want even *more* mint intensity than just the chopped pieces inside, try this small trick I learned while testing: add an extra splash, maybe 1/4 teaspoon, of peppermint extract right into the wet mix with the vanilla. It really brings out that cool flavor!

Making Your Andes Mint Cookies Look Festive

When it is time to bake during the holidays, presentation matters, right? If you’re chopping the candies yourself—which you should be!—try to keep the pieces somewhat uniform in size, maybe pea-sized. But for the final flourish, I love to take a few of the Andes Mints and chip them into very tiny shards right at the end. These tiny bits melt beautifully and sit right on top of the cookie without sinking. I often skip pressing full pieces on top and just scatter those little shards over the hot cookies instead. For more cool ideas, you can check out some festive variations over at this recipe.

Storage and Reheating Instructions for Homemade Andes Mints Treats

Okay, you’ve made the absolute best Andes Mint Cookies, and now you’re wondering how to keep them tasting like they just came out of the oven tomorrow! Since the goal here was soft and chewy, we have to treat them right. The absolute key: airtight containers. If you leave them sitting out on a plate, they will dry out fast, and we lose that lovely gooey texture. I usually layer mine with a tiny square of wax paper between layers, just in case they are still slightly warm or sticky from the melted tops.

These cookies hold up wonderfully at room temperature for about three or four days if sealed properly. If you need them to last longer, yes, you can freeze them! Just make sure they are completely cool first. Pop them in a heavy-duty freezer bag and they’ll be great for up to three months.

Now, if you freeze them or they are a day old and feel a tiny bit firm, here is the trick to bring back that fresh-baked magic! Don’t use the microwave for too long, or you’ll end up with a tough cookie base.

For the best results when reheating your Homemade Andes Mints Treats:

• Pop one or two cookies on a microwave-safe plate.
• Heat them for just 8 to 10 seconds. That’s long enough to melt that chocolate and mint center again but short enough that the edges don’t harden up.
• If you want that fresh-baked smell, zap them for about 30 seconds in the oven at 300°F (150°C) until they just begin to soften!

This little bit of effort ensures that every time you reach for one of these Chocolate Mint Cookies, it tastes like you just pulled the tray out of the oven. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions for Festive Mint Desserts

These Andes Mint Cookies are so rich and fudgy that they really deserve a good companion to balance them out. When you serve these at a holiday gathering, everyone is going to need something refreshing nearby to cut through all that dark chocolate goodness. They are fantastic on their own, of course, but let’s talk about pairing them!

Because these are such strong Festive Mint Desserts, I always look for something bright and slightly tart to serve alongside them. A big glass of milk is classic, but if you’re looking for something a bit more fun for the adults or the kids, a crisp, slightly sweet drink really shines. Consider a homemade lemonade or a sparkling beverage. I have a recipe for Sparkling Honey Lemonade Soda that would be absolutely perfect—it’s bubbly and the honey notes marry beautifully with the mint without competing with the chocolate.

For a full dessert spread, these pair wonderfully with something vanilla-based, like a good quality vanilla bean ice cream. Imagine taking a bite of one of these warm, gooey cookies and following it up with a scoop of cool, creamy ice cream—that contrast in temperature and texture is just heaven. If you are using these for a cookie exchange, package them with a small bag of plain peppermint candies on the side, just to hint at the cool flavor inside the rich chocolate base!

Frequently Asked Questions About Andes Mint Cookies

I always get a ton of questions once people start trying out these Andes Mint Cookies, which is great! It means you’re ready to bake! People always want to know how to pump up that mint flavor or if they can use things they have lying around. Since we are focusing on the Best Andes Mint Cookies here, I want to make sure you have all the answers to guarantee a perfect batch every single time you bake.

Can I use mint extract instead of peppermint extract in these Andes Mint Cookies?

This is a good question, because sometimes you only have one or the other in the spice cabinet! You absolutely can use mint extract, but you need to know the flavor difference. Peppermint is much sharper, cooler, and mimics the classic Christmas candy flavor we are going for. Mint extract, which is often spearmint based, is softer and sweeter. If you use only mint extract, you might lose that signature ‘cool snap’ that makes these Chocolate Mint Cookies so special. If you have to use it, maybe bump the amount up just a tiny bit, but honestly, peppermint extract is worth the trip to the store for this recipe!

How do I make these Andes Mint Cookies without cocoa powder (vanilla version)?

That is a fair question if you are baking for someone who loves vanilla over dark chocolate! Since this recipe starts off as a Double Chocolate Mint Cookies recipe, changing it up slightly changes the whole foundation. If you skip the cocoa powder, you’ll need to substitute that exact amount of flour back into the recipe—so, if you are removing 3/4 cup of cocoa, use 3/4 cup more flour. You’ll also want to add a splash more vanilla extract, maybe an extra teaspoon, because the dark cocoa usually helps carry those flavors. They won’t be as fudgy, but they will still be delicious, light, and minty Homemade Andes Mints Treats!

Can I make these cookies ahead of time and freeze them?

Yes! Freezing dough balls is one of my absolute favorite ways to have a cookie emergency ready! Scoop out your dough as instructed, place the balls on a small tray lined with parchment paper, and pop that tray in the freezer until the dough balls are solid—maybe an hour or two. Then, transfer those frozen rounds into a zip-top freezer bag. When you want fresh cookies later, just pull out what you need and bake them straight from frozen! You’ll just need to add about 2 to 4 extra minutes to the total bake time, but it works like a charm for Easy Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipes.

Nutritional Estimates for Andes Mint Cookies

I know some of you are curious about the numbers, even when you’re busy making incredible Andes Mint Cookies! We always put in the hard work here to test and re-test our recipes, making sure they are reliable. That means we also try to give you a good ballpark idea of what’s in the final product so you can bake with confidence, just like Kate Reilly always aims to do.

Here are the estimated nutritional facts for one of these Gooey Chocolate Mint Cookies, based on our standard ingredient list. Remember, these are just averages—if you use extra butter or more chocolate chips, things will shift a little. This is just to give you a transparency overview!

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 220
• Sugar: 20g
• Sodium: 110mg
• Fat: 12g
• Saturated Fat: 7g
• Carbohydrates: 28g
• Protein: 3g

We estimate these values based on using standard all-purpose flour and the ingredients listed above. Since we focus on homemade quality over processed shortcuts, results can vary slightly depending on the exact brands of cocoa powder or butter you use. But honestly? When they taste this good, I try not to look at the numbers too closely!

Share Your Homemade Andes Mint Cookies Experience

That’s it! You’ve made the ultimate batch of Andes Mint Cookies. They are cooling on the rack, the kitchen smells incredible—like a chilly mint garden mixed with rich fudge—and now I desperately need to know how they turned out for you!

Did you achieve that perfect gooey center we were aiming for? Was the peppermint extract strong enough, or did you decide to add even more chocolate chips? I truly rely on your feedback to know if our testing methods are translating perfectly into your home kitchen. Don’t be shy!

Take a picture of your beautiful Double Chocolate Mint Cookies and tag us on social media—we absolutely love seeing your successes! If you have any last-minute questions or tips you discovered while baking, please drop them in the comments below. Giving feedback helps me keep improving recipes like this one for everyone else looking for the Best Andes Mint Cookies.

We read every single comment and suggestion. If you have any questions about storing them or need to get in touch about another recipe, you can reach out directly through our Contact page anytime. Happy baking, friend, and thanks for being part of the Taste This Plate family!

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