Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!!
Chocolate-Mint: St. Patrick’s Day Thin Mints, of a sort.
These sugar cookies with Dutch cocoa and mint extract are above and beyond, but with with only six simple ingredients.
YES, that’s it!
They WILL be your lucky charm 🍀 this year!

Chocolate Mint Sugar Cookies

BTW – after my Valentine’s Day sugar cookie expansion disaster (the simple cookies expanded far too much and the hearts turned into “butts” after baking), I did MUCH research on how to eliminate this “puff” faux pax.
I determined that in order for the cookies to retain their cut-out shape, no rising should take place.
Thus, I eliminated the egg AND the baking powder. I want NO reaction for rising.

I also discovered the important difference between Dutch processed cocoa and traditional cocoa powder:

Dutch processed cocoa beans are washed and alkalized to neutralize the acidity. This type of powder does not react with baking soda and is often paired with baking powder.
Alkalizing cocoa makes it darker in color, mellow in flavor, and dissolves easily into liquids. Oreo cookies are made from Dutched cocoa! Yum.
Natural cocoa is just that– natural powder from roasted cocoa beans. It is acidic and bitter, with a very strong and concentrated chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa powder (ACID) is often used in recipes calling for baking soda (BASE) because the two react with each other to allow baked good to rise.

• While this is not important in the recipe below due to the lack of egg, I still feel obligated to share!

Chocolate Mint Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar (+)
1/2 – 3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder, unsweetened (how dark do you want these to be?)
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp. mint extract
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 cups all purpose flour
candy sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, cream, mint extract, and salt!
If you use more cocoa, you may need more sugar!

Once the mixture is creamy and smooth, add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until doughy.

Divide the dough in half and transfer to parchment paper to roll out flat.

Use cookie cutters to create your best shapes. Continue rolling out scraps until all shapes are formed.

Place shapes on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake 10-14 minutes, until almost toasty.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with “decor” while still warm.

Cool before devouring with an ice-cold glass of green leprechaun milk! 🍀🌈😉