Believe it or not, there are more things to do with Girl Scout cookies other than hiding them in your desk and scarffing them all down when no one’s looking. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; they only come out once a year after all. There are quite possibly thousands of recipes that include Girl Scout cookies as an ingredient. These delicious cookies and all their flavors are very versatile tricks to keep in your pantry or freezer.

Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, Girl Scouts learn skills they need to succeed in life, like financial literacy, innovation, budget management and more. Essentially, they learn how to run a business, while putting money back into the program that teaches them all these things and more. So, buying these cookies is a win/win deal – you help further the Girl Scouts’ nearly 100-year-old program and you have these coveted cookies to devour and cook with as you wish. Yes, this includes hiding some in your desk drawer and gobbling them up when no one else is looking.

Read the full article and more at www.citysocial.com OR pick up free copies of the April issue on stands this week!

Lemon Raspberry Parfait Shots
2, 8-oz. packages Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
2 jars seedless raspberry preserves
1 box of Savannah Smiles Girl Scout cookies (save 6 for garnish)

In large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Spoon preserves into a bowl and whisk until loosened. Pulse the cookies in a food processor until they resemble coarse crumbs. Spoon two tablespoons of cookie crumbs into the bottom of each cordial glass. Then spoon two tablespoons or more of the preserves, top that with a couple tablespoons or more of the cream mixture. Continue layering in this pattern until the glass if full. Garnish with a small spoonful of preserves and one whole cookie. Yields six to eight shots.

Samoa S’mores Brownies
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
4 ounces dark chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 box Samoas Girl Scout Cookies
1 cup mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 11×7-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Melt chocolate and butter in a small, heavy saucepan or double boiler. Stir constantly over low heat until smooth. Cool to lukewarm or room temperature. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large bowl on high speed until pale yellow. Reduce speed and slowly add in flour and salt. Then gradually pour in the chocolate mixture until blended. Pour brownie batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake brownies for 10 minutes. Chop the cookies coarsely and toss with mini marshmallows. Sprinkle the cookies and marshmallows over the top of the brownies and bake 15-20 minutes more, until the marshmallows brown slightly. Lift the brownies out with the paper and let cool on the rack. Cut and serve slightly warm.

Thin Mint Ice Cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
Green food coloring, if desired
1 sleeve Thin Mints Girl Scout cookies

In a saucepan or double boiler, heat milk slowly over low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until frothy. Add a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk to the eggs to temper them. Then slowly add the rest of the hot milk whisking constantly. Pour mixture back into saucepan and heat slowly until thickened, stirring constantly. Chill completely. Add cream and peppermint. Crush the cookies in a food processor and set aside until you’re ready to freeze. Pour cream into an ice cream freezer and add cookie crumbs as the mixture turns. Once cold, store in a tightly sealed container in the freezer.

Variation: Substitute the peppermint extract and green food coloring with 1 or 2 tablespoons Crème de Menthe liquor for a grown-up version.