A select group of girl scouts from troops across southeastern Wisconsin will get an exclusive taste of recipes submitted to the National Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Contest today, while also getting a taste of the life of a professional chef.
Six scouts, ages 9 to 16, are joining professional test chefs from Taste of Home in the magazine’s Milwaukee test kitchen to bake and sample a pool of recipes entered into the national competition.
The first of its kind, the National Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Contest challenged cookie-lovers across the country to “create their own recipes using Girl Scout cookies,” said Tracy Wayson, chief development and brand officer at Girl Scouts Wisconsin Southeast.
The contest, backed by Taste of Home, garnered more than 500 submissions throughout February and early March.
A lineup of Taste of Home chefs are now testing out all recipes and plan to narrow down the pot to 16 finalists in four categories: Cakes, pies and cupcakes; brownies and bars; candies; and pudding, ice cream and gelatin desserts.
Once final recipes have been selected, chefs will appeal to the public to recreate the recipes and crown contest winners through an online voting process at www.girlscouts.org/recipecontest. Voting will run from March 30 through April 14.
“You’ll be able to see the recipes, you’ll be able to taste them and then vote for whoever is your favorite,” Wayson said.
While one grand prize winner will be awarded $500 and a feature in Taste of Home, runners up will each be given $250. Winning recipes will become the property of Taste of Home, according to Wayson.
Today’s tasting event is exclusive to southeastern Wisconsin, largely because of the fact that the publication’s test kitchen is located in Milwaukee, Wayson said.
Participating girls will have a “front row seat” in the recipe selection process, she said, while also gaining exposure to a career path they might not otherwise have a chance to explore.
“This is a girl-driven organization,” Wayson said. “One of the things that we really pride ourselves on is helping girls to connect to types of careers and opportunities they might not typically hear about.”
The day will also give each girl a platform to articulate why they are a part of the organization and what they hope to accomplish with their cookie sales.
“This is another opportunity for them to really put those skills to practice,” Wayson said.
For more information on the national recipe contest, visit www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/cookie_recipe_contest.asp.
