Tis the season, Girl Scout Cookie Season that is.  It’s similar to Christmas in that you have to shell out funds every time you walk into a retailer, grocery store, gas station, etc. etc. but instead of shoving a dollar into a red bucket for a half-hearted ‘thanks’ you shell out $3.50, but you also get cookies…  and you make some kids happy, but seriously it is really about the cookies.

I don’t have kids of my own, so I feel very comfortable disappointing children.  I’ll give money to charities that I feel are worthy, but just because a cute face is peering up at me I’m not going part with my cash so some 8-year-old can go to Europe.  And there is no way I am letting a kid wash my car for charity.  As I child/teen I participated in these fund-raisers and I can tell you we did a terrible job washing cars, and honestly probably damaged some in the process.

But Girl Scout cookies are amazing, so if I make some child happy by purchasing cookies that I want anyways, that is an added bonus.In fact, the Girl Scouts is a great organization, and I have many friends that still talk fondly of their days as a scout.  The Girl Scout’s mission is to “builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.”  How can you argue with that.  Plus most of the cookie sales (after they pay the bakers) goes back  into the organization, and the cookies themselves are kosher, with no trans fats, and conflict free cocoa.For this post I again paired up with Dirt Plate to create a recipe using Girl Scout cookies.  Dirt Plate has 2 daughters in the Girl Scout origination, and they have been selling cookies like crazy.  So to celebrate the winding down of cookie mania we are both cooking with cookies.  “Cooking with Cookies”, now that would be an awesome blog.  Someone out there start that.  I just want credit for coming up with the name.  (emoticon winkey face)

Christi of Dirt Plate out did herself this week with beautiful Thin Mint Muffins.  I will definitely will be trying her recipe out this weekend.  Go check her recipe out for yourselves.I’m partial to thin mints, especially frozen (yum), so I made thin mint chocolate covered pears.  I thought pears were a nice change from apples, which I did last week.  Plus pears with chocolate are delicious!

In my caramel apple post I totally forgot to buy craft sticks, so I had to cut branches out a tree mid-way through the recipe, but it turned out pretty nice.  I thought I would try it again with the pears.  This time I was able to get a branch with a little leaf on it which was an added bonus.  The incredibly easy recipe below.

Thin Mint Chocolate Covered Pears

4 cleaned branches from a nonpoisonous tree OR 4 craft sticks

3 Pears

1 (7 oz) tub dipping chocolate (Baker’s)

Peppermint Extract-You can also make your own extract with a recipe from Dirt Plate.  Check it out!

15 Thin Mints-Throughly crushed

Insert cleaned branched into the stem end of each pear.  Melt the dipping chocolate per its instructions and after it is melted add 6 drops of peppermint extract and mix into the chocolate.  Immediately dip pear into the chocolate for a nice even coat.  (As you can tell from the photographs I did not get a nice even coat, but a thick lumpy coat. It still tastes good, but it isn’t as pretty).  While the chocolate is still melty roll in the crushed Thin Mints.  Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and let cool thoroughly.

Enjoy knowing you made a girl scout happy, unless you don’t like children and then just enjoy!

For other fruits on sticks and Girl Scout Cookie inspired recipes check out my: Samoa Caramel Apples.