National Chocolate Mint Day is on Friday, February 19, 2027, and it falls on February 19 every year. It celebrates the cool-and-rich pairing found in after-dinner mints, cookies and ice cream. There’s even a garden herb named for it, so you can celebrate with a plant as well as a treat.
When Is National Chocolate Mint Day?
It’s always February 19. It’s an unofficial food day, and it usually falls during Girl Scout cookie season, so Thin Mints are easy to find.
Who Started National Chocolate Mint Day?
No founder or start year has been documented.
Background: the story of Andes mints
Chicago candy store owner Andrew Kanelos is credited with creating Andes mints in 1921. His shop was first called Andy’s Candies, Salon reports.
He reportedly renamed it Andes Candies after hearing that men didn’t like giving women candy with another man’s name on it.
Background: Thin Mints
The earliest known Girl Scout cookie sale took place in December 1917, when a troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, sold cookies in a high school cafeteria. By 1951, a chocolate mint cookie, now known as Thin Mints, was one of just three varieties.
Smithsonian Magazine has reported that Thin Mints make up about a quarter of all Girl Scout cookie sales.
Why Celebrate Chocolate and Mint?
It’s one of the most familiar flavor pairings in American desserts, from after-dinner mints to grasshopper pie. The day celebrates the candy makers, bakers and gardeners who keep it going.
How to Celebrate National Chocolate Mint Day
- Bake mint brownies: spread a peppermint buttercream over cooled brownies, then top with melted chocolate.
- Chop up Andes mints: fold them into chocolate cookie dough or sprinkle them over ice cream.
- Make a grasshopper pie: fill a chocolate cookie crust with mint whipped filling and chill it overnight.
- Freeze Thin Mints: many fans keep a sleeve in the freezer for a crisp, cold bite.
- Stir up minty cocoa: add a drop of peppermint extract or a sprig of chocolate mint to hot chocolate.
- Steep fresh mint ice cream: warm cream with mint leaves, strain it, then churn with chopped dark chocolate.
Can You Grow Chocolate Mint?
Yes. Chocolate mint is a cultivar of peppermint, bred so its scent resembles a peppermint mocha, according to Duke Gardens. Some people compare it to Andes mints, while others can’t smell any chocolate at all.
It’s hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9 and likes full sun and moist soil. Grow it in a pot, because it spreads fast through underground runners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the chocolate mint plant taste like chocolate?
Not really. It tastes mostly like peppermint with a softer, sweeter note. It’s best fresh in tea, lemonade or milkshakes.
Why do restaurants hand out Andes mints?
Olive Garden began handing out Andes after-dinner mints in 1986, Salon reports, and the habit became linked with eating out.
Who makes Andes mints today?
Tootsie Roll Industries bought the Andes brand in 2000.