Thin Mint Brownies

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Thin Mint Brownies

Thin Mint Brownies

I have a confession to make. Not too long ago, I was the little girl at your doorstep. You know her. She was the shy little girl dressed in a uniform, hair braided down the sides, nervously clutching a sheet of paper. She looked up at you with big eyes and had an even bigger question to ask.

Would you like to buy some Girl Scout Cookies?

Thin Mint BrowniesThin Mint Brownies

I was a Girl Scout for many years and loved every minute of it. I sold cookies because it was a good fundraiser for the Girl Scouts. Buying a box of cookies from me would help send me to camp over the summer and pay for the activities I participated in, opening up a world of new opportunities. Or, at least this is what I told my cookie customers. More honestly, I just wanted to sell enough cookies to win a free giant stuffed duck. Somehow I don't think this pitch would have gone over as well.

Hi! Buy cookies from me because I want a free duck! It doesn't quack, but its squishy and bigger than my head!

Luckily, my pitch didn't matter because when it comes to selling Girl Scout cookies, I wouldn't even have to utter a word to sell a few boxes. No one can say no to these cookies. These cookies have been popular so long that by now everyone has their own favorite. My favorite happens to be the Samoas (those delicious chocolate caramel cookies), but the Thin Mints come in a close second.

Because Girl Scout cookies are so loved this time of year, I thought I'd share something else you can do with them besides eating the entire box in one sitting (which has been known to accidentally happen).

Thin Mint Brownies

These Thin Mint brownies are just fun. The brownies are fudgy and moist with an undeniable chocolate mint flavor. The Thin Mints are crushed and folded into the brownie batter to give the brownies that full Thin Mint flavor. The cookies may lose their crunch, but they certainly do not lose their characteristic taste. Make these if you have Girl Scout cookies laying around. Make them even if you don't—any chocolate mint cookie will do.

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Honey Rolls

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Honey Rolls

Honey Rolls

Bread and I have grown close together over the years—at times, almost too close. You see, bread is one of those "dangerous friends" that your mother warned you about (except she was probably talking about those kids in high school instead of the food you eat, but the lesson is the same). Bread is the friend that is oh so fun (and tasty) to be around in moderation. But the more you spend time together, the more you'll realize that Bread also has a hidden agenda.

Bread loves to encourage you to make bad decisions (like eat moremoremore). You see, bread is insecure about her own bulky weight—she thinks she's a heavy cinnamon log when she's really just a light dinner roll—and would love to see you gain a few (dozen) pounds to make her feel better about herself.

Honey Rolls

Over breakfast, she'll hint that a fifth piece of toast might hold you until lunch. Over lunch, she'll ask if you want another helping of bread and cheese (and have you ever been able to turn that down?). Over dinner, she'll softly encourage you to grab another dinner roll to soak up that last bit of gravy.

Whenever I try to distance myself from bread for more than a week, we'll end up bumping into each other in the supermarket. She'll complain that we don't spend nearly enough time together and ask me if we're still friends because I haven't called in awhile. She'll make me feel guilty enough to plan a dinner date for the following evening (where I'll eat an entire fresh baguette with baked brie).

Bread and I have fallen into this trap before. We'll spend too much time together (like an entire week) and suddenly my pants are a little too tight. I think I need to start listening to my mother and be more careful of those dangerous friends.

Then again, maybe I'll get on that after I finish eating another one of these...

Honey Rolls

These honey rolls are soft, tender, and sweet. The rolls are sweetened with honey and coated with a layer of honey and butter. They are a little on the denser side, but no heavier than your average dinner roll. These are the perfect beginning or side to any meal. You'll definitely have a hard time eating just one or two. I caved and ate three; can you really blame me?

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Almond Joy Tart

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Almond Joy Tart

Almond Joy Tart

One of the more interesting things I like to do when traveling abroad is to go shopping in foreign grocery stores. This may sound ridiculous. This may sound like a waste of time. Many of you may even be appalled that I'd take time out of sightseeing to peruse something so commonplace as a grocery store, but I'm going to stand behind myself on this one. It's quite amazing what you'll find.

It's one thing to dine in the unfamiliar restaurants of another country to get a sense of the food culture (and the flavors!), but dining out isn't how most of the population eats. I'm lucky if I dine out once a month. If you want to get a true idea of how people eat (and everybody eats), the market will show you just about everything you could wish to know.

Almond Joy Tart

I like to marvel at the differences from my own store and the foods I'm used to. Depending on where you live and where you are traveling, the fruits and vegetables vary. I've often picked up fruit I couldn't recognize, tried to translate the sign I couldn't read, and ended up snapping a photo to identify it later. The amount of boxed and processed foods scattered throughout the store can say quite a bit about the culture you're visiting. I've noticed that there seems to be a much greater focus on fresh food everywhere but the United States. I also find the sweet treats to be fascinating but, then again, my life tends to revolve a bit around butter and sugar.

Food says a lot about a culture and the people who live there. Next time you're in a far away land, eat as much as you can! But when you get full, take a minute or two out of your day to walk through a market and explore. You might just learn more than you expected.

Almond Joy Tart

Believe it or not, this tart tastes exactly like an Almond Joy. It is as if you've placed an Almond Joy on a flaky shortbread cookie and taken a big bite. Seriously. The sweet coconut is covered in just the right amount of chocolate—neither overwhelms the other. Sliced almonds are spread over the coconut giving each bite that rich and subtle almond flavor instead of the occasional big crunch in a real Almond Joy. This tart converted my coconut hating boyfriend into one who now requests I make more coconut treats.

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