Chefs turn hundreds of boxes of Girl Scout cookies into gourmet desserts
Betsy PricePerhaps you think of Girl Scout cookies as something that arrives once a year in a colorful box, and disappears too quickly when that box is opened.
A group of chefs at Delaware beaches thinks of them as competition fodder.
The chefs, who work at the 10 SoDel Concepts restaurants along the coast, use the cookies to create fantastical, sometimes extremely complicated desserts.
The results on are menus now, and will square off against each other March 14 for the chain's sixth annual Matt's Girl Scout Cookie Cup, named for SoDel founder, the late Matt Haley.
SoDel not only gives $1 from each dessert sold in restaurants to the Girl Scouts, but also buys hundreds of boxes of cookies so the desserts can be made, said SoDel president Scott Kammerer in a press release.
Restaurants are offering these desserts this year:
• Fish On in Lewes: Thin Mint Ice Cream Sandwich.
• Matt’s Fish Camp in Lewes: S’mores Toasted Marshmallow-Stuffed Beignet with Warm Chocolate Sauce.
• The Clubhouse at Baywood: Trefoil Raspberry Cheesecake Bars.
• Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar in Rehoboth Beach: Do-si-dos Banana-Waffle Cookie with Peanut Butter-and-Jelly-Crunch Ice Cream, Dark Chocolate Magic Shell and Banana Anglaise.
• Lupo Italian Kitchen: Samoas Tartufo.
• Matt’s Fish Camp Bethany Beach: Thin Mint Dacquoise.
• NorthEast Seafood Kitchen: Coffee-Toffee/Mocha Cream Pie with Toffee-tastic Crust.
• Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar in Bethany Beach: Tagalongs Peanut Butter-Salted Caramel Ice Box Cake.
• Catch 54: Savanna Smiles-Lemon Mascarpone Layered Cake with Crushed Blackberry Whipped Cream and Candied Lemon Slices.
• Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria: Samoas Fried Ice Cream with Caramel and Coconut covered with Oreo Crumb, Dulce de Leche, Panko and Shredded Coconut in a Waffle Bowl with Fresh Whipped Cream and Chocolate Caramel Sauce.
If you want to try creating those dishes yourself, you may want to hang on to your Kitchen Aid mixer for support. Some of the recipes have a remarkable number of steps. (We're talking to you, Bluecoast Rehoboth's Do-si-dos Banana-Waffle Cookie with Peanut Butter-and-Jelly-Crunch Ice Cream, Dark Chocolate Magic Shell and Banana Anglaise).
Win a gift card
Want to try one of these desserts in person? SoDel Concepts has donated $50 gift cards for two lucky readers to try them. Go to https://delawareonline.secondstreetapp.com/SoDel-Concepts-Sweet-Treat-Gift-Card-Giveaway/ to enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win.
Here are three, from simplest to most complex.
Bluecoast Bethany's
Tagalong Peanut Butter-
Salted Caramel Ice Box Cake
Ingredients
2 ¾ cups heavy cream (split into 2 cups and ¾ cup)
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar (split into 1 cup and ¾ cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces cream cheese
16 ounces peanut butter (split into 15 ounces and 1 ounce)
Tagalongs
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet)
½ cup salted caramel
Instructions
Whip 2 cups heavy cream with ¾ cup powdered sugar until you get stiff peaks. Refrigerate.
Combine cream cheese, 15 ounces peanut butter and 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Fold in half the whipped cream until incorporated.
Line a shallow 1/3 pan with parchment paper. Layer 1/3 of the peanut butter mixture. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream. Top with a layer of Tagalongs, lightly crushed. Repeat the layers 2 more times ending with Tagalongs. Cover and refrigerate three to four hours.
While cake chills, place chocolate chips and 1 ounce peanut butter in a bowl, bring ¾ cup heavy cream to a boil and pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Once chilled, invert cake onto a platter and pour chocolate sauce over the top. Drizzle with salted caramel and sprinkle with crushed Tagalongs.
The Clubhouse at Baywood's
Trefoil Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 cup raspberry jam
1 package (8 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup dark chocolate chip
Also uses in-house raspberry jam recipe and in-house chocolate ganache recipe that was not shared.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9-by-9 pan with aluminum foil, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on opposite sides. Lightly grease with cooking spray and set aside.
Combine flour and powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl; whisk until combined. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter. You can also use a fork or two knives. Work the butter for about 2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined.
Press the mixture on the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Spread raspberry jam over crust and set aside.
In your mixer's bowl, combine cream cheese, milk and vanilla; beat for 3 minutes, or until mixture is creamy and smooth.
In the meantime, combine white chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a small microwaveable bowl. Melt in microwave for 1 minute. Stir and melt for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and let cool for a few minutes.
Add melted white chocolate to the cream cheese mixture; beat the mixture for 1 minute, or until completely incorporated. Pour cream cheese mixture over jam and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Refrigerate one hour.
Combine dark chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a small microwaveable bowl. Melt in microwave for 1 minute. Stir and melt for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and spread over white chocolate layer.
Refrigerate for at least four hours. Overnight is best. Cut into bars and serve immediately.
Bluecoast Rehoboth's Do-si-dos Banana
Waffle Cookie with PB&J
Crunch Ice Cream, Dark Chocolate Magic
Shell & Banana Anglaise
Waffle Cookie
Ingredients
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pack finely crushed Do-si-dos cookies
Directions
For the cookies, whip butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Stir in egg and vanilla. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients, bananas and crushed cookies until incorporated.
Preheat waffle iron. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and scoop cookie dough into forms. Close waffle iron and cook until brown, about 2 minutes but depends on the iron. Carefully remove and cool.
Banana Anglaise
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon banana extract
Instructions
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside for later.
In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks with a whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until they are very smooth. Set aside. Add sugar and whisk for 2 more minutes, or until the sugar is fully incorporated and it is pale yellow.
Heat the heavy cream in a double-boiler until it is just barely simmering (don’t let it boil!). Heat the cream until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
When cream reaches 180 degrees, very slowly pour the hot cream into the egg and sugar mixture, whisking constantly.
Return the cream and egg mixture to the double-boiler and heat slowly, continuously stirring until it reaches 185 degrees. The cream should be thicker, but still pourable.
Set the top bowl of the double-boiler in the ice water bowl to cool. Stir in the banana extract. Every so often, stir the banana creme anglaise until it is fully cooled.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Crunch Ice Cream
Ingredients
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter
Pinch of salt
2 cups chilled heavy cream
1 cup grape jelly
1 pack crushed Do-si-dos cookies
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, peanut butter and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat whipped cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, approximately 2 minutes. Fold approximately 1 cup of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until combined. Fold the peanut butter cream mixture and crushed cookies back into the whipped cream until well combined.
Pour the mixture into a metal loaf pan. Dot with jelly on top randomly, then swirl the jelly into the ice cream base. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 5 hours before serving.
Dark Chocolate Magic Shell
Ingredients
3 ounces dark chocolate
3 tablespoons coconut oil (measured when solid)
Instructions
Microwave: In a small bowl, microwave dark chocolate and coconut oil in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until smooth. It will be runny. Let cool for 1 minute and then pour on top of ice cream and watch it magically harden!
Stovetop: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt dark chocolate and coconut oil — stirring until smooth. Once smooth, remove from heat. It will be runny. Let cool for 1 minute and then pour on top of ice cream and watch it magically harden!
To store, transfer to a glass jar (like a mason jar). Store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, heat in microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until smooth again. Use on top of your favorite ice cream and then you can re-refrigerate.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: SoDel concepts annual Girl Scout cookie competition. Guests pick the winner
WHEN: 6 to 8 p.m. March 14
WHERE: Baywood in Millsboro
ADMISSION: Free
Contact Betsy Price at 302-324-2884 or beprice@delawareonline.com.
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