Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies
There are so many great American cookies that the list for this chapter once numbered forty-eight recipes. Oatmeal-raisin cookies! Buckeyes! Animal crackers! Seriously, we could do an entire book of American cookies made gluten-free. But when we were winnowing down that list to the chapter you hold in your hands, Danny had only one request. Thin Mints. You know, like the ones a scout who is also a girl might sell you? We adapted the cookie part of this recipe from the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, one of the best baking books ever published. These are for you, Chef.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, cocoa powder, and baking soda.
Cream the butter, salt, and sugar. Put the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium-low speed until it’s smooth, about 1 minute. Add the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the peppermint extract and mix for another 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the sugar and mix for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Finish the dough. With the mixer running, add the flour mixture, a little at a time. When you have finished adding all the flour, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix again. The final dough should be loosely combined.
Dump the dough onto a clean surface. Using a pastry scraper, move the dough around to push it into 2 square blocks.
Chill the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it for at least 3 hours, and preferably overnight.
Prepare to bake. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough. Put one block of dough between two pieces of lightly greased parchment paper. Roll out the dough, rotating the block of dough 90 degrees every time you roll, until it is about ⅛ inch thick. Quickly, using a small round cookie cutter, cut out shapes from the dough. Put them on the baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between them. When you are done cutting shapes, gather all the leftover dough and roll it into a ball. Put plastic wrap around this and put it back in the refrigerator. Put the baking sheet into the freezer for 15 minutes.
Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies until they are just set on top and small cracks appear on the surface, 9 to 11 minutes. Be sure to rotate the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. (If you made larger cookies than 2 inches across, give the cookies up to 18 minutes to bake.) Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool entirely.
Repeat with the remaining dough. Wait to dip the cookies in chocolate until they are all thoroughly cooled.
Melt the chocolate. Set a large pot filled three-quarters full with water over high heat. Bring the water to a boil. Set a large metal pan over the large pot. Add the chocolate, the remaining ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, and coconut oil to the metal bowl. Grip the bowl with a kitchen towel and stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula until all the ingredients are well combined and the chocolate is lusciously melted. Turn off the heat.
Coat the cookies. Set a wire rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the melted chocolate over the bottoms of all the cookies. Set them chocolate side up on the wire rack and let the chocolate solidify. Turn the heat on under the large pot again and re-melt the chocolate. Turn off the heat. Dip the tops of the cookies into the melted chocolate, carefully, then turn them over onto the wire rack and let the excess chocolate drip off. You’re probably going to have to lick your fingers. Darn.
Chill the cookies in the refrigerator—they really are better cold—and then feed your friends.