Thin Mint Chocolate Muffins

Made with the iconic Girl Scout cookies, these Thin Mint chocolate muffins are sweet and chocolatey with a little crunch for fun. 

The idea for these muffins popped into my head in the middle of the night unbidden. I wasn’t even thinking about muffins! What if, my brain said, you put a thin mint at the bottom of the silicone muffin cups and spooned chocolate batter in on top? Intriguing idea, I replied. 

So the first thing I did the next morning was to open the box of Thin Mints I had just bought from the cutest little scout outside my local grocery store the day before, to check if one would fit nicely in the bottom of my silicone muffin cups. It did! 

A little backstory. My very first job out of university was at the San Jacinto Girl Scout Council, in development (read: fundraising) which included the annual cookie sale. In my first year, we joined together with Houston area chefs who created recipes using the cookies which were then served at a party for donors. It was a lot of fun and raised substantial funds. Ever since, when I see Girl Scout cookies, I can’t help but think of creative ways to use/eat them. 

Thin Mint Chocolate Muffins

I highly recommend using silicone baking cups for this recipe so that the Thin Mints don’t stick to your pan. If you can’t find Thin Mints, Keebler makes one called Grasshopper Cookies (or Fudge Mint Delights in some countries) which would work. Walmart brand Fudge Mint Cookies are also very similar.

Ingredients for 12 muffins

3/4 cup or 180ml milk

2 teaspoons vinegar

1 3/4 cups or 220g flour

3/4 cup, packed, or 150g dark brown sugar

1/2 cup or 40g natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/3 cup or 80ml canola or other light oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

8 Thin Mint cookies for the batter and topping

12 Thin Mint cookies for lining the silicone baking cups

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. 

Roughly chop the 8 Thin Mints, setting aside about 1/3 for topping. 

Add the two teaspoons of vinegar to the milk in a measuring cup. Stir and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and vanilla, along with the slightly curdled looking milk/vinegar mixture.

Add the larger pile of chopped cookies to the dry ingredients.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, until just combined. There may still be some flour showing and that’s fine.

Put one Thin Mint at the bottom of each silicone muffin cup, rounded side up. 

Use a scoop or large spoon to fill the prepared muffin cups. They are going to be pretty full. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining chopped cookies.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine took only 20 minutes. You do not want to over bake these and dry them out.

Put the muffin pan on a wire rack to cool for about five minutes.

Remove the muffins from the pan and continue to cool on the wire rack. 

Carefully remove the silicone muffin cups. Here's one upside down! 

Enjoy the chocolate muffins with crunchy bottoms! 

It’s the last Monday of the month, which means it time for Muffin Monday! Check out the lovely recipe links below.

• Apple Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cranberry Oat Bran Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Maple Corn Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Thin Mint Chocolate Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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Corned Beef and Gruyère Toasties

These corned beef and Gruyere toasties are made with thinly sliced corned beef and rich, melty Gruyere in an electric toastie machine which seals the flavor in! 

Here’s a tiny bit of history for you. The very first toasted sandwich machine was patented in the United States way back in 1925 so this year we celebrate its centennial birthday. Truth be told though, it didn’t really take off in popularity until 1974 when Breville introduced their Snack'n'Sandwich Toaster in Australia. 

I grew up eating regular grilled cheese sandwiches, made on a griddle at home but we also had a pie iron aka sandwich press for use over a campfire that made something very similar to modern electric toastie makers. It wasn’t until I was fully a grown up with children(!) when I saw my first electric toastie machine. 

When our younger daughter was still at home, before her university days, ours got regular use. Nowadays, not so much. That’s why when I heard that the theme for today’s Sunday FunDay was going to be grilled cheese sandwiches, I decided it was time to dust it off and see if it still worked. 

I had to hunt for it in the back of the pantry! When I did find it, I discovered that it didn’t have the toastie plates in – it has three sets of interchangeable plates: panini press, waffle iron and toastie – so then I had go looking for the spare plates. I’m pleased to tell you that now all are together in a safe place. 

Corned Beef and Gruyère Toasties

Could you just use a regular griddle or frying pan and make these sandwiches on the stovetop? Of course! The edges won’t be sealed up nicely but they will still taste just as good. For this recipe, I use a brisket roast that I home cured and cooked. You can substitute store-bought corned beef but, please, from the deli counter, not the tinned stuff. 

Ingredients for two toasties

4 slices whole wheat sandwich bread

2-3 tablespoons butter, softened

2 1/2 oz or 70g corn beef roast, thinly sliced

1 1/4 oz or 36g Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced

1 – 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

Optional for serving:

pickles (I like pickled okra)

potato chips

Method

Thickly butter one side of the slices of bread. 

Lay them butter side down on a piece of cling film and spread the mustard on the other side.  (I actually put the buttered sides together at first but then realized I'd have to turn it all over to spread mustard on the other side, so do as I say, not as I did.)

Layer your corned beef and Gruyère slices so that they overlap and alternate on two of the slices. Make a second layer. 

Close the sandwiches by putting the other two slices mustard side down on the beef and cheese. 

Heat your toastie maker, following the instructions in your manual. Mine has a green light when it’s ready to make a toastie. 

Place your sandwiches in the toastie maker.

Close the lid firmly and lock the clasp.

My toastie maker light turns red at this point and will turn green again when the toastie is ready. 

Remove the toasties from the machine and cut them in half at the pressed line. 

Serve with pickles and potatoes chips, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, today is Sunday FunDay and our theme is a celebration of National Grill Cheese Month. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out all the grilled cheese sandwich links below. 

• Baked Beans Bruschetta by Sneha's Recipe
• Corned Beef and Gruyère Toasties by Food Lust People Love
• DIY Grilled Cheese Bar by Culinary Cam
• Grilled Cheese and Avocado by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled Provolone with Turkey, Prosciutto, Spinach, and Jalapeños by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese by Amy's Cooking Adventures

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Extra Herby Gremolata

Gremolata is usually made with just three main ingredients: flat-leaf parsley, fresh garlic, and lemon zest. This extra herby gremolata includes basil as well! 

I love this stuff! It adds so much pep and flavor to anything it’s added to. This small batch extra herby gremolata is perfect spooned on top of pan-fried fish and chicken breasts. Or as an accompaniment to grilled beef and lamb.

If you’ve got fresh herbs growing in your garden, feel free to add more kinds and/or different herbs altogether. I give you permission to still call it gremolata because, truly, who cares as long as it tastes great! You might recall I shared one last year made with fresh asparagus. So good! 

This time around I actually tossed this with some hot boiled new potatoes for a whole new side dish. I just checked back through my photos in case I had a photo of that but, sadly, no. Trust me, it was good. 

Extra Herby Gremolata

Any very tender stems can be left on the herbs, otherwise, use only the leaves. As mentioned above, mix and match your favorite herbs. 

Ingredients

1/2 lemon (for zest and juice)

1 clove garlic

Small bunch basil leaves, about 1/8 cup, tightly packed, or 10g

Small bunch parsley, about 1/8 cup, tightly packed, or 10g

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Few good grinds black pepper

Method

Rinse the leaves well with cool water and use a salad spinner to dry them well.

Peel, crush then mince the garlic.  

Finely mince the herbs. 

Grate the lemon zest into a small bowl. 

Add the minced garlic and herbs to the lemon zest along with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir well. 

Set aside for about 30-45 minutes to give the flavors time to blend. If not using till much later, refrigerate until ready to use. This can easily be made a day ahead. 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 7th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter G. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the G recipes below:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Ginger Salad Dressing 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Gravy Wali Gatte Ki Sabji 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Stir-Fried Tomato Ginger Beef 
• Food Lust People Love: Extra Herby Gremolata 
• Culinary Cam: Garlicky Fregola with Edamame, Mint, and Ricotta 
• Blogghetti: Sheet Pan Garlic Butter Salmon 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Guava Salad, Burmese Style 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Garlic Honey Chicken Thighs 
• A Messy Kitchen: Gâteau Ardéchois (Chestnut Cream Cake)
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Guinness Stout Crockpot Simmered Corned Beef

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata – this post!

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Easy Lamb Curry

This easy lamb curry has a rich gravy and is full of flavor. Using a store-bought curry paste instead of a long list of spices makes it so easy! 

My spice cupboard is full of all the spices I need to cook a full blown, made from scratch curry but sometimes I’m just too lazy to toast and grind them. That’s when a store-bought curry paste comes in handy. 

And in that same spirit of laziness, this post doesn’t have my typical process photos, just one of the well-seared lamb and onions! But truly, I don’t think they are necessary. This really lives up to its name, easy lamb curry.

Easy Lamb Curry

I am a fan of stock cubes so if you don’t have chicken broth or lamb stock, by all means use a cube here to make some. Depending on the saltiness of your broth or stock, you may not need any salt added at the end. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 lb or 450g cubed boneless lamb

¼ cup or 60g hot or mild Indian curry paste (such as Patak's)

1 cup or 240ml chicken broth or lamb stock

1 can (14.5 oz or 411g) chopped tomatoes and juice

6 small to medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup or 120g frozen peas, thawed 235g/2

Fine sea salt, to taste

To serve: cooked rice

Optional: chutney (homemade or store-bought)

To garnish: cilantro leaves

Method

Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until it is translucent. Remove from the pan.

Add the lamb and fry till seared on all sides. Transfer to the plate and mix with the onions.

Add curry paste to the pan and stir for one minute.

Add the broth/stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil. 

Return the lamb and onion to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. 

Add cubed potatoes and simmer, covered, until the lamb and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. 

Stir in the thawed peas and cook until heated through, about five minutes. Taste for salt and add some if necessary. 

Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with cooked rice and chutney on the side for those who would like a dollop.

Enjoy!

It's Sunday FunDay and I am hosting! I chose lamb as our theme/ingredient since it's spring. Check out the links below.

• Cheesy Mutton Curry from Sneha's Recipe
• Easy Lamb Curry from Food Lust People Love
• Greek Lamb Meatballs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Rosemary Lamb Skewers from Culinary Cam

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Pan-fried Cod with Colcannon Sauce

This pan-fried cod with colcannon sauce is the perfect meal to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The creamy sauce is super rich, perfect with the tender cod.

I came across a version of this recipe on the (formerly BBC) Good Food website while searching for Irish recipes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. They were serving the colcannon sauce with steamed back bacon cut in thick steaks, something I cannot get here in Houston.

But that sauce immediately struck me as something that would be delightful spooned over cooked cod which is a rather bland white fish and could use a little bump in flavor. It was a great decision! 

Pan-fried Cod with Colcannon Sauce

Ideally, use the darker green outer leaves of the cabbage for color and contrast. Sadly, mine were rather pale. This is going to make more sauce than you need for the four servings of cod. Leftovers can be warmed gently over a low heat. 

Ingredients

For the colcannon sauce:

1/4 cup or 56g butter

3-4 cabbages leaves (mine weighed 4 oz or 115g whole)

2-3 green onions, plus extra for garnish

1 potato (my russet weighed 8.5 oz or 240g after peeling)

1/3 cup or 80ml white wine

1 cup or 240ml heavy cream

Fine sea salt

Ground white pepper

For the cod:

1 lb or 450g cod loin 

Fine sea salt

Ground white pepper

1 tablespoon butter

Optional for garnish:

Crispy bacon bits

Method

Cut the hard spines out of your cabbage leaves then roll them up tightly. With a sharp knife, slice them as thinly as possible. Then cut the spirals a couple of times across to shorten the strands. 

Peel and dice your potato. Slice the green onions.

Season the cod with the sea salt and white pepper and cut it into four reasonably even pieces. Set aside.

Melt half the butter in a pan and add the cabbage, potato and green onions. 

Cook over a medium low heat for 10 mins, covered, stirring often.

Pour in the white wine and cook till the white wine has all but evaporated and the potatoes start breaking down. 

You can speed this process along with a potato masher or fork. 

Add the cream and cook for just a few minutes until it is warmed through and starts to thicken. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper then remove from the heat. 

Stir the rest of the butter into the sauce and keep it warm until ready to serve.

To cook the cod, heat the butter in the pan until it just about starts browning, then put the cod in. 

Cook on one side until browned, then turn gently and cook the other side. Depending on the thickness of your cod, this could take from just a couple of minutes to as many as seven minutes. 

As you can see, one of my pieces from the end of the loin was much thinner than the others. I took it out first then left the rest until just cooked through. If you have an instant read thermometer, you are looking for an internal temperature of 145°F or 63°C.

Plate up the cod with a generous helping of colcannon sauce on top then garnish with green onions and some crispy bacon bits, if desired.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes for your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Colcannon, Ham Soup With Dumplings by Sneha's Recipe
• Easy Pretzel Ring with Beer Cheese Dip by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Irish Beef Guinness Stew by Culinary Cam
• Pan-fried Cod with Colcannon Sauce by Food Lust People Love
• St. Patrick’s Day Brownie Bites Amy's Cooking Adventures

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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