Thin Mints? Do-si-dos? Tagalongs? Samoas? Pick your poison, because there’s no way you can ignore the deliciousness of Girl Scout Cookies.
These mouth watering cookies have been around since 1917 when the first cookies were baked in the kitchens of a troop in Oklahoma as a quick way to make money.
In the 1920’s the Girl Scouts magazine posted the original quick money recipe. It took about 38 cents to make and you could sell about a dozen for 20 to 30 cents.
Little Brownie Bakers, based in Louisville, is owned by Kellogg’s and produces many of the cookies that the Girl Scouts sell. The produced cookies are shipped all across the United States from their headquarters on National Turnpike.
The original recipe:
- 1 cup of butter, or substitute
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 2 cups of flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
Recipe Courtesy of the Girl Scouts.
Girl Scout cookies were made on a local scale until the 1950’s when they began selling three main cookies, Sandwich, Shortbread, and Chocolate Mint.
Later in the 50’s they moved to four basic cookies, Vanilla Cookies, Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Mint, and Shortbreads. Occasionally there would be another flavor offered.
This was also the time when girls began setting up tables in malls and storefronts which led to the mass amounts of girl scouts you can now find on every corner selling cookies
“My favorite cookies have been Trefoils ever since I joined the Girl Scouts 10 years ago. I actually enjoy selling cookies,” Maddie Bohler (11, YPAS) said.
Selling cookies are a way for the Girl Scouts to earn money while also learning valuable skills in the business realm. Maddie Neidens (HSU, 10) said that selling cookies was their troops biggest fundraiser.
