The cult-fave Thin Mint cookie is making an appearance on Wendy's menus in their latest frozen dessert offering. Starting Friday, February 21, the Thin Mints Frosty is available at the fast food chain nationwide. The launch coincides with Girl Scouts Cookie Weekend, when the iconic cookies will be widely available for purchase.
When I first heard about the new flavor, I thought the Frosty base would be infused with chocolate mint. I’ve never been happier to be wrong. It’s actually a vanilla or chocolate Frosty (your choice) that’s swirled with a rich chocolate sauce studded with tiny Thin Mint crumbles. Think: fudgy Thin Mint cookie butter. Each cup is then finished with a “W” on top using the same sauce.
Emily Kessler, Manager of Culinary & Innovation at Wendy's and former Girl Scout herself was the mastermind behind the new flavor. How did she come up with the idea? “If you're a Thin Mints fan, you might put them in the freezer,” she said. “So it's not a big jump to go to the Frosty, right?” Right on, because true stans know that freezing Thin Mints is 100 percent the best way to amp up that cool, refreshing chocolate mint flavor.
How does the Thin Mints Frosty taste?
I got a chance to compare the vanilla and chocolate versions in a side by side taste test. My winner? The vanilla, hands down. Full disclosure: I’m usually on Team Vanilla for the plain Frosty, so this decision is not shocking. I will say that the chocolate mint swirl really pops against the milder vanilla base, giving the Thin Mints more main character energy. It’s the kind of fresh, minty sensation that makes you want to whistle while skiing down a hill.
The cookies are crushed into fine crumbs, rather than the chunks you’d typically find in a cookies ‘n’ cream situation. A Wendy’s crew member swirls in the fudgy mint sauce to order, so the crumbs haven’t been sogging out in the ice cream. The result: a subtle crunch in every spoonful.
The chocolate version was more of a death-by-chocolate experience so if that’s your vibe, all you chocoholics out there won’t be disappointed.
Does the new flavor pass the french fry test?
Happy to report that both flavors pass the french fry test with flying colors. However, in a dramatic flip of the script, the chocolate Thin Mints Frosty got my vote this time. There’s just something about the sultry chocolate flavor with the saltiness of the fries that really hits.
Pro tip
Of the 6000 plus Wendy’s restaurants, more than 4200 will host Girl Scouts starting this weekend in an effort to help local troops reach their goals. For Thomas’s daughter and namesake for the brand, Wendy, who was also a Girl Scout, this must be a badge of honor.
Susan (she/her) is the recipe editor at Good Housekeeping, where she pitches ideas, parses words, and produces food content. In the Test Kitchen, she cooks (and samples!) recipes, working with developers to deliver the best written versions possible. A graduate of Brown University and a collaborator on several cookbooks, her previous experience includes stints at Food & Wine, Food Network, three meal kit companies, a wine shop in Brooklyn and Chez Panisse, the pioneering restaurant in Berkeley, California. She enjoys playing tennis, natural wines and reality competition shows.
