There is just something special about Girl Scout cookies. Maybe it’s the fact that they are only available once a year. Or maybe it’s the fact that they are sold to support a great organization. Or maybe it’s just the fact that they are just so darn good. Whatever the reason, Americans love to buy Girl Scout cookies.
So where did this long standing tradition of selling cookies come from? The original Girl Scout cookie was actually both made and sold by the Girl Scouts and their mothers. It all began back around 1917 when the first Girl Scout troop made and sold sugar cookies as a project. The idea quickly caught on and by 1922, the National Council was encouraging all Girl Scout troops to make and sell their own cookies as a way to fund their local group.
By 1934, a Girl Scout council in Philadelphia hired a commercial baker to produce their cookies for them. By 1936, the National Council had signed an official commercial baker for all Girl Scout cookies.
The Girl Scouts stopped selling their famous cookies during World War II, but resumed their sales shortly after the war ended.
Today, there are eight different flavors of Girl Scout cookies available. Each comes in its own distinctive box that features a group of Girl Scouts participating in a constructive but fun activity.
Historically, Girl Scouts have sold their cookies both door to door and outside stores. In recent years, due to safety issues, more Girl Scouts are selling their cookies either through their parents at their parent’s place of work or, as always, outside stores. If you seem to have missed placing your order with the local Girl Scout troop, modern technology has made it possible to purchase a few boxes online at eBay.com.
The date of Girl Scout cookie sales varies depending on where you live. The girls will normally take pre-orders a month before the cookies arrive.
If you really love those Girl Scout cookies and would like to have them available year round, your only option is to buy as many as you can when you find them and then put them in the freezer. They freeze very well. And just in case you were wondering, Girl Scout cookies are Kosher.
So the next time you see a table stacked with boxes of Girl Scout cookies, take your wallet out and buy a few boxes of your favorite kind. Because you just don’t know… That may be the last time you see those bright boxes for an entire year.