Girl Scout Cookies, Liquor and A Little Bit More

You might have thought we'd OD'ed on sweets after our Big Birthday Bake-Off. But, nooo... Oooh Noooo.

It's Girl Scout Cookie season, and we're a house full of girl scouts. Well, not Jason ... or Miranda, though she's used to be.

Not only are we girl scouts -- we're girl scouts on a mission! Olivia's troop is raising money for a trip to Switzerland in 2013. Check out the uber cool Scout Chalet where we'll be staying.

And Hannah's troop is headed to Savannah in the fall to visit the birthplace of Girl Scouts.

We are literally swimming in girl scout cookies! At last count we still had roughly 437 boxes to sell. (Holler at me if you're in 'bama and need a fix!)

After spending 5 hours (5 HOURS!!) yesterday trying to decode the girl scout cookie accounting system, I looked like this.

I needed an intervention! I figured scouring the web for Girl Scout Cookie recipes would keep me from stress eating an entire sleeve of Thin Mints (okay, another sleeve).

We already experimented with using Trefoils in Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding. Yum!

But over on the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana website they've got some more adult recipes. Like this one from Emily Williams of Butterfly Garden Cafe:


Bourbon Samoa Chess Bars with Toasted Coconut
Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweet flaked coconut
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 2 sticks butter, melted
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon
• 2 boxes Girl Scout Cookie Samoas, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Coconut should be tan, not dark brown. Set aside. Grease a 9”x13” baking dish. Mix by hand the cake mix, 1 egg, and 1/2 of the melted butter. Pat this mixture into the greased dish and top with toasted coconut. In an electric mixer, blend cream cheese and remaining eggs until smooth. Gradually mix in powdered sugar and then butter, until smooth. Stir in bourbon and chopped Samoas. Pour cookie mixture over coconut. Bake for about 30 minutes, until edges are brown. The middle will still be jiggly; allow cake to sit for at least 30 minutes.


Or how about a Thin Mint Chocolate Cheesecake?
Thin Mint cookie crust:

• 1 sleeve plus 4 Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies
• 4 TBS. butter or margarine-melted

Crumble mints in 9 in. pie plate. Add melted butter and blend well.  Press firmly onto bottom. Bake at 375 for 8 min. Cool completely.

Cheesecake:

• 2 PKG. of cream cheese-softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 TSP. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 4 squares Bakers semi-sweet Baking chocolate, melted slightly cooled

Preheat oven to 325. Beat cream, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs and mix just until blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Pour into crust. Bake 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate several hours.


Or Trefoil Tiramisu by Baxter Station Bar & Grill pastry chef Amy Berry.

• 2 boxes Girl Scout Cookie Trefoil cookies
• 1 1/2 cup strong espresso coffee
• 3 T Coffee liqueur (optional)
• 2 T Bailey’s Irish Cream (optional)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 C sugar
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 1/2 C Mascarpone cheese
• 1 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 T powdered sugar
• Grated chocolate for garnish

Blend coffee and liqueurs in small bowl and set aside. Place egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla in bowl and place over simmering water. Whisk constantly until custard-like. Do not overcook. Whip mascarpone cheese and slowly add egg mixture, beat until smooth. Place trefoils in the bottom of a 9” x 13” pan and pour coffee mixture over the cookies until very little liquid remains. Place cheese mixture over the cookies and refrig erate for 2 hours. Whip cream with vanilla and sugar to thick consistency. Pour over cookie mix ture. Chill overnight. Garnish with grated chocolate.


Chunky Tagalong Pie (by Robbin Hill of Jack Fry's)
Crust

• 1 box Tagalong cookies
• ½ box Trefoil cookies
• ½ stick unsalted butter (cut into tablespoons)

Peanut butter filling

• 12 oz cream cheese, softened (1½ cups)
• 1½ cup chunky peanut butter
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1½ cup well-chilled heavy cream
• 1 box Tagalong cookies (chopped)

Chocolate topping

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped (1 cup)
• 1 cup heavy cream

Crust:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a food processor, grind cookies and butter into fine crumbs. Press crumbs over the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.

Peanut butter filling:
In a large bowl, using a hand held mixer, beat the cream cheese with the peanut butter, Sugar, and vanilla extract until blended. In another large bowl, using the same beaters, whip the chilled cream until firm. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it; then fold the cookies and remaining whipped cream. Spoon the filling into the crust, smoothing the surface. Refrigerate until set (about three hours).

Chocolate topping:
In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy cream and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and the cream is hot. Stir the chocolate topping until blended; then let cool to barely warm, stirring occasionally.

Spreading the chocolate topping:
Spread the chocolate topping over the peanut butter filling and refrigerate until firm. Carefully run a knife around the pie crust to loosen it; then remove springform bottom. Keep pie refrigerated. Garnish with marshmallow sauce, fudge sauce, and caramel sauce. Serve with any or all of those sauces. Garnish with chopped peanuts.


Too many steps? Scoot on over to Girl Scouts of Western Washington and check out their Rich and Famous Brownies recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups Thin Mint cookies, crushed into crumbs
• ½ cup nuts, chopped

Mix together milk, marshmallows, chocolate chips, sugar and salt in microwaveable bowl. Bring to a boil in microwave. Stir well and cook in microwave an additional two minutes at medium high heat. Remove from microwave. Add butter, vanilla, and chopped nuts. Break Thin Mint cookies into crumbs and add to mixture. Pack into a 9-inch square pan. Refrigerate until hard. Cut into two-inch squares.

Not in the mood for a dessert? These main dishes look interesting:

Fried Samoas Shrimp

• 5 extra-large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 5 Samoas cookies, finely chopped
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 4 egg whites
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 lime for garnish
• Vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Toss coconut flakes with bread crumbs, cayenne pepper and chopped Samoas. Dredge shrimp through flour, followed by egg whites and Samoas mixture. Fry shrimp in vegetable oil at 350 degrees until golden brown. Garnish with coconut flakes and lime wedges.


Thank You Berry Munch Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad

• 1 package mixed salad greens
• 1 package (6 oz.) fully cooked chicken breast strips
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ cup dried cranberries or Craisins
• 1 cup mandarin oranges
• ½ cup Berry Munch Salad Topping (see below)
• Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Salad Topping Ingredients:

• 1 TBS Vegetable Oil
• 2 TBS Honey
• 1 tsp grated orange rind
• 1 ½ cups Pecans
• 10 Thank U Berry Munch Cookies, broken into ½" pieces

In a four-cup bowl, stir together the honey, oil and orange rind. Add pecans and stir to coat. Add cookie pieces and stir to coat. Spread mixture evenly in greased jelly roll pan or on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. Place salad greens in a serving bowl, scatter toppings on salad, and serve with salad dressing.


Mmmmm... I'm in a much better mood now! Off to cook!