Alyson Hannigan on Hosting Food Network’s ‘Girl Scout Cookie Championship’

Alyson Hannigan
Q&A
Food Network

There is possibly no pair of words in the English language more beautiful than Thin Mints — just one of the iconic sweets spotlighted in the new competition, Girl Scout Cookie Championship, hosted by Alyson Hannigan.

“I was so excited to be a part of this because I’ve eaten my way through a large amount of Girl Scout Cookies,” says the How I Met Your Mother alumna, herself a former troop member.

Over four weeks, five Championship bakers must take a wow-worthy dessert — Girl Scout Cookies — and use it as the prime ingredient in another wow-worthy dessert. A bit puzzling? You bet. Here’s what else got us thinking.

What sort of creations can we expect?

Alyson Hannigan: With up to a dozen varieties at their disposal, from Lemon-Ups to the shortbread bites known as Trefoils, these cooks have quite a foundation: S’mores become a giant toasted marshmallow cake, for example, and our beloved Thin Mints are part of a three-tier blueberry mint glacier cake.

(Credit: Food Network)

How crazy do the recipes get?

“Well, [someone] lit a cake on fire!” Hannigan reveals.

Who gets to judge/sample these treats?

Pastry chef and chocolatier Nacho Aguirre and cookbook author Katie Lee are joined by a rotation of guest judges, including Carla Hall. Both women are, of course, ex-Scouts.

The winner scores a $10,000 outdoor adventure for two, plus 12 months’ worth of Girl Scout Cookies. How much is that, exactly?

More than Mom would allow but less than a Cookie Monster binge. “They say it’s a year supply for one person,” Hannigan explains. “So I’m averaging that they eat what, two boxes a month?” Speak for yourself!

Girl Scout Cookie Championship, Series Premiere, Monday, February 3, 8/7c, Food Network