Hello Spring
Spring has sprung! The azaleas are blooming, the Astros are training, Mudbugs are being boiled and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is in town (giddy up). What else defines Springtime? Patch covered vests and Thin Mints. That’s right, Girl Scout Cookies® are here!
Where to Buy
Where can you get your hands on all eleven flavors? The door-to-door strategy has become less popular over the years, but you might have neighborhood scouts come and knock on your door. Parents often bring cookie sign-up sheets to their office. A few scouts and their parents usually set up a table outside the local grocery store on the weekends. Still no luck? The Girl Scouts have got you covered, click here to explore the options (including a ‘Girl Scout Cookie Finder app). Sofia (pictured above), from Troop 117103, was selling Girl Scout cookies on 19th Street in the Heights.
Eleven Flavors
This year, the Girl Scouts released a new flavor: Caramel Chocolate Chip. This gluten-free treat is a delicious, chewy concoction topped with a pinch of sea salt. Another gluten-free option are the Toffee-tastics, buttery cookies with sweet golden toffee bits. The Girl Scouts use two different bakeries, ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers, to churn out the 200 million+ cookies across the country. Both bakeries make all eleven flavors, but a Thin Mint from ABC Bakers will not taste the same as a Thin Mint from Little Brown Bakers. Along with the taste, the appearance is different. A handful of cookies even have two different names (Caramel deLites from ABC and Samoas from Little Brownie). Where you buy determines what you get. If it’s been a while since you’ve indulged for a good cause, visit the Girl Scouts’ website for all the available flavors.
How It Started
The Girl Scouts began selling cookies in 1917, baking them from scratch and selling them in a Muskogee, Oklahoma high school cafeteria. Until 1935, the cookies were a ‘do-it-yourself’ affair, That year, the Girl Scout Federation of New York bought a special die in the shape of a trefoil and started commercially producing the shortbread cookies (that are still a part of the cookie lineup today).
Support the Girl Scouts
All the money raised through cookie sales go back to the individual troops. The funds go to projects such as educational activities, outdoor adventures, Girl Scout camp and service projects for the community. These experiences can help transform young girl scouts into strong, independent women. The Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches scouts about teamwork, how to plan, goal-setting and finances. Go ahead- buy an extra box. If you’re not a ‘dessert person’, you can make a monetary donation or deliver the cookies to your local Police or Fire departments.
Featured image co Girl Scouts