Girl Scouts of the USA Announces Winners

As revealed on Sunday's Weekend TODAY, 15-year-old Girl Scout Stephanie Salmentois the grand prize winner of the first National Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Contest, Sponsored by Taste of Home,the world's leading food magazine. Stephanie's recipe, Delightful Caramel Bars, which used Samoas/Caramel deLites and Shortbread/Trefoil Girl Scout Cookies as ingredients, received the most consumer votes of all the 16 finalist recipes.

The contest, which kicked off in February, invited cooking enthusiasts of all ages and levels to submit dessert recipes using the iconic cookies as ingredients in four categories: (1) cakes, pies, cupcakes, (2) cookies, brownies, bars, (3) pudding, ice-cream, gelatin desserts, and (4) candies. The experts in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen reviewed and tested the recipes, selecting the top 164 from each categorybased on taste, visual appeal, creativity, and crowd appeal. Once the finalists were selected, the public voted for their favorites online.

"Our cookie program empowers girls to develop financial, business, and people skills so they are prepared to be the female leaders of tomorrow," said Anna Maria Chavez, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. "So I'm not surprised that, out of all the recipes submitted, a Girl Scout's recipe was voted number one!Girl Scouts are creative, innovative, and ready to lead. If you give them an opportunity, they'll take it."

As the grand prize winner, Stephanie will receive a $500 cash prize and a spotlight feature in Taste of Home. Stephanie is a Girl Scout Senior from Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania.

"I'm so excited to be the grand prize winner," said Stephanie. "I created this recipe specifically for this contest, and it has been so much fun. Plus, now I can put this on my resume and show off my skillsoutside of school!"

The other three winners are: Rosalia Roger from Nebraska (Lemon Shortbread Cheesecake) in the cakes, pies, cupcakes category; Michele Kusma from Ohio (Nutty Caramel Turtles) in the candies category; and Leilani Smith from Texas (Shortbread Fudge Tiramisu) in the pudding, ice-cream, gelatin desserts category.

"We were overwhelmed by both the enthusiasm and sheer number of entries we received as part of this first-ever National Girl Scout Recipe Contest," said Taste of Home editor-in-chief, Catherine Cassidy. "The Taste of Home team enjoyed working closely with both GSUSA and the fabulous Milwaukee-area Girl Scouts who visited us while we were hard at work in our test kitchen. Being a Girl Scout alumna, I have very fond memories of my cookie-selling days. Having the Girl Scouts in our test kitchen and tasting the delicious Girl Scout cookie recipes was a big treat for me."

The full recipes from all 16 finalistsincluding delectable treats like Thin Mints Popcorn and Touch of Coconut Baklavaare available at www.girlscoutcookies.org/recipes. If you are interested in learning more about volunteering with Girl Scouts, visit www.girlscouts.org/join.

We're Girl Scouts of the USA
We're 2.8 million strong2 million girls and 800,000 adults who believe girls can change the world. It began over 100 years ago with one woman, Girl Scouts' founder Juliette Gordon "Daisy" Low, who believed in the power of every girl. She organized the first Girl Scout troop on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, and every year since, we've made her vision a reality, helping girls discover their strengths, passions, and talents. Today we continue the Girl Scout mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. We're the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs for girls from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to do something amazing. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit www.girlscouts.org.

About Taste of Home
Taste of Home is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food, cooking, and entertaining, serving home cooks engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food made with love.Taste of Homemagazine has a circulation of 2.5 million and publishesSimple & Deliciousmagazine six times a year; top-selling bookazines; newsstand specials; and popular cookbooks. TasteofHome.com is a top destination for engaging audiences with kitchen-tested recipes, how-to techniques, cooking videos, and lively community forums. The Taste of Home Cooking School is America's leading cooking school program, inspiring more than 250,000 passionate home chefs each year and hosting approximately 250 events across the country. Learn more at TasteofHome.com. Like us on Facebook to join more than 2 million followers for the latest on recipes and food, and follow us on Twitter and Pinterest.

SOURCE Girl Scouts of the USA

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