Thin Mint Truffles Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the Girl Scouts’ Birthday!

I made these Thin Mint truffles years ago when I wanted to make something fun to bring into work for St. Patrick’s Day, and I had a box of Girl Scout cookies at home. It’s a twist on Oreo truffles, which I had made before, and then I made a few tweaks to make them more festive for the holiday.

On March 12, 1912, Juliette Gordon Low gathered 18 girls in Savannah, Georgia for the first Girl Scout meeting. (Today, there’s an estimated 2.6 million members!) With Girl Scouts’ birthday being just days from St. Patrick’s Day, it’s a great combo. According to the Girl Scout website, Thin Mints are the best-selling Girl Scout cookie. And, of course, green treats and mint flavors are always popular for St. Patrick’s Day.

Whether you’re Irish, a Girl Scout supporter or you just love chocolate and mint, this easy no-bake recipe is perfect to try this week.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies
• 5 oz. fat-free cream cheese
• ½ cup Andes Crème de Menthe Baking Chips (optional)
• 1 ½ cups white chocolate morsels plus ¼ teaspoon green food coloring (see shopping tips) OR you could use green candy melting wafers
• Green sprinkles (optional)

Instructions:

Use a food processor (or sturdy plastic bag and a meat tenderizer) to crush Thin Mint cookies into fine crumbs.

Combine cookie crumbs and cream cheese using an electric mixer.

Stir in Andes baking chips if using them.

Use a small cookie scoop (tablespoon sized) to form dough balls. Place balls on a cookie tray lined with foil.

Once balls are formed, lightly cover tray with foil and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Melt white chocolate using a double boiler (or microwave-safe bowl if you prefer). To get a festive green color, stir in about ¼ teaspoon of green food coloring. Add a tiny bit at a time until you reach your desired color. If you want a white drizzle on top or some white truffles, separate the chocolate before adding food coloring.

Dip each ball into the melted chocolate. Lightly shake off excess chocolate. A useful technique to try is to use a spoon to dip the dough ball into the melted chocolate. After it is coated, pick up the ball using the spoon, then shift the ball onto a fork, so it rests sitting on the tongs. Gently shake over the bowl, letting excess chocolate drip off. Place chocolate covered ball on a second cookie tray lined with parchment paper or foil.

If using sprinkles, lightly shake over truffles before the chocolate coating hardens. If you wish to do a chocolate drizzle, refrigerate for about 15 minutes first. An easy technique for achieving a delicate drizzle is to dip a fork in melted chocolate, then lightly shake the fork back and forth over the tray of truffles.

Refrigerate finished truffles for 1 hour before serving. If making in advance, truffles will keep in an air-tight container for 1-2 weeks if refrigerated.

Shopping tips:

If you missed out on Girl Scout cookies in your area, Keebler Grasshopper Cookies can also be used. I even saw a Thin Mint cookie knockoff at Aldi recently! When coloring your dipping chocolate, Wilton icing color is perfect for the task. It is a gel and does not change the consistency of your chocolate like other food coloring might. A tiny bit goes a long way, so you can use a 1-oz. bottle for quite a while. Wilton Leaf Green was used here. You can buy it at Michael’s, or HERE‘s an Amazon link. (As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small amount from purchases. However, I always check for the best prices before sharing!)