Girl Scouts Crumble Cookies
Beth DeBruyn was one of the judges for the Girl Scout Cookie bake-off. Photo: Travis DeBruyn
What dessert would you make using Girl Scout Cookies as the star ingredients?
That’s the challenge my fellow troop leaders and I posed to the sixth- and seventh-graders of Swarthmore Cadette Girl Scout Troops 50220 and 51125. On Sunday, February 21, the girls — all students at Strath Haven Middle School or Delaware Valley Friends School — held a bake-off, which was judged by a panel of local experts:
Mike Litka (Swarthmore Co-op manager).
Beth DeBruyn (baker, owner of CAKEzilla, and creator of the Swarthmore Co-op bread-baking club).
Andy Rosen (sustainable-food advocate and former manager of the Swarthmore Farmers Market).
Judy Owen (baker and Haverford College professor emerita of biology).
After we delivered 10 entries to each judge, they joined us on Zoom to sample them live. While evaluating the treats on tastiness, presentation, and creativity, they also offered us baking tips. For example, Beth DeBruyn explained that, to make a cake stay moister longer, you can make simple syrup by blending equal parts water and sugar, then pour it over your cake before you ice it. The judges then scored the entries anonymously.
Anabella Larin with her award-winning cupcakes. Photo: Elizabeth Larin
Anabella Larin, age 12, won the contest, and received a Swarthmore Co-op gift certificate for her entry: vanilla cupcakes with chocolate ganache, caramel frosting, toasted coconut, and Caramel Delights. She chose a complicated recipe and watched YouTube videos to learn the steps. Taking risks paid off, as the judges praised her cupcakes for their fascinating taste, complexity, moistness, creativity, and presentation. One of the judges even awarded Anabella a perfect score!
Troop leaders Kathleen Davis, Autumn Mansor, and I were impressed by the creativity and finesse of all the desserts. In no particular order, they were:
Cookie pie with Nutella and Peanut Butter Patties, topped with Reese’s cups and Peanut Butter Patties, by Lauren Davis.
Yellow cake with blue buttercream icing, decorated with Lemonade cookies to look like the sun in a blue sky, by Kathleen Kelly.
Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla and peppermint buttercream icing, topped with crushed Thin Mints, by Nora Schmutz.
White cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, topped with cinnamon sugar and crushed Toast-Yay, by Maisie Strachan.
Chocolate cupcakes with Peanut Butter Patties, topped with peanut butter icing and Peanut Butter Patties, by Naomi Fries.
Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate ganache and caramel frosting, topped with toasted coconut and Caramel Delights, by Anabella Larin. Ranked the top entry.
Thin Mint cupcakes baked with Shortbread cookie, topped with Shortbread icing and Thin Mints, by Mia Fagone.
Chocolate-covered strawberries rolled in Thin Mint crumbs, by Maeve Raffaele.
Lemon ricotta pie, made with lemons, lemonade, eggs, and ricotta, and topped with crushed Lemonade cookies, by Sophie Jackson.
Chocolate ice cream with peanut butter drizzle and Peanut Butter Patties, by Elaine Herndon.
Girl Scout Cookie season ends in mid-March, so be sure to stock up now if you are inspired to create your own masterpieces and support a local troop. Order online.
