I doubt you need any pointers on the proper way to eat a Girl Scout cookie, so while you’re dipping that delicious cookie in a cup of hot coffee, or a tall glass of cold milk, dairy, almond, or otherwise, here are some interesting tidbits to digest while you digest those tidbits.
The Girl Scouts were founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912
The first reported cookie sale was by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in December 1917 at their local high school.
In July 1922, The American Girl magazine, published by Girl Scouts of the USA, featured an article by Florence E. Neil, a local director in Chicago, Illinois, including a cookie recipe that had been given to the council’s 2,000 Girl Scouts. She estimated the approximate cost of ingredients for six to seven dozen cookies to be 26 to 36 cents. The cookies, she suggested, could be sold by troops for 25 or 30 cents per dozen.
Throughout the decade, Girl Scouts in different parts of the country continued to bake their own simple sugar cookies with their mothers and with help from the community. 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 1934 the Greater Philadelphia Girl Scout Council became the first council to sell commercially baked cookies.
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 girls in Girl Scout councils.
Due to wartime shortages, the Girl Scouts switched from cookies to calendars during World War II. By 1946, the key ingredients of sugar, flour, and butter were no longer being rationed, and cookie sales resumed, bigger than ever.
Throughout the forties and fifties some 29 bakeries were licensed to make Girl Scout Cookies. By the eighties there were four, and today all Girl Scout cookies are prepared by one of two bakeries; ABC Bakers in Virginia or Little Brownie Bakers in Kentucky.
From 1978 to 1990, Girl Scout Elizabeth Brinton sold 100,000 boxes of cookies and claimed the unofficial title of Cookie Queen. She even managed to sell cookies to President Ronald Reagan, Vice President George H.W. Bush, and Supreme Court Justices; Sandra Day O’Connor, Harry A. Blackmun, and William H. Rehnquist, after she penned a letter to her congressman, Frank Wolf, to ask for his help in 1985.
The new millennium saw new cookie box designs as well as Kosher cookies and the introduction of the Girl Scouts ultimate cookie sales weapon, Daisies.
2014 saw the launch of the Digital Cookie® platform. “A fun, safe, and interactive space for girls to sell cookies.”
The Girl Scouts sell over 200 million boxes of cookies a year. These are the best-sellers.
- Thin Mints.
- Samoas (Caramel deLites).
- Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties).
- Do-si-dos (Peanut Butter Sandwich).
- Lemon-Ups (Lemonades).
Raspberry Rally®
Thin, crispy cookies infused with raspberry flavor, dipped in chocolaty coating
NATURALLY FLAVORED WITH OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS
Adventurefuls™
Indulgent brownie-inspired cookies topped with caramel flavored crème with a hint of sea salt
ABC BAKER DETAILS
NATURALLY FLAVORED WITH OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS
Caramel Chocolate Chip
Gluten free! Chewy cookies with rich caramel, semisweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt
NATURALLY FLAVORED WITH OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS
Caramel deLites® | Samoas®
Crisp cookies with caramel, coconut, and chocolaty stripes
Do-si-dos® | Peanut Butter Sandwich
Crunchy oatmeal sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling
Lemonades®
Savory, refreshing shortbread cookies topped with a tangy lemon-flavored icing
NATURALLY FLAVORED WITH OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS
Lemon-Ups®
Crispy lemon cookies baked with inspiring messages
NATURALLY FLAVORED WITH OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS
Peanut Butter Patties® | Tagalongs®
Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating
Thin Mints®
Crisp, chocolate cookies dipped in a delicious mint chocolaty coating
Toast-Yay!™
Yummy toast-shaped cookies full of French toast flavor and dipped in delicious icing
Trefoils®
Iconic shortbread cookies inspired by the original Girl Scout cookie recipe
There are over 50 Discontinued cookie varieties
All Abouts: The LBB version of Thanks-A-Lot. Shortbread cookie dipped in chocolate with a message proclaiming values that Girl Scouts are “all about”, such as Respect, Friendship, etc. Sold from 2001 to 2008.
Aloha Chips: Included white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
Animal Treasures: Replaced by Thanks-A-Lot.
Apple Cinnamons: Apple shaped sugar cookies with cinnamon sugar. Sold from 1997 to 2001.
Cabana Cremes (LBB): Vanilla Creme and Lemon Creme in a Vanilla Sandwich. 1989
Cafe Cookies: Shortbread with a cinnamon topping. Sold from 2005 to 2007.
Cartwheels: Reduced fat oatmeal and cinnamon.
Chalet Creme: Shortbread cookie with embossed chalet picture with lemon or vanilla filling. Sold from 1990 to 1995.
Chocolate Chip Shortbread (ABC): Chocolate chips nestled in a bite-size, gluten free shortbread cookie.
Chocolate Chunks (LBB): Old Style Chocolate chip recipe. Sold from 1979 to 1981.
Cinna-Spins (LBB): Cinnamon-flavored cookies shaped like miniature cinnamon rolls that came in 100-calorie packs. Replaced by Daisy Go Rounds.
Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Bar:
Cranberry Citrus Crisps (ABC): Whole grain cookie with cranberry bits and citrus flavoring.
Coconut Creams-1981-1983 Sandwich Cookie filled with coconut cream. Box had 2 Rows 1 vanilla , 1 with Chocolate sold in the purple box theme. Sold in Broken Arrow (Suburb of Tulsa,Oklahoma) by Girl Scout of the former Magic Empire Council by Little Brownie Bakers
Country Hearth Chocolate Chip (LBB): Low Fat Chocolate Chip cookie made with Oatmeal. Sold from 1988 to 1990.
Daisy Go Rounds (ABC): Cinnamon-flavored cookies shaped like daisies; replaced Cinna-spins for the 2009 sale; replaced with Shout Outs! in 2011.
Double Dutch: Chocolate cookies with chocolate chips. Sold from 2004 to 2005.
Dulce Daisies: Milk chocolate with liquid caramel center.
Dulce de Leche (LBB): Cookies with milk caramel chips and caramel stripe drizzle on top. Sold from 2008 to 2009.
Dulce de Leche: Cookies with milk caramel chips (No caramel drizzle). Sold from 2009 to 2014.
Echo (LBB): Dark chocolate cookies with vanilla filling. Sold from 1987 to 1989.
Five World Cinnamon: Savory cinnamon sugar cookies featuring Girl Scouting’s Five Worlds of Interest. Sold from 1996 to 2001.
Forget-Me-Nots (LBB): Granola cookie. Sold from 1979 to 1981.
Friendship Circles: “friend” embossed on vanilla cookie sandwich with chocolate filling, in 18 languages
Girl Scout S’mores (ABC): Graham cracker double dipped in creme icing and finished with a chocolatey coating; replaced by Adventurefuls in 2022.
Golden Nut Clusters (LBB): Caramel Pecan Cookies with a Maple flavored coating. Sold from 1991 to 1993.
Golden Yangles: Triangular cheddar crackers; sold in the 1980s.
Granola (LBB): Rolled Oat cookies. Sold from 1977 to 1978.
Hoedowns (Burry): Burry-LU’s version of peanut butter patties/Tagalongs.
Iced Berry Pinatas: Sugar cookies with a berry jam center and icing.
Iced Ginger Daisies: Reduced fat cookie
Juliettes/Golden Nut Clusters: Milk chocolate, caramel, and pecans. Sold from 1993 to 1996.
Kookaburras: Layers of crispy rice wafers and caramel coated in milk chocolate.
Le Chips: Chocolate chip cookies with hazelnut. Sold from 1996 to 1997 by LBB. [61] Replaced by Aloha Chips in 2000.
Lemon Chalet Cremes: Rectangular cinnamon sandwich cookies with lemon creme filling. Sold from 2007 to 2011; changed to round cookies in 2009; replaced by Savannah Smiles in 2012.
Lemon Coolers: Vanilla wafers with lemon zest, dusted with powdered sugar; similar to Savannah Smiles. Sold from 2003 to 2006.
Lemon Drops: Sugar cookie with lemon-flavored chips. Sold from 1998 to 1999.
Lemon Pastry Cremes: Light pastry cookie sandwich with lemon creme filling.
Little Brownies (LBB): Sugar-free square chocolate cookie. Sold from 2008 to 2009.
Mango Cremes with NutriFusion: Vanilla and coconut cookies filled with a tangy mango-flavored creme with nutrients derived from fruits; replaced by Cranberry Citrus Crisps in 2013.
Medallions: Introduced for 1983-1984 and celebrating 50 years of Girl Scout Cookies, 2 flavors: shortbread with cocoa coating on the bottom “Colonial Shortbread Supremes”, pecan shortbread with brown sugar coating (“Southern Pecan Praline”)
Olé Olés: Powdered sugar cookies with pecans and coconut; sold from 2001 to 2003.
Oxfords: Chocolate cookies with vanilla cream filling.
Pecan Shortees (LBB): shortbread cookies with pecans. Sold from 1985 to 1987.
Pinatas: Oatmeal cookie with fruit filling and topped with cinnamon and sugar glaze; introduced in 2004.
Praline Royale: Soft vanilla cookie with a praline filling and striped with chocolate; introduced by ABC for the 1992–93 season.
Rah-Rah Raisins (LBB): Oatmeal cookies with raisins and Greek yogurt-flavored chunks. Sold from 2014 to 2016.
Reduced Fat Chalet Creme (LBB): 30% less fat Lemon Creme and Vanilla Creme Sandwich cookies. Sold from 1995 to 1997.
Savannahs: A peanut butter sandwich cookie (not to be confused with “Savannah Smiles”, a lemon-flavored, powdered sugar coated replacement for “Lemon Chalets” brought out in 2012).
Savannah Smiles: Lemony wedges coated with powdered sugar. Sold from 2011 to 2019. Replaced by Lemon-Ups in 2020.
Scot-Teas (Burry): Shortbread cookies with sprinkled sugar.
Shout Outs!: Belgian-style caramelized cookie.
Snaps: Iced oatmeal raisin. Sold from 1993 to 1997.
Strawberries & Creme: Sandwich cookie from ABC with a vanilla creme and a strawberry jam; available in mid-1990s.
Striped Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chip cookies with fudge stripes.
Striped Chocolate Chip & Pecan (LBB): Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookie made with Oatmeal and a chocolate bottom coating. Sold from 1997 to 1999.
Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips: Small sugar- free cookies. Sold from 2009 to 2011.
Sugar-Free Chalet Cremes: Lemon pastry cream sweetened with aspartame. Sold from 1997 to 1998.
Sugar-Free Little Brownies: Brownie-shaped cookies with sugar-free chocolate chips.
Thanks-A-Lot (ABC): Shortbread cookies dipped in fudge with a thank you message in different languages, replaced by Toast-Yay in 2021.
Thank You Berry Munch (LBB): Cookies with cranberries, rice crispies, and white fudge chips. Sold from 2009 to 2014.
Trail Mix (LBB): Trail mix in a cookie. Sold from 1990 to 1991.
Trios: Gluten-free peanut butter oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips. Replaced by Caramel Chocolate Chips.
Upside Down Frosted Oatmeal (Upside Downs): Oatmeal cookies with frosting on the bottom.
Van’chos: Vanilla and chocolate cremes. These cookies came in an assorted box and were sold from 1974 to 1983.