2013 Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Recipe Contest
I get opportunities to judge food-related contests all of the time. I'd like to think that people respect my culinary knowledge and my seasoned opinion when it comes to food. The Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Recipe Contest was no exception. This time, the cause was a little more near and dear to my heart.
I mentioned in my last post my affiliation with Girl Scouts but what I didn't mention is my obsession with Girl Scout cookies. My 2nd year as a Junior Girl Scout, I sold enough cookies to come in 3rd place among all of the cookie sellers in my region. My 3rd year, I came in 2nd. I've sold over $6,000 worth of cookies during my girlhood. And "back then" boxes were $2.50 (They're only $4 now). And now I'm on a quest to eat that many cookies. Just kidding.
Enough about me, let's move on to the cookies. And the cakes. And the pies.
There were only a few contenders, as this was the first year of the contest, but every entry was creative and the presentations were all outstanding. I was impressed by all of the showings. The contest was open to any and everyone--Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scouts alike. Professionals, amateurs, home cooks and everything in between. If you wanted to buy a couple of boxes of cookies and put your recipe in the ring, it was open!
Why make a dessert from cookies that are already delectable? Well, let's just say Shortbread (or Trefoils) cookies are your favorite. You eat them year after year. Without fail, in early March you have a freezer full of blue boxes. A calm washes over you, knowing you will have plenty to last you until at least September 1. You relish pulling apart the cellophane sleeve of crispy, buttery disks and devouring them one after another. One day, you look in your freezer and you get a wild hair--"Hey! What if I (insert your choice culinary action word here) a box of cookies into a (insert your favorite dessert here)?" You still get your sweet, buttery, crumbly cookies but in a different form! THAT is why...
The winning desserts and their recipes are below.
I mentioned in my last post my affiliation with Girl Scouts but what I didn't mention is my obsession with Girl Scout cookies. My 2nd year as a Junior Girl Scout, I sold enough cookies to come in 3rd place among all of the cookie sellers in my region. My 3rd year, I came in 2nd. I've sold over $6,000 worth of cookies during my girlhood. And "back then" boxes were $2.50 (They're only $4 now). And now I'm on a quest to eat that many cookies. Just kidding.
Enough about me, let's move on to the cookies. And the cakes. And the pies.
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| Winston-Salem Journal food editor, Michael Hastings, wondering what I'm doing as WXII's Nicole Ducouer looks on. |
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| Score sheets, ready to go! |
Why make a dessert from cookies that are already delectable? Well, let's just say Shortbread (or Trefoils) cookies are your favorite. You eat them year after year. Without fail, in early March you have a freezer full of blue boxes. A calm washes over you, knowing you will have plenty to last you until at least September 1. You relish pulling apart the cellophane sleeve of crispy, buttery disks and devouring them one after another. One day, you look in your freezer and you get a wild hair--"Hey! What if I (insert your choice culinary action word here) a box of cookies into a (insert your favorite dessert here)?" You still get your sweet, buttery, crumbly cookies but in a different form! THAT is why...
The winning desserts and their recipes are below.
Lemonade Cheesecake
Yield: 12-16 slices
I get opportunities to judge food-related contests all of the time. I'd like to think that people respect my culinary knowledge and my seasoned opinion when it comes to food. The Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Recipe Contest was no exception. This time, the cause was a little more near and dear to my heart. I mentioned in my last post my affiliation with Girl Scouts but what I didn't mention is my obsession with Girl Scout cookies. My 2nd year as a Junior Girl Scout, I sold enough cookies to come in 3rd place among all of the cookie sellers in my region. My 3rd year, I came in 2nd. I've sold over $6,000 worth of cookies during my girlhood. And "back then" boxes were $2.50 (They're only $4 now). And now I'm on a quest to eat that many cookies. Just kidding. Enough about me, let's move on to the cookies. And the cakes. And the pies.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 box of Girl Scout Lemonades Cookies
- 6 Tablespoons melted butter
Filling
- 3 – 8 oz. packages of cream cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Topping
- 16 oz. whipped cream
- 8 Girl Scout Lemonades Cookies
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
- 2 teaspoons shaved chocolate
Instructions
- Before starting, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure cream cheese and eggs are room temperature.
- Prepare the crust:
- Put 1 box of Lemonades into a gallon ziplock bag. Crush into fine pieces.
- In a bowl, combine melted butter and crushed Lemonades with a whisk
- Press the crushed cookies into a 10 inch spring form pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Let cool.
- Make the filling:
- Beat the cream cheese with electric mixer at high speed until completely smooth
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth
- Gradually add 1 1/3 cups of sugar, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla while still beating
- Stir in lemon rind
- Pour the mix onto the crust and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes
- Cool on a rack for 30 minutes. Then let the cake cool in the refrigerator overnight
- Add whipped cream evenly over the top of the cake
- Put Lemonade cookies at regular intervals around the cake
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind and chocolate shavings evenly over the cake.
Notes:
Recipe provided and prepared by Danielle Hussey, Winston-Salem, NC
Calories
400.65Fat (grams)
21.94Sat. Fat (grams)
12.44Carbs (grams)
48.79Fiber (grams)
0.15Net carbs
48.64Sugar (grams)
45.03Protein (grams)
4.53Sodium (milligrams)
208.47Cholesterol (grams)
74.70Please consult a healthcare professional or dietician about nutritional needs for your diet. I am a communications professional, not a physician.
Peanut Butter Crumble Pie
Yield: 8
I get opportunities to judge food-related contests all of the time. I'd like to think that people respect my culinary knowledge and my seasoned opinion when it comes to food. The Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Recipe Contest was no exception. This time, the cause was a little more near and dear to my heart. I mentioned in my last post my affiliation with Girl Scouts but what I didn't mention is my obsession with Girl Scout cookies. My 2nd year as a Junior Girl Scout, I sold enough cookies to come in 3rd place among all of the cookie sellers in my region. My 3rd year, I came in 2nd. I've sold over $6,000 worth of cookies during my girlhood. And "back then" boxes were $2.50 (They're only $4 now). And now I'm on a quest to eat that many cookies. Just kidding. Enough about me, let's move on to the cookies. And the cakes. And the pies.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 3 oz. cream cheese
- 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 8 oz. Cool Whip
- Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust (pre-made, store bought crust)
- 8 – Girl Scout Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies (for pie filling)
- 8 – Girl Scout Peanut Butter Patties (for topping)
Instructions
- Mix together peanut butter, cool whip, cream cheese, butter, sugar, and milk with an electric mixer. Blend until creamy.
- Crush 8 Girl Scout Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies in a food processor or on a cutting board. Blend into mixture. Pour in pie crust.
- Cut 6 Girl Scout Peanut Butter Patties in half. Place around edge of pie crust. Use 1 whole cookie for the center and garnish with a drop of pie filling.
- Crumble the last Peanut Butter Pattie and sprinkle over top of pie.
- Place in freezer overnight or until frozen solid.
Notes:
Recipe provided and prepared by Taylor Lloyd. Cadette Troop 02141
Calories
411.06Fat (grams)
26.57Sat. Fat (grams)
14.54Carbs (grams)
39.89Fiber (grams)
1.57Net carbs
38.32Sugar (grams)
29.55Protein (grams)
5.79Sodium (milligrams)
213.79Cholesterol (grams)
19.02Please consult a healthcare professional or dietician about nutritional needs for your diet. I am a communications professional, not a physician.
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| One of those bags has my name on it. Or near it. |
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| My name is on there somewhere. I wrote it myself :) |
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| The Winner's Circle |
Caramel DeLite Scones
Yield: 8
I get opportunities to judge food-related contests all of the time. I'd like to think that people respect my culinary knowledge and my seasoned opinion when it comes to food. The Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Recipe Contest was no exception. This time, the cause was a little more near and dear to my heart. I mentioned in my last post my affiliation with Girl Scouts but what I didn't mention is my obsession with Girl Scout cookies. My 2nd year as a Junior Girl Scout, I sold enough cookies to come in 3rd place among all of the cookie sellers in my region. My 3rd year, I came in 2nd. I've sold over $6,000 worth of cookies during my girlhood. And "back then" boxes were $2.50 (They're only $4 now). And now I'm on a quest to eat that many cookies. Just kidding. Enough about me, let's move on to the cookies. And the cakes. And the pies.
Ingredients
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tarter
- ¾ cup cold butter
- 1 egg, separated
- 1 ½ cups refrigerated International Delight Caramel Macchiato nondairy creamer or half-and-half cream
- 1 box of crushed Carmel deLites Girl Scout Cookies
- ½ cup flaked coconut
- Additional sugar and egg yolk for top of scones – brushed before baking
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. In a bowl, whisk egg yolk and creamer, add to dry ingredients juts until moistened. Stir in the crushed Carmel deLites cookies.
- Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times. Divide dough in half. Pat each portion into a long rectangle, cut into triangle wedges. Place on a greased baking sheet.
- Beat egg white brush over scone wedge. Sprinkle with flaked coconut. Bake 45 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes:
Recipe provided and prepared by Marcia Herring, Denver, NC
Calories
651.31Fat (grams)
30.26Sat. Fat (grams)
15.59Carbs (grams)
85.92Fiber (grams)
2.76Net carbs
83.16Sugar (grams)
26.08Protein (grams)
10.75Sodium (milligrams)
681.53Cholesterol (grams)
96.46Please consult a healthcare professional or dietician about nutritional needs for your diet. I am a communications professional, not a physician.
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About the author
Nikki Miller-Ka
Ms. Miller-Ka is a classically trained chef with a BA in English from East Carolina University and a Culinary Arts Associate Degree from Le Cordon Bleu-Miami.
Formerly, she’s worked as a researcher, an editorial assistant, reporter and guest blogger for various publications and outlets in the Southeast. She has also worked as a catering chef, a pastry chef, a butcher, a baker, and a biscuit-maker. Presently, she is a food editor, freelance food writer, and a tour guide for Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours.
oooooo I think that Peanut Butter Crumble Pie would be my favorite! I was a brownie and a girl scout when I was younger, I remember selling box after box of cookies haha. Still love them to this day!
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