Monday, March 21, 2016

Palm Sunday

Riding into the city on an ass
And the people cried out.
Leaving the city carrying a cross
And the people cried out.

Where would I be?
Which side would I be on?
When would I cry out?
Would I listen if even the rocks cried out?
What would it take?

Would I cry out Hallelujah?
Would I cry out crucify him?

Luke 19:40 He answered them "if they were silent, the stones would shout out."

Monday, March 14, 2016

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cheesecake Truffles

Girl Scout cookie sales have come to an end (almost) and here I sit with 2 CASES of Peanut Butter Sandwiches (or Do-Si-Dos). These are a classic Girl Scout cookie, around back when I sold cookies in the 80s. They have their own following, but are no where near the popularity of the Thin Mint, Caramel Delite (or Samoas) or Peanut Butter Patties (or Tagalongs).

Here in South Dakota, we do not do pre-sales (think the Girl Scout out with her sales form and then delivering cookies several weeks/a month later), we have cookies on hand. I really prefer this method. Neighbors are more likely to purchase from the girl with cookies in hand. The hard part is predicting what you might need. My girls like to do booth sales, so I have made it a habit to schedule 1-2 booths during the last weekend of sales and let my parents return cookies they aren't able to sell (by a deadline).

The number of girls tripled for me -- Maggie's troop doubled in size and Jessie is now a Girl Scout. We went from 5 girls selling last year to 16 girls! So lots of new girls selling. We had a fantastic year. Unfortunately, some of them over-estimated the popularity of some cookies, which is why I now have 24 boxes of Peanut Butter Sandwiches (and Shortbreads). We have one final booth coming up at SDSU right before Easter, so I am hoping we can find some creative ways to sell these not-as-popular cookies. 

In browsing around Pinterest, I found a recipe for Peanut Butter Cheesecake Truffles and decided to see if they would work with Peanut Butter Sandwiches in place of the peanut butter. And I'm happy to say they were a success! Just a few ingredients and we have another way to enjoy these cookies! I'm hoping to do the same with a couple of other cookies before the final sales.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cheesecake Truffle

1 box Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies (you will use 1.5 sleeves)
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/3 cup powdered sugar (more to taste)
8 oz chocolate chips + 1/2 cup if desired.

Finely crush 1.5 sleeves of Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies in a food processor. Whip with 8 oz of cream cheese and 1/3 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips (if desired). Chill mixture in refrigerator for 1 hour. Form into balls. [I used a small cookie scoop for the balls above. I think I want to find a smaller one so they are truly bite sized.] Freeze. [Due to time, I froze them overnight, which was more than enough. An hour should be fine.] Melt 8 oz of chocolate chips. Dip & cover balls in melted chocolate. Sprinkle with extra crushed cookies. Freeze minimum 1 hour. Enjoy!