Healthy Girl Scout Cookie 'Thin Mint' Bliss Balls
The best of both worlds collide with these no-bake energy bites; a healthy sweet treat and a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. They taste similar to the ‘real’ cookie, but are made with nourishing and whole ingredients. They’re chocolatey, slightly sweet, minty and so satisfying.
Spring is the time for Girl Scout cookies. The ‘real’ thing may be delicious but they’re made with refined, processed and inflammatory ingredients. If you’re following a healthy, low sugar and anti inflammatory diet, then Thin Mints are not likely in your pantry. My healthier alternative to this classic comfort allows you to have your cake and eat it too. These healthier Thin Mint cookie dough balls really satisfy when the craving hits. They’re also gluten and dairy free and vegan.
Ingredients of ‘real’ Thin Mints
Enriched Wheat Flour
When an ingredient label lists ‘enriched wheat flour’ it means that it contains processed flour. The fiber and nutrients have been removed during processing, and then some of the vitamins have been added back in. The result isn’t the same as unprocessed whole wheat. Not all supplements are created equal, and there’s no way for consumers to know how well these added ‘nutrients’ are absorbed and used by the body (bioavailability), since they aren’t in their natural, unrefined form. Enriched flours are more glycemic, meaning they lead to a quick increase in blood sugar and then a crash. This glycemic effect is compounded when combined with sugar.
Sugar
Refined, white sugar is the second ingredient. By itself, sugar leads to a blood sugar spike and subsequent crash not too long after, which is more dramatic when combined with processed flour. This is why baked goods are especially inflammatory.
Vegetable Oil Shortening
In the case of Thin Mints, the shortening they use is made of palm oil. When heated, the fats in processed vegetable oils oxidize, which causes free radical damage and leads to increased inflammation. Palm oil is also destructive to the environment and is adding to deforestation, since it’s used in many industries including processed foods.
Processed Cocoa
Sometimes when cacao is processed, the fiber, protein and nutrients are stripped away, so you miss out on the health benefits that chocolate can offer. This is an easy ingredient to replace with real cacao powder.
Caramel Color
Caramel color is considered a carcinogen when it contains a chemical called methylimidazole, which is produced during processing. There’s no way to know when this chemical is present, so it’s best to avoid.
Natural and Artificial Flavors
There’s a lack of transparency here, and the list of ingredients that falls into either category is in the thousands. Most of these ingredients aren’t directly regulated by the FDA either.
How To Make Healthier Thin Mints
My no-bake cookie balls are made with whole and real ingredients. The base is made with my usual oat flour and ground raw cashews or cashew butter. I make them chocolatey by adding some dark chocolate and cacao powder. The mint flavor comes from peppermint extract, and if you have it, using a mint dark chocolate bar.
Recipe
Makes 12 cookie dough balls
Ingredients
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 tsp filtered water
1 square of dark chocolate, milk chocolate or mint chocolate (about 1/8 bar) *optional
2 tsp cacao powder
1/8 tsp peppermint extract
1-2 tbsp raw honey
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp oat flour
Chocolate coating
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate bar
1-2 drops of peppermint extract, a little under 1/8 tsp
Directions
Blend the raw, unroasted cashews in a food processor with the water, until smooth, scraping sides and bottom corner every 30ish seconds. This takes a few minutes.
Add in the rest of the ingredients except for oat flour, and blend until completely smooth, scrape sides as needed.
Add the oat flour in 1/4 cup batches to fully incorporate. At this point you can taste a little and adjust to your preferences.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave, in 20 second increments, stirring between. When melted with only a few lumps it’s done. Just keep stirring to melt the rest until smooth. Add the peppermint extract. If using mint chocolate, you can omit the peppermint extract. Add to your preference of minty-ness.
Form balls of the dough mixture, 2 tsp to each ball. Dip the top in melted chocolate. Allow to set for at least 30 minutes, I feel like they taste best after an hour + to let the flavors meddle.