Smart Cookies
CHEFS GET CREATIVE WITH CLASSIC GIRL SCOUT TREATS
ou see them knocking door to door, setting up tables outside supermarkets and hawking their tasty treats to commuters at MBTA stops.
They're the annual army of baked-goods-selling Girl Scouts, and this happens to be the 100th year of the organization's signature cookie sales program. As food-related fundraisers go, Girl Scout cookies have become something of an American cultural touchstone over the past century. Yes, flavors like Thin Mints, Caramel deLites and this year's brand-new variety, S'mores, have a diet-busting addictiveness. But their fleeting availability is also a big part of the appeal.
The cookies are as allAmerican as “mom and apple pie,” said Patricia Parcellin, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. She's a former Girl Scout herself, and fondly remembers selling cookies to support a grade-school trip to Niagara Falls. Now she's steering the 10th largest Girl Scouts council in the country (out of more than 100), supporting 35,000 girls in Eastern Massachusetts as they take part in the largest girl-led business program in the world.
The cookie program has changed a lot since its inception, when scouts and their parents made the treats themselves at home. Today, the mass quantities of treats are produced by two professional baking companies — and the Scouts are even taking advantage of mobile technology to move boxes. A new app, Cookie Finder, lets users locate cookie sellers by zip code.
“It's a great way to teach girls skills like goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics,” Parcellin said.
The popularity of the program has stayed consistent over the years, added Melanie Bonsu, fund development manager for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. Cookie sales represent more than 60 percent of the council's annual operating budget, Bonsu said. To add a few more cookiedriven ducats to the coffers, the Central and Western Massachusetts council will also host the chef-driven event Fork it Over on March 9 at Worcester's Beechwood Hotel.
Guests will enjoy cookiethemed cocktails and live music while about a dozen local chefs compete to show how creatively they can integrate Girl Scout cookies into sweet and savory dishes. Expect to find Caribbean fried chicken with Samoas waffles and a pad Thai chicken made with Do-si-dos, among other inventive eats. Tickets are available at gscwm.org.
For those who would rather try their hand at home, we asked a trio of local chefs to submit creative recipes using different varieties of Girl Scout cookies. Here are three tasty reasons to stock up on boxes — or make use of the surplus you already have.
World-renowned chef Jacky Robert welcomes guests with fine French
cuisine at Ma Maison, his lovely hideaway on Beacon Hill. But he whipped up this fanciful recipe with Girl Scout cookies that is great for any home cook, too.
CARAMEL DELITES: JACKY’S GIRL SCOUT COOKIES OMELET
12 medium organic eggs 1 box Girl Scout caramel cookies 1 T. vanilla extract 1/2 c. granulated sugar crush coarsely 8 cookies.
Separate the whites of 3 eggs, mix them with 1/4 c. sugar and whip until stiff. Beat 9 whole eggs and 3 yolks with a fork to an omelet mix. add in the vanilla and 1/4 c. sugar. Apply pan spray to a nonstick square 11-by-11inch pan.
Warm up the pan on lowheat burner. Pour in the omelet mix.
Sprinkle the cookie chunks on top and cook slowly till eggs are firm.
Lay the square omelet on a cutting board. Cover evenly with the egg whites and roll to a cylinder shape.
Put the cylinder on a nonstick half-size sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Serve hot with maple syrup and additional cookies on top. Serves 4.
Kate Holowchik is one of the hottest pastry chefs in Boston, currently turning out ultra-creative treats — including this delightful mint ice cream — at The Townshend, a cool modern tavern in Quincy.
THIN MINTS: GRASSHOPPER PIE ICE CREAM
2 c. heavy cream 1 c. milk 1/4 c. sugar Pinch of salt 3 big bunches of mint 1 oz. creme de menthe liqueur 2 T. milk powder Mini chocolate chips Chocolate sauce
Crushed up Thin Mints Girl Scout cookies
In a saucepan, heat cream and milk along with the mint until the dairy is scaled, not boiling. remove from heat and blend dairy and mint in a blender. strain with a fine sieve and whisk in the creme de menthe, sugar, salt and milk powder. cool ice cream base completely and churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Mix in chocolate sauce, Girl scout thin mints and mini chocolate chips.
Cornelius Rogers is executive chef de cuisine for Niche Hospitality, the group behind a portfolio of Worcester-area restaurants, including Bocado Tapas Wine Bar and The Citizen Wine Bar. He’s among the chefs participating in the Fork it Over event March 9, and came up with this spectacularly creative, savory way to celebrate both the peanut butter and shortbread cookies.
DO-SI-DOS AND TREFOILS: BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA
6 fresh pasta sheets (10 by 10 inch) blanched and shocked in ice water 2 c. parmesan cheese with 1/2 c. reserved for the end 2 c. ricotta cheese 2 c. fresh mozzarella cut into 1/4 inch cubes 2 eggs 1 sleeve Do-si-dos cookies, crumbled 3 lbs. diced butternut squash 1/4 c. maple syrup 3 T. brown sugar 2 heads Tuscan kale, leaves cleaned from stem and chopped 5 T. butter 4 T. flour 4 c. milk 1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg 1 sleeve Trefoils, crumbled
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss together the squash, maple syrup, salt, pepper and brown sugar. roast covered for a half hour, then add kale and cook until soft to the touch. remove from oven when done and cool to room temperature.
combine ricotta cheese and the do-si-dos cookies. set aside in the fridge.
Melt butter in a pan and then add flour to make a blond roux. When incorporated, add milk and stir until warm and thickened. do not boil.
add grated nutmeg and mix with a whisk. set aside when done.
Generously spray a 9-by12-inch pan with cooking spray. add enough bechamel to barely cover the bottom of the pan.
Place down first pasta sheet, then top with a little squash mixture, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and bechamel.
repeat until all sheets have been used. save a little of the mozzarella and bechamel to cover the top layer. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, checking doneness with a knife.
Portion into 6 pieces. sprinkle with the crumbled Trefoils, olive oil and parmesan cheese. yields 6 servings.