Chocolate Mint Sandwiches

Who doesn’t love a thin mint? I know I do. And the thought of making one from scratch was too exciting to pass up—especially when I saw these delicious looking Chocolate Mint Sandwiches when flipping through pictures on Marthastewart.com.

Before I even begin the review, I just want to commend myself for actually making these cookies even after reading that it was a four pronged approach: not only does it involve the dreaded dough refrigeration, but I was also attempting a ganache and a frosting (ok, the “frosting” was only melted chocolate, but still—it was a whole extra step).

The first two things I had to tackle were tackling the Dutch Processed Cocoa debate and acquiring the correct sized cookie round.  Neither proved easy although that might have had something to do with going to 5 stores two days before Christmas. 

There is an ongoing debate in the baking world over Dutch Processed Cocoa and regular cocoa.  Unfortunately, the debate has not reached my local grocery store which only carries that later.  After reading a few reviews stating that regular cocoa would make the cookies bitter, I hunted down some Dutch Processed Cocoa to give it a try.  $11 and 14 ounces later, I was in business.  In my mind, that's outrageously expensive for cocoa but fortunately, I have subsequently found a cheaper varitey in the area.

On to cookie rounds.  Apparently, there was a rush on rounds this year as everywhere seemed sold out of the 1 1/2 inch and the 2 inch variety that Martha called for.  By the time I had arrived at my fifth store, I settled on a 2 1/2 inch round just so I could return home and actually make the cookies.  I wish that I had been more patient, or that I had really thought about what 2 1/2 inch cookie sandwiches would be like.  While the recipe claims it yields 3 dozen, I ended up with 9.  This is WAY too much effort for 9 sandwiches.  In my opinion, even a 2 inch round wouldn't have yielded 3 dozen, but I don't know that I will ever take the time to find out.

Small amounts aside, the cookies themselves just weren’t that exciting. The ganache was relatively flavorless (where was that promised minty flavor?) and the cookies were dry. I used all of the recommended ingredients yet these cookies were still only mediocre. Sigh. My hunt for homemade thin mints will have to continue.

Summary:
Effort Level: High
Difficulty: High
Cost: Moderate
Results: Not worth it!