The Girls Scouts Present: Cookie Creations

Who doesn't love some variety of Girl Scout Cookies? My two favorites are the Thin Mints and Samoas. I can't help but buy some boxes each year when the cookie drive rolls through. Thus, I was especially interested in the Cookie Creations event, an annual fundraiser where local chefs would create desserts based on Girl Scout cookies.

This year, the Boston event was held at the Fairmont Copley and the chef's included Matthew Gaudet of Aquitaine, Rachel Klein of Aura Restaurant, Jens Retlev of Au Bon Pain, Sara Ross of Kickass Cupcakes, Chef of Locke-Ober, Kat Craddock of Tremont 647, and Armand Toutaint of Turner Fisheries.

Attendees got to taste all of the desserts, as well as vote for their favorite. There were also two judges who would choose their own favorite: TV Diner’s Jenny Johnson and Mix 104.1 Morning Show host Kennedy. Besides the delicious desserts, there were raffles, a silent auction and a bar.

As you entered the event, there was actually a long table of vegetables, cheeses, crackers, and more. A nice assortment of more savory items to precede your decadent line-up of desserts. They could also act as a palate cleanser between desserts so you did not get a sugar overload.

At the bar, you could order a variety of beers, wines and cocktails and I selected the Thin Mint Martini ($13). It is made from vanilla vodka, creme de cacao, and creme de menthe, garnished with a thin mint. It was sweet, and tasted a bit like a thin mint, though more mint than chocolate flavors.

Locke Ober adopted a mysterious vibe, not placing their recipe in the event booklet. They wanted to surprise the attendees and they certainly accomplished that, taking a different route by going savory. You wouldn't have expected to see a side of ribs next to all of the desserts. But that is what Locke Ober did, presenting a meaty rib, sprinkled with shortread cookie crumbs, and a side of grits. Though the grits and rib were delicious, I am not sure the cookie really added much except for a different texture. I would have liked to see the cookie integrated more into the sauce on the ribs.

Kickass Cupcakes presented their Caramel DeLites (also known as Samoas) Cupcakes. As Samoas are one of my favorites, I was hoping for good things from these cupcakes, and they did deliver. The interiors of each cupcake had gooey caramel and bits of the Samoa cookies. The cucpcakes were moist, and the buttercream frosting adding to the whole. These cupcakes did impress, and they were my second favorite dessert of the evening.

The Winner of the Crowd Favorite was Turner Fisheries and their Peanut Butter Terrines, which used Peanut Butter Sandwich and Shortbread cookies. Unfortunately, the peanut butter cookies are the only type of Girl Scout cookie I do not like, so I did not taste the Terrines. But, from the others near me, the people seemed to enjoy them, and the fact they won the Crowd Favorite shows their popularity. Peanut allergies anyone?

The Judges Favorite, as well as my own personal favorite were Aura's Layered Lemon Ice Box, which used Lemonades cookies. Chef Klein made pushpops out of this dessert, making them not only delicious but also fun to eat. There were layers of lemon curd, blueberries, ricotta and cookies. All of the flavors blended well together and the lemon did not overwhelm the rest. I had a few of these pushpops, and wanted to eat many more as well but I exercised restraint.

Overall, it was a fun event, for a good cause, and showcased some very creative chefs. You don't often get to enjoy so many desserts at one time. Congratulations to the winning chefs and I plan on attending the event again next year. If you can't resist Girl Scout cookies, then I recommend you check it out too.