Dishing Up the Dirt</a href>. Their texture is the ideal amalgam of crispy and soft—a defined crust with visible veins of tenderness—but it is their underlying flavor that makes them true winners. <br /> <br />To begin, you melt the butter with a heap of fresh mint. (Melted butter makes for denser, chewier cookies; melted butter also means no waiting for dang butter to soften!) The butter turns amber while the mint releases its fragrance and flavor. When the cookies come out of the oven, they have all the toastiness of brown butter, but with an herbal aroma that makes them particularly apt for pairing with spring and summer fruit."> Dishing Up the Dirt</a href>. Their texture is the ideal amalgam of crispy and soft—a defined crust with visible veins of tenderness—but it is their underlying flavor that makes them true winners. <br /> <br />To begin, you melt the butter with a heap of fresh mint. (Melted butter makes for denser, chewier cookies; melted butter also means no waiting for dang butter to soften!) The butter turns amber while the mint releases its fragrance and flavor. When the cookies come out of the oven, they have all the toastiness of brown butter, but with an herbal aroma that makes them particularly apt for pairing with spring and summer fruit.">

Mint

Andrea Bemis' Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

by:
August  3, 2017
5
5 Ratings
Andrea Bemis' Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes 12 cookies
Author Notes

The best cookies I had all year—and I eat a lot of cookies—were Andrea Bemis' Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies from her book Dishing Up the Dirt. Their texture is the ideal amalgam of crispy and soft—a defined crust with visible veins of tenderness—but it is their underlying flavor that makes them true winners.

To begin, you melt the butter with a heap of fresh mint. (Melted butter makes for denser, chewier cookies; melted butter also means no waiting for dang butter to soften!) The butter turns amber while the mint releases its fragrance and flavor. When the cookies come out of the oven, they have all the toastiness of brown butter, but with an herbal aroma that makes them particularly apt for pairing with spring and summer fruit. —Sarah Jampel

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup tightly packed, freshly chopped mint
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
  • 1/2 cup (heaping) chopped chocolate (whatever kind you'd like)
Directions
  1. Add the butter and mint to a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mint is very fragrant. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  2. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Press the mint with a spatula or the back of a spoon to release all of that butter! Add the sugars and mix on medium-low speed until creamy and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until completely combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ginger, if using. Add to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on low until just combined. Stir in the chopped chocolate, then scoop onto a sheet of plastic wrap, flatten into a disc, and chill for 1 hour.
  4. Heat the oven to 350° F and line two sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, rolling each into a ball. Space 6 balls on each cookie sheet (the cookies will spread), then bake for 11 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.
  5. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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  • Jenny
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  • bhilz
    bhilz
  • Sarah Jampel
    Sarah Jampel

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16 Reviews

hennanisa
hennanisa June 22, 2020
These cookies turned out amazing! I was shocked how yummy they are! I was worried the mint would be too overpowering, but it was nice and subtle! I will definitely be making these again in the future!
 
Janet Y.
Janet Y. September 17, 2019
The cookies came out great but could have been more minty! Is there a particular type of mint you’d recommend for this recipe? I’m almost tempted to add a drop of peppermint extract next time... the ginger added an excellent and unexpected kick!
 
Emily
Emily August 6, 2019
Sounds great, but I have a question— how can the butter be creamed if it’s still melted? Do you cool it first or just beat it with the sugar?
 
stefanie
stefanie July 6, 2018
Having made these a few times, I find that the recipe works more consistently when I measure out 1/2 cup butter after melting and straining. That often means adding another ~2 tbsp to take into account evaporation.
Depending on what stove I've used, the butter can melt more slowly or quickly than expected, and I've noticed variations as low as 1/4 cup butter after straining, which might explain some people's drier cookies.
 
Caitlin
Caitlin December 18, 2017
Hi there, I love this recipe and the cookies turned out pretty good but they were very tough the next day, not doughy. What would the cause be? Not enough butter?
 
Jeanne
Jeanne December 20, 2017
I tried this recipe and I liked the batch I baked after the shorter chilling time vs. the ones I finished baking later and the dough had been chilled for many hours. But the flavor of the mint infused butter cannot be beat. I already know this will be my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe to pass along.
 
Bobz
Bobz September 4, 2017
These cookies were delicious. Everyone at work loved them. I got a little over-enthused with the butter infusing process and accidentally browned the butter. The mint flavor was nice. Ill be making these again
 
JoAnn
JoAnn August 20, 2017
The dough was way too dry. Any ideas about that?
 
Sarah J.
Sarah J. August 20, 2017
Hmm! Sorry about that! Did you press all of the butter out of the mint? And did you weigh the flour or measure it using cup measures?
 
Shannon R.
Shannon R. September 4, 2017
The dough was very dry for me too. Does weighing flour vs. measuring cups make a difference? I used the latter.
 
Sarah J.
Sarah J. September 4, 2017
I weigh the flour—but 180 grams should be close to 1 1/2 cups, so I'd hope it wouldn't make too much of a difference! I just made these again tonight and my dough wasn't dry—the flour also hydrates during the chill time. Let me know if you figure out what's going on!
 
Jenny
Jenny August 10, 2017
Love this cookbook and this recipe! I'd never baked with fresh mint before, but they turned out wonderfully.
 
bhilz
bhilz August 10, 2017
Hello! Looking forward to trying this recipe! I was very intrigued by the ginger mentioned in the method, but I don't see it in the ingredients list. Is it dried, fresh, or crystallized? How much would you add?

Thanks!
 
bhilz
bhilz August 10, 2017
Also, the photo seems to have dark or semisweet chocolate, but the method mentions white chocolate. I noticed the ingredients say any type of chocolate you want, but maybe this could be clarified a bit in the author notes?
 
Sarah J.
Sarah J. August 10, 2017
Hi bhilz,

Sorry about that! When I used this dough to top a cookie cobbler (https://food52.com/recipes/70673-roasted-berry-mint-cookie-cobbler) I added 1/4 cup of diced crystallized ginger along with white chocolate and it turned out nicely! But dark chocolate—or even chopped peppermints!—would be great, too.
 
Nancy
Nancy August 11, 2017
Since you've added two ingredients, maybe call the recipe "adapted from Andrea Bemis"...