When it comes to owning your story and living out your dreams, Omei
Eaglerider (aka Chef ‘O’) is a testament of what it means to
wholeheartedly commit to your journey, while teaching and serving
others along the way.
And for Omei, her dedication to persevere and excel, began with Girl Scouting.
Omei’s drive to excel and the creative gifts that were made known to her throughout her 18 years Girl Scouting as a girl and staff member served her well. Not only was she a recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award at the age of 17 (then called the First-Class Award), but she even held the Guinness World Record for ‘Continuous Yo-Yo’ while in high school.
Over the last 53 years, Omei has made it a point to stay involved with Girl Scouts in some capacity. As the Executive Chef at Fry’s Signature Marketplace Culinary School in Paradise Valley, Arizona, she offers a wide variety of cooking classes and often works with troops from around the Valley to help girls earn their cooking badges.
Chef O Loves to concoct Girl Scout Cookie-inspired creations. We invite you make her latest recipe, Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Toffee Cookie Bites.
CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER-TOFFEE COOKIE BITES
Yield: 48 | Heat oven to 325° | Place paper liners in 2 mini muffin tins.
COOKIE CRUST CUP
- 1 cup Girl Scout Trefoil or Toffee-tastic Cookies*, crushed
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar (about 50 grams)
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
In a small bowl, mix crushed cookies, graham cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in melted butter. Spoon a tablespoon of cookie mixture into each. Press down and up the sides to form a cup. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake 5-8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes then set in the fridge to completely set.
PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE
- 1/3 cup natural-style smooth peanut butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Pinch of coarse kosher salt
- 2/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream, separated
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix the peanut butter, brown sugar, and coarse salt together until well blended. Gradually mix in 1/3 c heavy whipping cream. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1/3 c of cream, the sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form; fold into peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Chill until ready to use.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (114 g / 4 ounces)
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate (70 – 72%), finely chopped (170 g / 6 oz)
Heat the cream in a small pan until it's very hot; it should be steaming, just short of a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. This gives the cream a chance to soften the chocolate. Using a hand whisk, stir the mixture until the chocolate and cream are smooth. Let cool.
ASSEMBLE THE BITES
- 2-4 ounces dulce de leche or caramel sauce, optional
- 2 ounces peanuts, crushed or toffee bits, optional
Spoon or pipe about a teaspoon of ganache into the bottom of each cookie cup. Scoop or pipe the peanut butter mousse on top of ganache, dividing it evenly among the cups. If using, drizzle some dulce de leche over the top of each and sprinkle with peanuts or toffee bits. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
NOTES
If you happened to have eaten all your Girl Scout Cookies, you could substitute regular shortbread cookies or all graham cracker crumbs for the crust. You don’t have to have a fancy piping bag. Just use a heavy-duty freezer bag and snip a corner to pipe.
To make these gluten-free, use 2 cups of Toffee-tastic cookies and omit the graham crackers.
