Scouting Sweetness: Homemade Samoas Girl Scout Cookies for Serious Eats

Fact: Samosas and Samoas, while both delicious, are not the same. In a nutshell, the former is a savory snack, often eaten before an Indian meal; the latter is a sweet cookie, sold by Girl Scouts, enjoyed basically any time.

Of course, there's no need to power through this homonym haze in some areas of the country, where these chocolate-coconut-shortbread-caramel confections are known as "Caramel deLites."

But regardless of geography and nomenclature, one thing is for sure: these cookies are tasty little morsels. And when you've reached the end of the box you purchased from your local Scouts, there's a surefire solution for sweet gratification: make your own batch (my recipe is adapted from recipes onBaking Bites and Batter Licker), and call them whatever you want.

Check out the full entry and recipe on Serious Eats!

Scouting Sweetness: Homemade Tagalong Girl Scout Cookies for Serious Eats

Once upon a time, Girl Scout Cookies were made by hand, by actual Girl Scouts. They were then sold door to door to teach the girls lessons about marketing and goal-setting.

These days, while the aim is still true—the proceeds go to a good cause—the Tagalongs*, Thin Mints, and Samoas are made commercially, making for confections that arguably fall into "don't confuse the experience with the product" territory.

The solution? Do buy cookies from those earnest young Scouts. But also make a batch of your own for a delicious home-baked treat. Start with these Tagalongs: slightly fatter and more substantial than the Scout version, you'll enjoy each chocolatey, peanut buttery, shortbready bite.

Not into Tagalongs? More of a Thin Mints fan? Make Thin Mints instead »

* In some regions, Tagalongs are packaged under the name "Peanut Butter Patty." Different licensed bakeries that supply the Girl Scouts call the same cookies different names. Wiki up on it here.

For more lore, and the recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Triple Chocolate Nanaimo Bars: A Delicious Valentine's Day Recipe for Serious Eats

Why are forks more popular in February? Because they have Valen-tines!

And happily, there's still time to make up something tasty for those tines: Triple Chocolate Nanaimo Bars. Now, in case you're not familiar with Nanaimo bars, they're a fairly perfect food to begin with: a decadent three-part confection made up of a chocolate graham cracker crust, a (vanilla) custardy middle section, and chocolate topping.

Of course, like so many things, they're even better with more chocolate—and this version, with a rich dark chocolate center and a high quality bittersweet chocolate topping, might just make you fall in love, à la black widow spider, with the whole tray. Hey, nobody says you have to share.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Sweet Nothings: Conversation Heart Cream Pie for Serious Eats

I'm pretty sure that I can count on on hand the number of people who genuinely love the taste of Conversation Hearts. And that's when I think really hard.

Conversation Heart Cream Pie, however, is a different story.

Believe it or not, letting those sugary-chalky lumps steep in milk before making a cream pie custard filling actually does yield a surprisingly toothsome (if slightly tooth-decaying) pastry product. No, it's not fine dining—it's best described as vanilla cream pudding pie punctuated with melty, pastel sugar cubes—but it goes down much easier than you'd think, especially when crowned with a cloud of freshly whipped cream.

For the full entry, recipe, and more pictures, visit Serious Eats!

Whole Hog: Groundhog Day Cake for Serious Eats

My family has an unusual tradition: we celebrate Groundhog Day. In a completely non-ironic way. And to herald the occasion, there is always a cake-homage to the skittish little critter.

Why? Well, my dad is a surfer, and he carefully follows Punxsutawney Phil's yearly emergence. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is coming, and thus surf season will come sooner. And also because, well, cake is very delicious.

Of course, no matter whether you're in a rush for spring to come, it's a pretty sure thing that this Groundhog-themed cake will brighten your day—and the remaining crumbs will cast minimal shadows.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Stick It: Chocolate Covered Fig Newtons on a Stick for Serious Eats

Did you know that yesterday was National Fig Newton Day?

If you dropped the ball on this little-known holiday, don't despair. Here's an easy (and delicious) way to create a belated celebration: dress up your Newtons by putting them on a stick and coating them in chocolate. The chocolate works beautifully with the buttery cookie crust and mellow figgy filling flavor, taking the vaguely healthy snack cookie into full-fledged dessert territory.

Why on a stick? Well, it's a matter of both function—the sticks make it easier to dip the cookies—and form, because everyone knows that everything tastes better on a stick.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Seriously Sweet: Crumb Cake Shake for Serious Eats

It's a new year, and some of you might be trying to think of ways to eat healthier.

And on a completely unrelated note, I would like to introduce you to the Crumb Cake Shake.

The inspiration for this shake comes from a coffee cake shake known as the "Mother Futcher" fromTradewinds Cafe of Portland, Maine, famously consumed by Adam Richman on Man Vs. Food. As soon as I saw this frozen treat, I knew I had to make my own version.

Combining two of the world's most perfect foods—crumb cake and ice cream, mixed with a dash of cream for good measure—this shake is an absolute dream, especially when served with a crumb cake wedge as garnish.

For the full "scoop" visit Serious Eats!

The Long and Winding Nesselrode: Pecan Nesselrode Pie for Serious Eats

What makes a dessert "lost"?

Well, in the case of Nesselrode Pie, a chestnut cream pie, it could simply be that the ingredients are too hard to find.

But wait: this pie is worth seeking out. Like its namesake pudding, it is inspired by Count Karl Nesselrode, a Russian diplomat and noted gourmand of the 19th century. According to The Food Maven, this pie enjoyed a bit of a heyday in the 1950s as an indulgent after-dinner treat—there was even a product called Nesselro which made preparing the filling a snap.

However, as I found recently, it's just as delicious when substituted with much easier-to-obtain pecan puree and pieces used in the place of chestnut. While the pie itself is served chilled, don't worry about catching cold: this pie is so rich and decadent that it is bound to keep you warm during the dull days of January.

Read the full entry and find a recipe on Serious Eats!

Well Bread: Christmas Leftover GingerBread Pudding for Serious Eats

Christmas is over, over, over.

But what to do with all those holiday leftovers?

Resist the urge to do anything rash like start New Year's Resolutions early. Instead, make the best of the rest of the year by combining your leftover eggnog, gingerbread, and some butter and eggs to form a delicious GingerBread Pudding. It's easy as can be to make, and very forgiving with substitutions. Want to make it with cinnamon rolls or doughnuts instead of gingerbread? Go ahead, sweet stuff! As Tiny Tim might say, Merry post-Christmas, every one!

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Silly Goose: A Trompe L'oeil Cake Made to Look Like a Christmas Goose, For Serious Eats

We could go round in circles discussing which treat is the ultimate Christmas sweet—is it cookies? Bûche de Noël? Or perhaps fruitcake?

But instead of engaging in this wild goose chase, why not make a Christmas Goose Cake?

Paying homage to a classic Christmas dinner, this treat isn't meat—it's totally sweet! It's a trompe l'oeil designed to look like a Christmas goose, made from decadent cake crumbled with frosting and covered with rich marzipan. Extra points for serving it on an equally sweet bed of either candy salad or artfully arranged batch of cornflake wreath batter!

For the full recipe and entry, click on over to Serious Eats!