If you love Thin Mint cookies like I love Thin Mint cookies, then you better keep your eye on these no-bake Thin Mint cheesecakes.

They are so, so, so simple, it’s unreal. And what you are left with, after hardly any work, is a buttery cookie crust topped with fluffy, luscious chocolate cream cheese batter, a cloud of sweetened whipped cream and of course, a Thin Mint cookie.

Just for looks. Right.

Last week at my son’s wrestling tournament I saw a little table outside the gym loaded with boxes of Girl Scout cookies and a handful of cute uniformed Girl Scouts selling them right and left.

I was tempted.

So tempted.

Until I realized (and was reminded by Brian) that I still have eight boxes of Thin Mints at home. Me = not kidding. I’m all about homemade, from-scratch this and that, but when it comes to my Thin Mints and the fact they only come around once a year, I want the real thing.

Some years, I resist. This year I did not.

Anyway, these cheesecakes are the perfect way to use those glorious cookies if you have any leftover from snitching them straight from the cellophane sleeve.

And the good news is that if you don’t have any Thin Mints (sad, sad day), I have a sneaking suspicion mint Oreos or some other type of mint chocolate cookie could work really well.

You could always earn yourself some serious rockstar points and make homemade Thin Mints .

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No-Bake Thin Mint Cheesecakes

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

Whipped Cream Mixture:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Crust:

• 16 (1 sleeve) Thin Mint cookies, crushed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake Mixture:

• 8 ounces cream cheese (light or regular), softened
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:

• 6 Thin Mint cookies, optional

Instructions

1. In a large bowl (or a blender, I always use my Blendtec for whipping cream), whip the cream and 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar, depending on how sweet you want it, with an electric mixer to stiff peaks. Set aside or refrigerate.
2. For the crust, toss the crushed cookies and butter together. The mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle a tablespoon or so of the crust mixture on the bottom of six small 4- to 6-ounce dessert glasses, bowls, or ramekins. Press lightly. Reserve leftover crust crumbles for later.
3. For the cheesecake filling, in a large bowl (again, I usually use my blender) with an electric mixer, stand or handheld, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy.
4. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave on low power until just warm and melted (don't overheat). Let the chocolate cool for a few minutes. Scrape it into the bowl/blender with the cream cheese mixture and add the vanilla extract. Whip until smooth and light in texture and color.
5. Fold in 2/3 of the whipped cream until combined and very creamy.
6. Divide the cheesecake mixture evenly among the dessert cups/glasses/bowls. Top with a dollop of leftover sweetened whipped cream, sprinkle any leftover crust crumbs over the top and add an extra Thin Mint for garnish, if desired.
7. These can be made and refrigerated, lightly covered in plastic wrap, for up to a day.

Notes

If you don't have Thin Mints, try using mint Oreos or experiment with other chocolate cookies. You could also try your hand at homemade Thin Mints.