When spring comes along, many people think of rainy days, blooming flowers, the sudden burst of green on the ground, and finally getting to feel the sun on your skin. For us Midwesterners, that first 50 degree day is heavenly. Well, the first 35 degree day can be heavenly too. Just sayin.
But sunshine and fresh air is not the only thing we look forward to after a harsh winter. Springtime means your favorite cookies are back in rotation. Yes, I am talking about Girl Scout Cookies.
Which Girl Scout Cookies are we trying today?
Adventurefuls
Do-Si-Dos
Lemonups
Samoas
Girl Scout Smores
Tag-a-longs
Thin Mints
Trefoils
Toffee-tastic
Who is on this cookie quest?
Kris, who needs to see a doctor.
Nate, a hungry hungry hippo.
Matt, needlessly crunchy.
Amy, blessed with amazing baking skills.
And of course, our subscribers! Thanks to our small, yet coveted group. We appreciate the support. You too can join us on this food journey. All you need to do is… SUBSCRIBE!
The History of Girl Scout Cookies
Girl Scouts is an organization for girls 5-18. The organization combines “Life skills, STEM, the outdoors, and entrepreneurship with civic engagement to deliver crucial, life-changing, girl-led programming.” The program has 1.7 million members.
Girl Scout Cookies all began in the 1910s. Girl Scout Cookies were originally home baked by members with moms volunteering as technical advisers. In 1917, the sale of cookies to finance troop activities began. The Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria as a service project.
Throughout the 1920s, Girl Scouts in different parts of the country baked their own simple sugar cookies. These cookies were packaged in wax paper bags, sealed with a sticker, and sold door-to-door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen.
In 1933, Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia Council baked cookies and sold them in the city’s gas and electric company windows at 23 cents per box of 44 cookies, or six boxes for $1.24. This helped the girls develop their marketing and business skills and raise funds. In 1934, Greater Philadelphia became the first council to sell commercially baked cookies.
In 1935, the Greater New York federation raised money through the sale of commercially baked cookies and the group bought its own die in the shape of a trefoil and used the words “Girl Scout Cookies” on the box. In 1936, the national Girl Scout organization began the process of licensing the first commercial bakers to produce cookies that would be sold nationwide by the scouts. By 1948, 29 bakers were licensed to bake Girl Scout Cookies.
In 1951, Girl Scout Cookies came in three varieties: Sandwich, Shortbread, and Chocolate Mints. By 1956, there were four basic types of cookies: a vanilla based filled cookie, a chocolate based filled cookie, a shortbread cookie, and the chocolate mints. By 1966, Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies were added to the mix.
In 1978, the number of bakers was reduced to four to ensure lower prices and uniform quality, packaging, and distribution. And in the early 90s, only two bakers were licensed to supply cookies.
Today, Girl Scout Cookies are produced by two bakeries: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. So depending on where your cookies come from, you might get different names on the boxes (Like the Samoas might be called Caramel deLights. There might also be a slight variation to the recipe. For example, the ABC Bakers Thin Mint is crunchier with more mint than chocolate, and the Little Brownie Bakers Thin Mint has a richer smoother chocolate coating with a distinct peppermint taste. Our area sells the Little Brownie Bakers cookies. But if you are lucky enough to be in the location of ABC Bakers, you have access to a cookie flavor that was released in 2021, the Toast Yay!
The cookie season is usually January through April. And during prime cookie season, the girl scouts do about $800 million in total cookie sales. All of the net revenue from cookie sales stays within a Girl Scout council’s local area. The top selling cookie is the Thin Mints. The second best selling is the Samoas.
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
9th Place: Girl Scout Smores
Amy - 1
Kris - 2
Matt - 3
Nate - 1
8th Place: Toffee-tastic
Amy - 2
Kris - 2
Matt - 5
Nate - 2
7th Place: Do-Si-Dos
Amy - 5
Kris - 4
Matt - 5
Nate - 2
6th Place: Adventurefuls
Amy - 4
Kris - 5
Matt - 5
Nate - 3
5th Place: Samoas
Amy - 3
Kris - 7
Matt - 6
Nate - 8
4th Place: Trefoils
Amy - 7
Kris - 6
Matt - 6
Nate - 8
3rd Place: Lemon Ups
Amy - 9
Kris - 7
Matt - 7
Nate - 9
2nd Place: Thin Mints
Amy - 8
Kris - 8
Matt - 8
Nate - 10
1st Place: Tag-a-longs
Amy - 8
Kris - 9
Matt - 8
Nate - 10
There you have it. Tag-A-Longs receive the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Check out the Girl Scout website for more information on the cookie season.
https://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/how-to-buy-cookies.html
Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried all these cookies? We would love to hear your rating as well.
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
And of course, remember to subscribe to hear the latest episodes. Additionally, paid subscribers will have access to monthly content where we put two restaurants head to head in a Quest for the Best battle. You definitely do not want to miss out.
SHOW NOTES:
https://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/about-girl-scout-cookies/cookie-history.html
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/24/18195824/girl-scout-cookies-explained-thin-mints-buy
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/644123/girl-scout-cookies-facts
Girl Scout Cookies. Nom nom nom.