It's Cookie Time

Whether you prefer Samoas or crave Thin Mints, Girl Scout cookies are now available at cookie booths throughout the Bloomingdale Patch area through March 20.

Look for Girls Scouts at the following locations:

• Ace Hardware – 10415 County Road 39
• Rick’s Meats – 10252 County Road 39
• TADA – 16711 FishHawk Blvd.
• Beef O’Bradys – 16773 FishHawk Blvd.
• Publix – 5642 FishHawk Crossings Blvd.
• FishHawk Bagels – 13435 FishHawk Blvd.
• Flint Creek Outfitters – 13425 FishHawk Blvd.
• DaSilva’s – 15282 FishHawk Blvd.
• You Say When Yogurt Shoppe – 5614 FishHawk Crossings Blvd.
• Walgreens – 5605 FishHawk Crossings Blvd.

Booths will be set up between the hours of 4:30 and 8:30 p.m. during the week, 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays and 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. 

New this year, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida is rolling out the Cookie Booth Finder, an online search engine that will allow you to find the closest cookie booth to you when you need to satisfy that craving quick! Just plug in your ZIP code, and the Cookie Finder will tell you where to go – anywhere in the 8 county region that the Girl Scout council serves. Go to www.girlscoutcookies.org  to find your best location.  

Make sure to buy some extra boxes for the freezer for later or for baking. Her'e some Girl Scout cookie recipes from http://www.girlscoutsww.org/cookies/recipes.

Scavenger Delight

1 – 6 ounce package instant chocolate pudding
1 cup milk
1 package Do-Si-Dos
2 sticks butter, melted
6 ounces prepared whipped topping
1 – 4 ounce package cream cheese

Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter. Pour into 9" x 13" pan. Mix pudding with 1 cup of milk until thick. Spread pudding over crust. Mix whipped topping and cream cheese and spread over pudding. Chill to thicken.

Fried Samoas Shrimp*

5 extra-large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
5 Samoas cookies, finely chopped
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
2 cups flour
1 cup coconut flakes
4 egg whites
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 lime for garnish
Vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Toss coconut fl akes with bread crumbs, cayenne pepper and chopped Samoas. Dredge shrimp through fl our, followed by egg whites and Samoas mixture. Fry shrimp in vegetable oil at 350 degrees until golden brown. Garnish with coconut fl akes and lime wedges.

Samoa Kiss Brownies

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
¾ cup melted butter
Mini Chocolate Kisses
¾ cup caramels, melted
½ package Samoas
Coconut

Mix cake mix, evaporated milk and butter. Pour half of mixture into a 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 350° for six minutes. Sprinkle one cup Kisses on top. Spread melted caramel over Kisses. Add ½ box crushed Samoas and one tablespoon toasted coconut. Pour remaining cake batter on top and bake 10 minutes. Drizzle with melted Kisses and sprinkle with coconut.

Southern Peanut Butter Pie

1 package Tagalongs
1- 3 1/2 ounce package vanilla pudding
1 ½ cups milk
1/3 cup peanut butter
Cool Whip
Peanuts, crushed (optional)

Grind cookies in blender or food processor and press into 9-inch pie plate. Prepare pudding mix using 1 ½ cups milk. Stir in peanut butter. Pour into pie shell. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with whipped topping and crushed peanuts.

If cookies aren’t in your food plan this season, you are invited to purchase a Gift of Caring. These boxes of American nostalgia and goodness are sent to the  military in combat zones overseas. Last year the council sent more than 45,000 boxes of cookies to men and women serving. Corporate sponsorships of this program are available as well.

For more information go to www.gswcf.org, www.girlscoutcookies.org or www.girlscouts.org.