Ways to Get Rid of Your Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scout cookie season is upon us. If you are like most people, you have bought a few boxes from every cute Brownie or Junior Girl Scout that knocked on your door or brought an order form to your office. Maybe you didn't it get anyone ringing your doorbell. That's okay, because they're everywhere--lurking in front of every grocery store around your neighborhood. They are selling Girl Scout cookies and they want you to buy a box or two.

If you are like most people, you have an overabundance of Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Do-si-Dos or Samoas. The average person buys approximately eight boxes of Girl Scout cookies every year. That's more cookies than you could possibly eat without getting sick. So how you get rid of all these cookies without eating them all? Easy. Here are three ways that you can get rid of your Girl Scout cookies today.

Freeze Them:

Did you know that Girl Scout cookies actually freeze very well? I bet if you asked around, you would probably find many people that still have last year's cookies still in the freezer. You can put any type of Girl Scout cookie in your freezer for an indefinite amount of time. So, you can figure it this way: if you buy a case of Girl Scout cookies this year and pace yourself, that gives you one box of delicious Girl Scout Cookies for each month of the year. All you have to do to freeze Girl Scouts cookies is throw a whole box in the freezer. When you take them out, they are ready to eat. In fact, many people will tell you that Girl Scout cookies actually taste best frozen. Have you ever had a Thin Mint, straight of the freezer? It's pure Girl Scout cookie delight.

Cook Them:

That's right, you don't have to eat Girl Scout cookies straight from the box. You can get creative by adding Girl Scout cookies to many recipes. For example, how about crushing frozen Thin Mints and adding them to the top of the vanilla ice cream? According to the little Brownie Baker website, one of the companies that makes Girl Scout cookies you can make many recipes using leftover Girl Scout cookies. You can make everything from cheesecake cups using Trefoils or sugar-free Little Brownies to Southern peanut butter pie using the delicious peanut butter and chocolate Tagalong cookies. Or how about a Girl Scout classic? You can make s'mores by using Trefoils sandwiched with a roasted marshmallow and square of chocolate.

Here's another great recipe for using up your extra Girl Scout cookies:

one box of instant vanilla planning

Tagalong cookies

Cool Whip

Make the instant pudding according to package directions. Crush tagalong cookies. In a tall desert cup or glass, layer the vanilla planning, crushed Tagalongs and Cool Whip. Chill until ready to serve, makes four servings.

Donate them:

Perhaps you have ordered a lot of boxes of Girl Scout cookies, and you just started your new diet. Or perhaps you have ordered more cookies than you could possibly eat. How about donating your Girl Scout cookies? Many Girl Scout troops are now taking part in a program called Troop to Troop, where they send donated boxes of Girl Scout cookies to military personnel. This is a great way to support your local Girl Scouts and give back to our military. If you are interested in this program, check with your local Girl Scout Council for more information.

You can also consider donating your extra Girl Scout cookies to local organizations around your neighborhood. How about taking a case of cookies to your local fire or police department to thank them for their hard work? A food pantry would be more than happy to take your unopened boxes of Girl Scout cookies, as would a homeless shelter. Many nonprofit organizations that have the need to raise money can take your Girl Scout cookies and raffle them at fundraisers. In addition, you can consider donating your Girl Scout cookies to retirement homes and nursing homes or even local children's hospitals. The sugar-free Little Brownie Girl Scout cookies are great option for donating cookies to diabetics and others with medical conditions.

No matter what you decide to do with your Girl Scout cookies, you can feel good in knowing that your purchase has benefited a good cause. For every box of Girl Scout cookies, sold a troop earns a percentage of that money. This helps the troop pay for activities, uniforms, service projects, patches and field trips. Girl Scout cookies are only sold six weeks out of the year, so if you have not gotten your Girl Scout cookies, you should go out and purchase a box today.