It’s that time of year for Girl Scout Cookies! Have you ever wondered about their history and how they became a national favorite? Well, kick back and relax with your favorite box of Girl Scout Cookies and read on.
1917 The First Girl Scout Cookie Sale
It all began over 100 years ago in 1917, just 5 years after the founding of the Girl Scouts organization, in the home kitchens of the Mistletoe Troop members in Muskogee, Oklahoma. It was there that cookies were baked and then sold at the high school cafeteria as a service project to finance troop activities.
Little did the Mistletoe Troop members know that their home-baked cookie sales would grow to become, according to the Girl Scouts website, the “largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world,” as home-baked cookie sales evolved into a national brand and commercial event.
1920s The Girl Scout Cookie Original Recipe
In July 1922, the Girl Scouts of the USA publication The American Girl magazine featured an article by Florence E. Neil, a local director in Chicago, Illinois. The article included a basic cookie recipe given to the council’s 2,000 Girl Scouts, made with the simple ingredients of butter, sugar, milk, egg, vanilla, flour, and baking powder.
For the next few years, Girl Scouts around the country continued to bake their own sugar cookies. Packaged in wax paper bags and sealed with a sticker, they were sold door-to-door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen.
1930s Girl Scout Cookies Go Commercial
In 1934 the Girl Scouts of the Greater Philadelphia Council began to sell commercially baked cookies – a first – as the organization began to develop mass marketing and business skills for fundraisers.
In 1935, the Girl Scout Federation of Greater New York bought its own die in the shape of a trefoil and coined the now well-known label ‘Girl Scout Cookies’ for the box. The next year the national Girl Scout Association began the process of licensing the first commerical bakers to produce cookies, and by 1937 there were more than 125 Girl Scout councils nationwide holding cookie sales.
1940s Girl Scouts Experience Ingredient Shortages
Then came World War II, when sugar, flour, and butter shortages made Girl Scouts turn to selling calendars in 1944 to raise money. However, soon after the war, cookie sales began to increase and by 1948 a total of 29 bakers were licensed to bake Girl Scout Cookies.
1950s Girl Scouts Establish Four Main Cookie Varieties
In 1956 the Girl Scouts were selling four basic types of cookies: both vanilla and chocolate-based filled cookies, shortbread, and a chocolate mint, with some bakers offering another optional flavor. Girl Scouts also began selling cookies at tables in shopping malls, thanks to the rise of the suburbs in postwar America.
1960s Baby Boomers Increase Girl Scout Cookies Sales
The 1960s saw a significant boom in cookie sales. Now, fourteen licensed bakers were mixing batter for national sales, and in order to preserve their freshness and protect the cookies, they began wrapping cookie boxes in printed aluminum foil or cellophane.
By 1966, more varieties were available, with favorites including Chocolate Mint, Shortbread, and Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies.
1970s Girl Scouts Go Uniform
In 1978, in order to ensure lower prices and uniform quality with packaging and distribution, the number of bakers were streamlined to four. In 1979 the brand new Girl Scout logo, created by Saul Bass, appeared on cookie boxes.
1980s Girl Scouts Maintain Variety
By 1982 four bakers produced a maximum of seven varieties including the mandatory three of Thin Mint, Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do-si-dos, and Shortbread/Trefoils with four optional flavors. Cookie boxes featured the design of Girl Scouts in action.
1990s Girl Scouts Offer Low-Fat and Sugar-Free Selections
In the 1990s the Girl Scouts created the Cookie Activity pin, awarded for cookie sales participation, and introduced low-fat and sugar-free options with a total of eight cookie varieties.
2000s Girl Scout Cookie Boxes Offer Bold New Design
Cookie box designs were constantly evolving, and in the fall of 2000 a bold and bright design was introduced. In addition, cookies were now kosher.
2010s Girl Scout Cookies Celebrates 100 Years and Goes Digital
The 2010s saw the introduction of the first gluten-free Girl Scout Cookie and the launch of digital sales. The S’mores cookie was introduced, quickly becoming the most popular new cookie to launch. And to begin the 100th anniversary celebration, the Girl Scouts took to the Academy Awards to sell cookies to Hollywood’s A-list.
2020s Girl Scout Cookies Introduce Exploremores
2025 saw the Girl Scouts remove S’mores and Toast-Yay! from the cookie lineup and in September 2025 the Exploremores cookie was introduced; a rocky road ice cream inspired sandwich cookie filled with chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted almond flavored crème.
And there you have it, a brief overview of the 109 year history of the Girl Scout Cookie. Now where is my box of Girl Scout cookies …
Source: https://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/cookie-history.html
The original recipe of the first Girl Scout cookie www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a41635/original-girl-scout-cookie-recipe-1922/
Featured photo: First Lady Grace Goodhue Coolidge sampling a Girl Scout Cookie, Oct. 17, 1923. Library of Congress
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