Samoa Trifle

It's the second most wonderful time of the year....Girl Scout cookie time! As a Girl Scout mama to a dear Brownie and our troops "cookie mom" I found it fitting to develop a recipe for the second annual Girl Scout cookie contest. This recipe pays homage to one of my favorite Girl Scout cookies, the Samoa.

The many layers of the Samoa trifle lead to intrigue and surprise. The sweetness and full flavor of the cookie is beautifully balanced by the strong and crunchy cocoa nib while the halved peach and raspberry compliment the lightly sweetened whipped cream.

When & where might one get the delicious cookies you ask?  Sales begin on March 1 and go through March 17th.  The clever folks at Girl Scouts even created a cookie finder, just for you! Click here for the Locater.  If you like your apps as much as I do click here for the cookie locater app.  These handy dandy tools will be updated closer to the times of the cookie sales so be sure to check back near March to find out where a sale is happening near your neighborhood.

Samoa Trifle
4 servings

Ingredients

• 12 Girl Scout Samoa cookies
• 4 canned halved peaches (I prefer Trader Joe's) 
• 3 tablespoons canned peach juice 
• 4 tablespoons roasted cocoa nibs (I prefer Theo cocoa nibs) 
• 1 3/4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (I used frozen and thaw for about 15 minutes prior to assembly)
• 8 teaspoons unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 16 ounces heavy whipped cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 glasses or parfait dishes, 8 ounces (1 cup)  in size

*Optional, as a garnish

• chocolate syrup for garnish
• caramel for garnish
• pastry bag and star tip to pipe whipped cream on top of trifle

Place whipped cream in an electric mixer. Add vanilla, canned peach juice, and powdered sugar. Whip on high for about 3 minutes or until the whipped cream has formed peaks. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of whipped cream on the bottom of one serving glass or dish. Sprinkle about 8 pieces of cocoa nibs on top of the whipped cream.

Chop 10 Samoa cookies into small pieces and place about 6 small pieces on top of the whipped cream layer. Halve the remaining 2 Samoa's and set aside.

The third layer will be whipped cream. Place about 2 tablespoons of whipped cream on top of the Samoa cookie pieces.

The fourth layer contains the fruit. Place one peach halve on top of the whipped cream. Add 4-5 raspberries, a sprinkle of cocoa nibs (about 8 pieces) & a teaspoon of coconut.

Spoon another layer of the whipped cream into the glass.

Next, place about 6 small pieces of Samoas cookies in the glass.

Last, pipe in the top layer of whipped cream in a circular motion to achieve a decorative look. Sprinkle coconut, cocoa nibs and syrups as garnish. Place a halved Samoa cookie piece and one raspberry on top. **If you are using frozen berries as I did you'll want to add the raspberry garnish just before serving as the juices from the berry may begin to run a bit.

Repeat the layering on the remaining 3 glasses or dishes. Serve and enjoy Samoa Trifle

Please click here to visit the Girl Scout Cookie contest to vote for the 5 finalist beginning February 19th.

Girl Scouts Northern Camp Work Party

Once in awhile you're given a chance to be a part of something from the beginning.  An opportunity to serve in a way beyond the usual modes. Yesterday was such a day.

As soon as Whatcom County permitting is complete, Girl Scouts throughout the state will have the chance to enjoy the pristine Northern Camp. To say the site is dreamy may be a bit of an understatement.  As you enter the 100 acre property surrounded by forest, you are greeted by a vast meadow & a pond centered ever so perfectly.  Apple trees are scattered near the pond, covered in moss and years of neglect, they offer clues to the wildlife that will share the hundred acre property.

We discovered bear claw scratches on the trunks of trees, deer prints in the mud & animal trails on the outskirts. Ducks glide quietly on the glacier formed pond letting us go about our work of sanding & staining the wood, reclaimed from fallen trees at the Girl Scout Camp in Carnation, WA. Building benches for the camp site, chopping and stacking wood for camp fires.  All things that make a Mom's heart proud...seeing your daughter use power tools, paint brushes/rollers & strength to build something in the spirit of service, with the encouragement & support of Troop Leaders.

Work Crew adjacent to the pump house

Trail from the parking lot to the camp sites, flanked by scotch broom

A special thank-you to our troop leader, Becky & all the other Girl Scout staff and volunteers who have been working on developing this property since 2006.

Tent Sites