Girl Scout Thin Mint Scones

Girl Scout Thin Mint Scones

My friend's daughters were selling Girl Scout cookies. My favorite time of the year! I helped them and left the order form out at work (along with this cute photo of the girls!) and sold 81 boxes of cookies at a couple work places! Um, I may or may not have purchased a bunch of said cookies. You know, supporting youth. I'm all for it.

Cream scones. Thin Mints. Match made in baking heaven!

I made the scones in the evening and cut them into 16 small squares. I put them on this 1/4 sheet pan and wrapped it tightly with plastic wrap. Then I froze them overnight. In the morning, you can just pop them in the oven (spread out on two 1/2 sheet pans) for a little longer than the recipe's recommended baking time. In my rush, I forgot to put the egg wash and sanding sugar on the scones before baking so your finished scone may look a bit different.

I chopped up less than one sleeve of Thin Mints (about 12-14 cookies). It was a little less than 1 cup...enough to give a Thin Mint taste with a few cookies remaining to eat while they bake! :)

Thin Mint Scones
Adapted from: Cream Scones from the Art and Soul of Baking (page 152). This is a very good book - find it on Amazon or in your library.

2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) granulated sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 stick butter (4 oz) (cold, cut into pieces)
1 cup (8 oz) heavy whipping cream (cold)
3/4-1 c chopped Thin Mint cookies (about 12-14 cookies) (less than 1 sleeve of Thin Mints (2012 box size))

Topping
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 T sanding sugar or granulated sugar

1. Preheat over to 425 degrees
2. Mix together dry ingredients.
3. Using a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingers (I use my fingers), cut in the butter. (The book uses a food processor, but I like to make scones by hand...less to clean up!)
4. Add whipping cream and chocolate chips. Blend together quickly (I use my hands and/or a spatula). Do not overmix.
5. Shape into a round or square.
6. Cut into shapes.
7. Place on parchment or Silpat covered baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar.
8. Bake for 14-16 minutes (depending on your oven) until golden brown and delicious. I cut my smaller and got 16 scones.

Other Thin Mint cookie baking ideas...


Thin Mint Brownies


Thin Mint Brownies


Thin Mint Cupcakes

Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars (Pioneer Woman)

Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars

Photo taken with cell phone

These were really expensive apricot jam oatmeal bars (adapted from  The Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Oatmeal Bars from her Food Network show). 

 Here's the story:
1. Get up super early.
2. Wipe the sleep from my eyes.
3. Stumble to kitchen.
4. Make these simple jam bars from the Pioneer Woman.
5. Toss them into the oven.
6. Start to clean up the kitchen. (I think I should mention here that my camera is on the countertop.)
7. Move the flour container...and knock off my camera from the countertop...and see it nose dive onto the hardwood floor.

It was horrible! I saw it in that slo-mo action...where you want to yell, "Noooooo..." but it happens so fast you are only able to yelp, "n...."

The lens came apart and I found a piece of it on the floor. Darn.

I've been wanting a new camera recently so this forced my hand. I purchased this combo:

Canon EOS Rebel T3i (body)
Canon EF 50 mm f1.4 (lens) (I upgraded from the f1.8 lens that crashed)

 

I love the new camera! It is much faster than my old one (which I bought in 2008). I'll be updating the camera page soon! 

This recipe is super simple. Just mix together most of the ingredients and press 1/2 on the bottom, and 1/2 over the jam layer. (These are the last photos taken with my old camera!)

Make these bars. Kids and librarians alike will love them! And hang onto your camera! :) - mary

Recipe:
Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman (shown on her Food Network show). Her recipe here.
1 3/4 sticks salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup oats (I used old fashioned oatmeal)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 10 to 12-ounce jar apricot jam (Pioneer Woman used homemade Strawberry Jam...I used Trader Joe's Apricot Jam)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan.
2. Mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter/blender, cut in the butter.
3. Press half the oat mixture into the prepared pan.
4. Spread jam on top of the oat mixture.
5. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly.
6. Bake until light brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Let cool completely, and then cut into squares.