Colorado Girl Scout Crystal Schlueter is a finalist in the first-ever National Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Contest, sponsored by Taste of Home! Crystal, who is from Northglenn, created this “German Chocolate Ice Cream Cookie Torte.”
Read how Taste of Home describes Crystal’s dessert: “This delicious, gooey treat combines Samoas/Caramel deLites, with chocolate and butter pecan ice cream – WOW – for a sweet, nutty feast of heavenly proportions!”
To help you get to know Crystal, we asked her a couple of questions about the contest and her experiences as a Girl Scout.
Why did you enter the Taste of Home Recipe contest?
I have been a fan of Taste of Home for many years, and have had several recipes published in past issues, so when I saw the Girl Scout contest, I immediately decided to create a recipe. I LOVE making desserts. I’ll admit, I have quite the sweet tooth. Ice cream cakes are one of the first things I learned to make as a child, and since they are so easy, its a great way for beginning cooks to build confidence in the kitchen. It’s hard to improve on something as perfect as a Samoa, but I decided to combine them with ice cream, which everyone also loves. I created this recipe just for this contest, but I did take it to a birthday party, and everyone raved. I will certainly make it in the future. And, it looks much more difficult to make than it really is-which is always a bonus!
Tell us about your experiences as a Girl Scout.
My sister and I were both Girl Scouts as children. Our mom was one of the troop leaders, and it is a very fond memory for all of us. I actually developed a love of cooking while in the Girl Scouts, and the valuable skills and friendships that I gained through the Girl Scouts will stay with me for a lifetime. The Girl Scouts were very important to me in my childhood, and to this day every time I see a girl selling cookies I have to stop and buy a few boxes. Its just a fun way to reconnect with my youth, I suppose. So when I saw an advertisement for this contest, I thought it would be really fun to try and come up with something. I never really thought I’d be a finalist, so I was extra thrilled! I did sell Girl Scout cookies growing up, and since I was a very shy child, I recall being nervous my first time selling. However, I went with several friends, and very quickly got over my fear of approaching people. I believe that the sales and people skills that I learned through the Girl Scouts helped me to become a top consultant at my first sales position. Also, my troop did a lot for the community, but I specifically recall helping to feed the poor, as well as visiting with residents of a nursing home and decorating the home for the holidays. It was amazing to see how grateful the community was towards our troop, and it made us feel like we were really making a difference, regardless of how young we were.
I love all of the Girl Scout cookies, but I’d have to say the Samoas are my favorites. Thin Mints are a close second, and I always have to buy a couple boxes of the Tagalongs and Dos-i-dos as well. I have to say that as much as I loved Girl Scout cookies as a child, my favorite memory was when I was an adult-in a very different kind of troop. I was 22, and deployed to Iraq, serving as a military policeman. My unit’s morale was pretty low. One day, our unit received several large care packages. They were from a Girl Scout troop, and were filled with dozens of boxes of Girl Scout cookies! Wow, I couldn’t believe the excitement of everyone. Its amazing how a little box of cookies can brighten a person’s day! Even our unit commander (a very stern, tough, giant of a man) had a grin while holding his box of cookies. Everyone in our unit got their own box. Sometimes the little things are the best things, as right in that moment, a familiar little box of cookies gave us just the boost we needed.
Why should people vote for you?
Honestly, I would love some votes, but only if people truly believe my recipe is the best. I feel that often times people vote just because someone is their friend or they have an interesting story. However, this is a recipe contest and I hope that the very best recipe wins, regardless of whom it belongs to.
Voting in the National Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Contest, sponsored by Taste of Home, ends April 14.