Have you heard the news? The Girl Scouts have begun their cookie sales!

As a previous Girl Scout myself, I can remember standing outside the Shaw's in Walpole trying to sell cookies with sweet smiles and nervous sales pitches. While there's much debate as to the best Girl Scout cookie, for me, samoas have always reigned supreme. I got to wondering about what it would entail to make those coconut cookies from scratch, and sure enough there are copycat recipes for all the Girl Scout cookies, including their more recent additions like the brownie and caramel Adventurefuls. If you find yourself more inclined to bake your own Girl Scout cookies due to dietary reasons or just the pure joy of baking, you can still support Girl Scout troops of the Green and White mountains through donating online at girlscoutsgwm.org/donate or by donating directly to a local troop. Samoa Cookie Ingredients: Recipe adapted from justataste.com. 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature ½ cup sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed butter, scraping the sides as needed. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Once combined, remove dough from mixer and separate into halves. Press into disks and wrap in plastic wrap to refrigerate for one hour. After refrigerating, roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/8" thick. Cut out cookies using a cookie cutter and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes until golden and cool on a wire rack. Coconut Topping Ingredients: 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut 15 oz store bought caramel 3 tablespoons milk 8 oz dark chocolate Instructions: Spread shredded coconut onto a lined baking sheet. Bake the coconut at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Remove from oven and cool. Melt caramels and milk in a double boiler over medium-low heat, stirring until fully melted. Remove from heat and combine ½ of the caramel with the toasted coconut in a large bowl. Stir until combined. With the remaining caramel, spread a thin layer on the cookies. Move quickly so the caramel doesn't harden. Use your hands to press the coconut mixture onto the caramel, then let the cookies cool. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave or with a double boiler and dip the bottom of the cookies into the chocolate. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Use a piping bag (or a Ziploc with the corner cut off or even a spoon) drizzle the remaining chocolate over the tops of the cookies. Let the cookies sit until the chocolate has hardened. Local Girl Scout Troop Cookie Selling Locations: Saturday, February 17: Park Avenue Deli—30 Park Ave, Keene 10am-2pm LaValley Building Supply—Route 9, West Chesterfield 10am-2pm Tractor Supply Company—670 Brattleboro Rd, Hinsdale 10am-2pm Belletetes—51 Peterborough St, Jaffrey 10am-2pm Market Basket—497 US 202, Rindge 9am-3pm Charlestown House of Pizza—203 Main St, Charlestown 11am-2pm Sunday, February 18: Hidden Treasures Flea Market—876 W Swanzey Rd Rt-10, Swanzey 10am – 2pm The Fieldhouse—2 S Winchester St, Swanzey 8am-12pm Walmart—724 Brattleboro Rd, Hinsdale 10am-2pm Dunkin Donuts—80 Peterborough St, Jaffrey 9am-1pm Shaw's—135 Dublin Rd, Peterborough 10am-2pm Tractor Supply Company—21 Commercial Lane Unit 1, Rindge 10am-2pm