What to do with your Girl Scout cookies
If you’re like me, you received your shipment of Girl Scout cookies sometime last week. If you weren’t lucky enough to have co-workers toting their kids’ order form from desk to desk at your work place, you’ll probably see Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts outside your local supermarket soon.
I was a Girl Scout for many years, although somewhere around Junior level I dropped out once I realized it wasn’t “cool” in the eyes of other middle-schoolers to wear knee socks and be excited about getting badges. Before I left, however, I sold my fair share of cookies and learned quite a bit about them in the process.
The Girl Scouts started selling homemade cookies in 1917 to fund troop activities. In 1934, they started mass producing those suckers, and by 1937, there were 125 Councils selling cookies nationwide. That number has grown to more than 300 councils today.
Different bakers produce the cookies, which is why you’ll find different cookies, names and different prices in many parts of the nation. Only three types of cookies are mandatory to sell: the most popular Thin Mint, Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do-Si-Dos, and Shortbread/Trefoils.
Personally, I find it upsetting that not everyone gets to enjoy Samoas/Caramel Delights, the best cookie they produce.
If you should happen to have extra cookies this year — wait, I know what you’re saying. Extra cookies? How can that be?
Well, perhaps your child started selling them this year and she really wanted to earn that Top Cookie Seller badge, or maybe you accidentally added a zero behind that two on the order form.
Whatever the case, if you find yourself in the odd situation of having leftover cookies, here are a few ways to put them to use.
Pie crust
Instead of using the same old graham cracker crust on your pies and cheesecakes, try grinding up your favorite Girl Scout cookie instead. Crumble up a cup and a half of Samoas, add 6 tablespoons of melted butter, and press into a pie tin to add a little something to your chocolate cream pie. Or use Lemon Pastry Cremes for a cheesecake. The possibilities are endless.
Cake filling
I made an Oreo cake recently, and it had a wonderful filling sprinkled with crushed Oreo cookies. It could have easily been substituted with the wonderful offerings from the Scouts, however. Simply beat 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with ½ cup of sugar in a bowl until well blended. Crush about 12 cookies coarsely. Add cookies and 2 cups of Cool Whip to the cream cheese mixture, stirring gently until mixed. Spread on top of the first layer of your cake, adding the second layer and icing only the top of the cake.
Mandie at Captivated By Mandie, a former Girl Scout, tells me that Carmel Delights make a great alternative to a Snickers center in a middle layer bundt cake.
Ice cream
I have been told by co-workers that there is nothing finer than freezing Thin Mints and crushing them on top of chocolate ice cream.
But I’m going to urge you to go one step further and mix the crushed cookies with the ice cream and a little bit of milk for a wonderful milkshake. Add Kahlua or Bailey’s Irish Cream for a bit of a kick.
And don’t be afraid to try other cookies and other flavors of ice cream — it would be hard to go wrong here.
Did you know?
Prices of a box of cookies can be anywhere from $2.50 to $4, depending on what part of the country you’re in.
Broken down by sales:
25% Thin Mints
19% Samoas®/Caramel deLites™
13% Peanut Butter Patties®/Tagalongs®
11% Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do-si-dos™
9% Shortbread/Trefoils
The Cookies
-- All Abouts (shortbread with chocolate on the bottom)
-- Animal Treasures
-- Do-Si-Dos / Peanut Butter Sandwiches (peanut butter cookie with peanut butter filling)
-- Double Dutch (Chocolate – Chocolate Chip)
-- Ice Berry Piñatas (Filled with raspberries and iced)
-- Lemon Pastry Cremes (low fat) (lemon sandwich cookie with lemon filling)
-- Samoas/Caramel deLites (vanilla cookies covered with caramel, rolled in coconut and striped with chocolate)
-- Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties (Soft Peanut Butter cookie coated with chocolate)
-- Thin Mints (chocolate-peppermint cookie coated in chocolate)
-- Trefoils/Classic Shortbread
Source: www.girlscouts.org/
