Besides melting snow, potholes and mud, there’s a much more tasty sign of spring in Maine: the start of Girl Scout cookie season.
This year, Girl Scouts of Maine is adding a new twist: local food and beverages inspired by the popular sweets.
An Aroostook County coffee shop and breweries in Greater Bangor are among 18 Maine eateries taking part in the inaugural Girl Scout Cookie Palooza, which launched Tuesday. Throughout April, the businesses will feature special drinks and treats in honor of the annual cookie sale. Imagine a latte that tastes like Thin Mints, a lemon cocktail with a cookie on the rim or a cinnamon creme brulee garnished with Toast-Yays.
It’s meant to be fun, of course, but by promoting the cookies and participating in a donation drive, businesses are supporting scouting in their communities, said Laura Genese, spokesperson for Girl Scouts of Maine.
“This initiative not only highlights the Girl Scout Cookie Program and the flavors of our iconic cookies but also fortifies our connections with the business community,” she said. “It is an opportunity for the public to invest directly in our girls’ entrepreneurial journey in a fun and creative way that helps boost local businesses as well.”
Customers can also vote for their fan favorite in a donate-to-vote contest, and a social media component offers a chance for someone to receive a year’s supply of the cookies.
Creations include cocktails, coffees and desserts from eateries that include northern Maine’s Ruska Coffee, Two Feet Brewing in Bangor, Nanny’s in Old Town, Mason’s Brewing Company in Brewer and The Quarry Tap Room in Hallowell.
Here are the stories behind a couple of the offerings.
Ruska’s Brownie Adventure Trifle
When Caribou’s Girl Scout Troop 1587 reached out to Tamara Lovewell, who owns Ruska Coffee with her husband, Lance, she was all in for the palooza.
“We had to come up with a creation of our own utilizing their products,” Lovewell said. “A trifle is one of my family’s favorite desserts over the holidays, so I decided to experiment with a couple of cookies I thought would pair well in a trifle.”
She wanted to try something unique that hadn’t been done before. And so the Brownie Adventure Trifle was born, a fluffy dessert using Adventurefuls — brownie-like cookies with salted caramel — and Caramel deLites, which blend caramel, coconut and chocolate.
Trifles are built in layers, and this one has salted caramel, cheesecake filling, homemade whipped cream and crumbled cookies. The garnish: one of each cookie placed on top.
The shop is happy to support the monthlong menu event because it helps support local scouts, Lovewell said. So far, the trifle has been a hit.
“Our staff have to test everything before it goes on the menu, so it was staff-approved,” she said. “And we had someone come in first thing this morning and ordered one right off the bat, and loved it.”
2 Feet Brewing’s cookie cakes
Every year, Nit-Noi Ricker, who owns Bangor’s 2 Feet Brewing with her husband, Cory, creates cakes based on favorite Girl Scout cookies to support local troops. So joining the Palooza was a no-brainer.
“Years ago, one of the most popular cookies was the Samoa, and that is my favorite,” she said, referring to the chocolate, caramel and coconut cookie that is similar to today’s Caramel deLites. “So that is what inspired my first cake this month.”
It’s a four-layer vanilla bean cake with flowing chocolate and caramel fillings, garnished with roasted coconut, drizzled with more chocolate and topped with deLites.
Every cake she makes this month will have a Girl Scout cookie component, whether used as part of the filling, baked in the cake or used as a topper, Ricker said.
She fondly remembers when a local troop opened up when she was growing up and she could join Girl Scouts.
“It was an incredible experience for me,” she said. “I had all brothers. My dad was a single dad. I had a very male experience growing up, and this was an actual chance to hang out with girls and do girl things.”
Mason’s Brewing Company in Brewer will also participate as soon as their cookies come in, baker Melanie Tardiff said. She plans to make a cinnamon creme brulee garnished with French-toast-flavored Toast-Yays, a Thin Mint inspired chocolate mousse and a caramel, chocolate and coconut cheesecake reminiscent of Caramel deLites.
For a complete list of participants and their creations, visit Girl Scouts of Maine’s Cookie Palooza page.
