A sweet honor for an even sweeter girl from Middletown is earning her celebrity status.
Eight-year-old Brenna McCormick, who is a Girl Scout, is the new face of the Girl Scout Thanks-A-Lot cookie, which are shortbread cookies with fudge. Brenna’s photographs appear on the cookie packaging.
Brenna was recognized during a news conference on Jan. 7 at Salt Creek Grille in Rumson that celebrated the start of the 2020 Girl Scout cookie season.
At this time, girls across the country learn entrepreneurship skills by selling the sweet treats to friends, family, neighbors and new friends.
Eileen Higgins, CEO of Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, said $1.7 million girls nationwide will “begin their entrepreneurial experience today selling cookies.” Of that number, Higgins said 72,000 young girls will begin their entrepreneurial experience in New Jersey.
In 2019, Higgins said, Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore sold more than 1 million boxes of cookies.
That day, Higgins revealed a new cookie flavor that will be added to this year’s lineup of sweet treats. The Lemon-Up cookies are crispy lemon cookies baked with motivational messages across the face of each treat.
According to girlscouts.org, each box of Lemon-Up cookies helps a girl learn money management. The baked-on messages are inspired by Girl Scout Cookie entrepreneurs.
Addressing Brenna, Higgins said, “When Girl Scouts refreshes their packaging, they try to reflect the values of Girl Scouts and those are built around science, technology, design, etc. Brenna was selected for a photo shoot (Girl Scouts of the USA).”
Laura McCormick, Brenna’s mother, said her daughter was at Lake Rickabear, a Girl Scout Camp in Morris County, when she participated in a photo shoot for new cookie packaging.
Brenna has been a Girl Scout for four years. The youngster said the experience has taught her “to be kind and true.” Brenna said she is “really excited” to be featured on a cookie box.
“I’m very proud of her,” McCormick said. “She loves being a Girl Scout and it’s taken her to a lot of opportunities.”
On Feb. 6, “TopCookie: A Girl Scout Cookie Competition” will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Asbury Lanes, 209 4th Ave., Asbury Park. The fundraising event will feature desserts created by local chefs using Girl Scout cookies in their recipes.
The chefs are from McLoone’s restaurants; Nicholas Creamery, Atlantic Highlands and Fair Haven; Ocean County Center for Culinary Arts Training, Cuisine on the Green at Atlantis, Little Egg Harbor; Ohana Grille, Lavallette; and Talula’s, Asbury Park.
On Jan. 7, chefs from each restaurant chose the Girl Scout cookie they would use in their recipes. The chefs were instructed to reach into a bag and randomly select the cookie flavor they would use in their dessert recipes.
That day, Nicholas Creamery chose the Trefoils; Ohana Grille, Samoas; McLoone’s, Tagalongs; Cusine on the Green, Thin Mints; and Talula’s, Do-si-dos.
The judges of the competition are Chef David Burke of DRIFTHOUSE by David Burke, Sea Bright; Patty Caneda, owner of Caneda’s White Rooster in Toms River; Jeremy Grunin of the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation; Tom Hayes, director of Consumer and Community Relations at New Jersey Natural Gas; and Carol Stillwell, chief executive officer of Stillwell-Hansen, Inc.
Tickets are $75. For more information, visit gsfun.org/topcookie.