Thanks to a recent cooking magazine binge and my Instagram feed at large, my list of must-bake Christmas cookie recipes is LONG. That said, I’m absolutely going to squeeze in one more batch of these Andes Mint Cookies because ho-ho, oh-so good!
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Why You’ll Love these Andes Mint Cookies
- Perfect Texture. They are marvelously chewy, thick (but not too thick), and have the lightest crisp at the edges. Perfection!
- Ultra Festive. My Christmas season never feels complete until I’ve made at least one mint chocolate baked good. These Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Mint Brownies were favorites in years past. This year, I am all about these Andes cookies!
- Lots of Chocolate. I PACKED these beauties with lots of chopped Andes mints, so they are extra melty and chocolaty. The buttery dough holds it all together.
- Easy to Make. Because we need some simple drop cookies to balance more ambitious endeavors like these Perfect Christmas Cutout Cookies.
- Santa Would Approve. And your cookie monsters at home will too!
How to Make the Best Andes Mint Cookies
- Be generous with the Andes mints. This recipe reflects my ideal mint-chocolate-candy-to-dough ratio. You’ll have a generous, borderline naughty amount of Andes mints in every bite but not *so* many that you lose the wonderfulness of the cookie itself.
- You can use either chopped Andes mints candies or Andes Crème de Menthe Baking Chips. Personally, I prefer chopping actual Andes mint candies because I like the mix of smaller and larger pieces, BUT it is more time consuming to open all those little wrappers. If you prefer speed, a bag of the crème de menthe chips does the job and still makes for very yummy, easy Andes Mint Cookies.
- Ditch the dye. I know it’s common to make green Andes Mint cookies by mixing in green food coloring, but I’m less of a fan. Food dye can have an odd aftertaste. Plus, I love the way the bits of chocolate stand out against the deeply golden color of the cookies.
- Add espresso powder. This is my secret weapon whenever I’m baking anything containing chocolate. It won’t make the cookies taste like coffee; rather, it helps the flavor of the chocolate to pop. If you do omit it, your cookies will come out a bit lighter than mine, so be sure not to overbake them.
- Go whole wheat. I snuck in my customary white whole wheat flour for a little extra nutrition boost, and you cannot tell one bit! Remind yourself of this nutritious addition as you reach for another.
A Few Final Andes Mint Cookies Recipe Notes
- I haven’t tried this as gluten free Andes mint cookies, but I think you could swap a 1:1 gluten free baking flour blend like this one for the regular flour.
- You’ll notice this recipe doesn’t have an egg, which is correct. That means it is *nearly* vegan, so if you want to make it completely vegan, you can replace the butter with melted coconut oil.
- Don’t skip chilling the dough. This is super important for the right texture, ensuring the cookies don’t spread too much, and giving the dry ingredients valuable time to absorb the wet ingredients.
How to Store These Andes Mint Cookies
- To Store. Store cookies at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze. Place cookies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Did these Andes mint cookies and I just make your Christmas baking list a little longer? I sure hope so!
Andes Mint Cookies
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 11 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 30 cookies
Easy Andes mint cookies that are thick, soft, and chewy. Use Andes mint candies or creme de menthe baking chips for the perfect Christmas cookie!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional but delicious
- 1 ¼ cups chopped Andes mints or Andes Crème de Menthe Baking Chips
- ½ cup packed brown sugar light or dark
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk or nonfat milk at room temperature (may need to add an additional 1 or 2 teaspoons)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the white whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Fold in the Andes mints or baking chips.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, and vanilla until evenly combined. Add the milk and whisk again until the milk is incorporated into the butter and it is nice and smooth.
- Scatter the flour mixture over the top, and, by hand with a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula, stir to combine. Stop as soon as the flour disappears so that you don’t overwork the dough. If the dough seems very dry, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk until it comes together. (It will become moist faster than you think!)
- Clear space in your freezer and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. With a cookie scoop or spoon, portion the dough by 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls (the dough balls will be about 1 1/2 inches across). Arrange on the baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches of space around each cookie. Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 24 hours. Alternatively, you can cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap, then refrigerate it in the bowl for 24 hours or up to 3 days. Let stand the bowl stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, until the dough is softened enough to scoop, then portion as directed.
- When ready to bake, place racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake on the upper and lower racks for 11 to 12 minutes, until barely dry on top and just turning golden on the edges, switching the pans’ positions once halfway through. The cookies will look underdone but will firm up as they cool. (You can also bake the pans one at a time in the center rack of your oven.)
- Place the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer them to the cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Notes
- Adapted from The Ovenly Cookbook via Cookie and Kate
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 128kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 8mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11g
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My husband absolutely LOVES anything chocolate-mint style. While we don’t exchange gifts at Christmas, I think I’ll bake him a batch of these. I actually like the idea of giving something hand made and always try to include that sort of thing with a gift if possible. Keep the cookie recipes coming – thanks!
That sounds like the perfect gift, Chris! I hope you both enjoy the cookies!
My favorite combo: chocolate and mint! What could be better. I love the idea of adding the espresso. Can’t wait to try this.
It’s a match made in heaven! I hope you love the cookies, Lorna.
hey girl- this is right up my alley! yummy for my tummy!
I hope you love them if you give them a try, Shawnna!
The perfect tasty addition to our holiday baking plans!
I hope you love them, Melissa!
So funny – I spontaneously bought a bag of the Andes baking chips a couple of weeks ago, and just got invited to a cookie exchange, so was thinking about looking for a recipe just like this! Love it when everything falls into place!
Sounds like perfect timing! I hope you enjoy them.
I thought my baking list was done til I saw these!
Wow! These are the PERFECT cookies!
Yes, we always have to have a chocolate-mint treat for the holidays! These cookies have been added to my baking list!
I hope you love them, Liz!
Drooling just looking at these!
Heavenly soft and chewy cookies with amazing holiday flavor!!!
Andes mints remind me so much of my childhood. I love these!
These cookies didn’t last long in my house!
Loved how tasty these cookies were. I brought them to the office cookie exchange!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Stephanie! Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe!
This is THE BEST cookie for the holiday season, especially for those of us who are big fans of chocolate and mint combination. 5 Stars all the way!!!
These cookies are perfect for Andes Mint lovers like me- yum!!!!
I will have to add this Andes Mint Cookies recipe to my list of cookies that I often bake for Christmas gifts. They sound really good! Who doesn’t like chocolate and mint? Will pin this yummy sounding recipe.
I adore Andes mints – what an awesome cookie!!
This is my whole childhood all in one cookie! These look fantastic! I am so excited to try them! Thanks for posting this recipe!
Why did my cookies come out so flat. They’re basically crackers lol. But they taste phenomenal…I’m lost.
Brittney, did you remember to add the baking powder and baking soda and refrigerate the dough the full time? Also, it’s important that your baking powder is fresh and that you scoop the dough onto to a room temperature (never hot from the oven) baking sheet or they will spread. Those are my best guesses without being in the kitchen with you. I’m sorry they didn’t turn out and hope it goes better next time!
I’ll be making these for the first time. Why do you say to melt the butter & then cool to room temp? Can I just use a stick of softened butter?
Nancy, you want to fully melt the butter so that you stir versus beat it with the other ingredients. I say let cool to room temp, because if you use it right away, the cooler temp of the other ingredients can make it resolidify. It only takes a few minutes to cool, don’t worry!
Thanks! These were delicious- the first batch I made with Andes cherry jubalee . Today’s batch will be with the ceme de menthe ?
Nancy, I am so, so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for taking time to let me know how they came out.
These are delicious! Like many others, I was skeptical of the recipe but it seemed to be the most reliable Andes mint cookie recipe I could find, so I went for it. Delicious!! Such a perfect Christmas cookie. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the cookies, Anna! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These are delicious! The recipe was easy to follow and my cookies turned out perfectly. Thanks for all your hard work on posting new recipes so often!
Heidi, thank you so much for this sweet comment—I so appreciate it! I’m glad to hear you loved the cookies.
This recipe is definitely a hit! I love that there’s no egg in the dough I was able to let my son try it. These cookies are extremely easy to make and absolutely delicious!!!
You are on a roll, Holly! I’m glad the cookies were a success!
Such a great that I have made it twice already this December! Super simple to make & is super yummy!
SO SO happy to hear that Brianne. Thank you or leaving this fabulous review!!
Just made these cookies the other day and my husband LOVED them! I’m not a huge fan of mint and chocolate combined, but these are very good. The dough was a little challenging to work with but so worth the effort. Stay inside and warm with this icky weather we’re having!
Chris, I’m glad these were a success! Thanks for giving them a try and taking the time to report back.
Can I ise coconut milk instead of almond milk?
Hi Mercedes, I haven’t tried that myself, but it should work!
Great recipe, it is one of my go-to recipes now. And I like how I don’t need to use my stand mixer.
Thank you, DJ! I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying this recipe!
is there any way to do this without the baking powder?
Hi Lyneah! I have not tried this recipe without baking powder, and can’t recommend it. Without the baking powder, the cookies could turn out flat and hard. I hope this helps!
Erin, could I use unbleached all purpose flour instead?
Hi Hannah! While I have not tried the recipe this way, it should work fine. If you decide to experiment with it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Looking forward to making these! Question however…do these freeze well?
Hi Sharonah! I have not tried to freeze these myself, but I suspect they would freeze well. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Mine turned out terrible :( after freezing them for 30 minutes, I put them in the oven and they didn’t flatten out and they were super dry. I don’t know what I did wrong.
Alli, I am so sorry to hear this! That definitely should not have happened, as I and many other readers have made these cookies with success. It sounds like you had too much flour since they did not spread and were dry. Always make sure to lightly spoon the flour and scatter it into your measuring cup, then level it off. Did you use all purpose flour or a different kind? I’m sorry this didn’t turn out, as it’s disappointing to try a recipe and not have it come out.
No eggs?
Correct, Amanda. No eggs in this one.
I only have access to AP Flour. Can I use this instead. If so, how much?
Hi Rebecca! Yes, that will be absolutely fine. I hope you love it!
I honestly was skeptical about this recipe because it used not much butter and no eggs. But they came out great! I was able to snag a bag of Andes mint chips so I didn’t have to chop up the mints myself. Very easy recipe. I used AP flour and a size 30 scoop which is just over 2 Tbsp so my cookies turned out a little bigger. For high elevation, I added a Tbsp of flour, increased temp by 25 degrees, used slightly less baking powder, and I baked them for 10 minutes (turning halfway through). They turned out soft and perfect and didn’t over spread. I think freezing them as full balls (not flattened) helped with that too.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, April! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I need the recipe for Christmas tree mint cookies
Hi Nancy! I haven’t tried making this recipe in a tree shape, but you could try using a tree-shaped cookie cutter. I hope this helps!
Tried this recipe for the first time and I’m really happy with how it turned out! I only had oat milk so I used that instead of almond milk. Anything mint chocolate is my favorite especially for this time of year, so I’m happy I found this easy to make recipe!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Celina! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Erin! These are so delicious as usual! Holidays are obviously looking a little different this year, but I needed something to get into the spirit. These have the perfect amount of mint and were easy to make, but hard to not eat them all! Definitely adding to my holiday rotation.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Melanie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Easy recipe. Delish! Where does the recipe tell you how much flour to add?
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Ann Marie! Thank you for sharing this kind review! You can find all the recipe ingredients and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post. If you click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page, it will take you directly there.
I’d like to attempt using the espresso powder but I’ve never used espresso (not a coffee drinker). What type of espresso powder? Would I find this in a typical grocery coffee isle or is it a seasoning type item in a special seasoning style jar I’d probably have to order? Thank you for your help. Can’t wait to try this recipe ASAP.
Hi Misty! Instant espresso powder could be sold by the regular coffee or in the baking aisle. You should be able to find it at an average grocery store. If you like to bake chocolate desserts, any time you add a bit of it, it will intensify the chocolate flavor. I hope you love the cookies!
I just made these for St. Patrick’s Day and they are awesome! The whole family loves them, even my husband who typically doesn’t like cookies (weirdo, I know). I didn’t have the white whole wheat flour, or the WW pastry flour, so just used regular whole wheat flour. Refrigerated the dough in the mixing bowl overnight (no room in my freezer for a baking tray), then baked the next day. Mine turned out a little thinner than the ones pictured above, but likely that’s due to using whole wheat flour. Regardless, they were still perfect in texture and flavor. This recipe is a keeper!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Kimberly! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Need cookie recipe please n thank you..💜😊
Hi Casey! You can find the recipe in the recipe card at the end of the post! Hope you enjoy them!
Back again (commented in July 2019). Love these so much, want to take them on a roadtrip. However, I would like to freeze the dough, then use it approx. 4-5 days later. Do you know if this will work? or do I need to just stick to overnight? (which isn’t an option for this time).
Thank you.
Hi DJ! I haven’t experimented freezing the dough so it would be hard for me to advise. If you decided to give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Can I use regular white flour if I don’t have whole wheat?
Hi Sandy! Yes you can use all-purpose white flour in place of the whole wheat white flour. Hope this helps!
Can I use 2% milk?
Hi Kellie! Yes that should work! Hope you enjoy them!
Erin, in your picture it looks like the andies candies were added AFTER baking. Did you do this just for the photo? I’m trying to put the candies on before I bake them but they tend to run a little bit and look messy. Do you have suggestions?
Hi Tami! The candies you see that are added after baking is for the purpose of food photography but you can add some after baking. When the cookies are still warm press a few into each cookie for presentation, they will melt a little. This won’t work before they are cooked and I would stick to the written recipe. Hope this helps!
I’m sure someone has already comments on this but the first couple reviews didn’t. Andes mints contain milk so these cookies can’t be vegan even if your cookie base is.
I’m still going to make these though! Thank you for posting and I can’t wait to try your suggestion of adding espresso.
Thanks Christine! Enjoy!
These were easy to make and delicious. They came out so moist and fluffy. Loved the amount of Andes in it! Already made them twice & looking forward to the 3rd!
Hi Jill! So glad you enjoyed the cookies! Thank you for this kind review!
Delicious and worked well at high altitude. Now if I just had enough resolve to stop eating them as they come out of the oven! I made a 45 cookie batch and the recipe adjusted the amount of ingredients for me online. I used one bag of Andes Mints 8 1/2 oz. coarsely broken up. Also, I only had 1 % milk on hand, and it worked perfectly with the listed amount.
Hi Valerie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi Erin, my husband is an absolute fan of your cookies and so are his coworkers. My husband and I lost our firstborn son and need to raise money to buy him a proper headstone. We’ve decided to do a fundraiser and use this recipe as one of 3 cookies we’re selling. I babe to tell you, everybody raves about them. Thank you for making your recipes available to all. I’m excited to check or your other recipes, especially for the holidays!! Thanks again, Trina
Hi Trina, I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, but am happy to hear the cookies are helping out!
GREAT cookies!! So delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Stacy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Can I make these using whole wheat flour? I can’t find white whole wheat flour anywhere!
Hi Tina! You can use whole wheat pastry flour or use all-purpose flour. Hope you enjoy them!
Very good cookies. They can never be vegan though( I bake for allergies) because Andes candies are made with milk
Thanks for the tip Katie!
These turned out great! Followed the recipe exactly but added a couple Andes to the top after baking which made the look like Andes cookies instead of regular chocolate chip cookies.
Hi Alecia! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made this today with gluten free flour and excited to dig in once cooled. Unfortunately I had to throw the hole batch out. Unknown to me gluten free flour has baking powder in it already therefore the cookies were extremely bitter. I will not be making these for awhile, wasted my time, all baking ingredients quit maddening. I have another recipe that does not call for baking power so are you sure about the ingredient. That being said cuz I make flour tortillas 2.5 cups of flour and use 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of baking powder the measurements listed seemed a bit much to me but followed to a T. I’m going to tweak it and leave it out.
Hi Jodi, the amounts are correct. Which gluten free flour blend did you use? I recommend the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour and this one does not contain baking soda.
Hi! Can I use oat milk in this recipe?
Thanks!
I think that could work! Enjoy!
Would lite coconut milk work for the milk?
Hi Priscilla, while I haven’t tried it I believe it would work. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
These turned out super tasty. They really flattened out in the last half of the baking time. Just FYI- used whole milk and it was fine.
Glad you enjoyed them, Cassie. Normally the butter or baking powder/soda are the culprits when it comes to cookies being flat. Also refrigerating the dough is so important for this recipe. Hope this helps!
The best!! I love the mint flavor from the Andes but also really love that it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the actual cookie base. Definitely make sure you don’t skip the espresso powder…the richness it adds without actually tasting it in the finished cookie is so good!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Rebecca! Thank you!
LOVE this recipe, definitely recommend for soft, chewy cookies that won’t last! My husband loves them. I’d made them a few times now with a few different types of chocolate candies (although the Andes is my favorite) follow the directions exactly and you won’t be disappointed!
These look fabulous, Maryanne! Thank you!