Girl Scout Cookie Cupcakes!!!!!!!

As you know I own a cupcake bakery, but you may not know that I LOVE Girl Scout cookies.  I would eat boxes and boxes except Hubby doesn't let me.  LOL  So I decided to combine my loves into Girl Scout cupcakes.  I picked 5 variety of cookies: Thin Mints, Savannah Smiles, Tagalong, Do-Si-Do, and Samoas. 

I also think that the first step to cooking or baking is he Semi-Homemade approach.  Take a box cake mix or dinner kit and spice it up and make it your own!  So instead of posting a bunch of recipes, I decided to instead post a way to take either box mix or your fave cake recipe and make it Girl Scout cookie flavor.

Thin Mints!!  Start with chocolate cake batter that is ready to be scooped.  Using a standard ice cream scoop, fill it about 3/4 full with batter and place in cupcake tin.  Then crush some Thin Mint cookies {KID job!!}and sprinkle on top of the batter.  Bake as directed.  For the frosting take a plain vanilla or if you are making homemade buttercream {2 sticks butter, around 3 cups powder sugar, and 3 tablespoons milk makes an awesome frosting} leave it plain- just butter and sugar and add about a cup of crushed Thin Mints cookies.  BEST frosting ever!!!  Frost cooled cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle with more  crushed Thin Mints.

Do-Si-Dos!!!  This one is really easy.  Make vanilla batter and after scooping into cupcake pan, sprinkle 5-6 peanut butter chips on the batter.  For the frosting it is a peanut butter frosting.  You take a vanilla can frosting and add about 1/2 cup peanut butter.  Or you could make the buttercream and add about 1/2 cup of peanut butter.  Frost the cooled cupcakes and add 1/2 a Do-Si-Do on top.

The Savannah Smiles!!  Make lemon cake batter and add a sprinkle of fresh lemon zest to the top of each scooped cupcake.  Then either  use a tub of cream cheese frosting or make you own {if you make the above butter cream use 1 stick of butter and one 8oz cream cheese brick} add to the frosting more lemon zest {about 1 lemon} and a teaspoon or 2 of lemon juice.  I also add a few drops of yellow food color to make it look festive!!  Frost you cooled cupcakes and let sit 20 minutes or so.  Then dust the top with powdered sugar.  

Tagalongs!!  Make chocolate cake batter and just like for the Do-Si-Do's add peanut butter chips.  then we are frosting with the same peanut butter frosting.  Then put in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.  We are going to dip them into a chocolate ganache and if the frosting isn't frozen to the cake it may jump "ship" and land in your ganache.  Best ganache {I have found} is 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and 1 cup heavy cream. Heat cream {on stove top} until bubbles start to form around edge.  Then pour cream over chocolate chips and let sit 1 minute.  Mix up til smooth and creamy.  Take cupcakes out of freezer and dip into slightly cooled ganache.  Try not to eat all of them!!

If you have made it this far you are a maser baker!!  So now comes the mother load: Samoas!!!!!!!  By far my fave Girl scout cookie!!  Make regular vanilla cupcakes and bake as directed.  When cooled, core and fill with caramel.  I use a large round piping tip to core them but the handle of a wooden spoon works just as well.  You want a thick caramel so I suggest either making your own or buying Hershey's Caramel Topping {has a silver lid}.  That's what I use when I am too lazy or busy to make my own caramel.  Then you need to dunk them in the chocolate ganache from the Tagalongs.  Then sprinkle then with sweetened coconut {toasted or un-toasted; it's up to you} and drizzle with more of the caramel.




And it is just that easy!!  So what are you going to be making? One of my select flavors or a different one? Girl Scout cookies are available in 11 flavors so you have plenty to choose from!!  I would love to see your ideas or pictures of any Girl Scout cupcakes you make!!  You can post a link in comments  or post a picture on my facebook wall.