Lately I’ve had a lot of fresh mint in the garden, so I’ve been looking for new ways to use this herb. I’ve added it to drinks and as a refreshing twist to condiments, but this week I decided to bake with it. The results were a not super sweet and delicious mint chocolate chip shortbread cookie. The mint is present, but not overly strong or toothpaste-like, making it the perfect complement to flaky bits of semi-sweet chocolate.
Mint chocolate chip shortbread ingredients:
- 1 ½ sticks salted butter
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tbs milk
- 1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh mint (about 12 leaves)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, roughly chopped
Glaze ingredients:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla, milk, and mint and beat to combine everything. You want to add the mint into the butter mixture so it permeates. Beat in the flour in 3 batches until combined. Add the chopped chocolate chips the last portion of flour, then add it into the batter, mixing to combine.
Dump the dough onto a well floured surface and roll out to ¼ – ½ inch thickness. Cut into equal squares. This made about 40 cookies for me. I used a ravioli cutter with a scalloped edge to make them festive but you can definitely just cut them with a knife or regular pizza cutter.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and transfer the mint chocolate chip shortbread cookies to the pan. These won’t spread out, so you can bake them fairly close together on the cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.
Let cool, then make the glaze. Mix all ingredients together then asses the thickness. You want it to be the viscosity of glue. If you need to add more water or sugar to get the desired consistency, add a bit at a time.
Glaze each cookie and place them aside to set up. I usually just spread the glaze on with a knife. Once they’re set, these cookies are perfect to serve with coffee, tea, or as a gift. Since the mint chocolate chip shortbread cookies are hearty, they are easy to pack and transport, as they won’t fall apart easily.
Using fresh mint makes these cookies delightfully refreshing, and is a great way to use up any overflowing mint plants you may have in your garden!
