Episode 171: Girl Scout Cookies Bakery Show Down
Girl Scout Cookies. Did you know that there are two separate bakeries that make these little snacks? And depending on where you live, you will either have Little Brownie Bakery or ABC Bakery. (Map below) So let’s see which one is better, shall we?Which Girl Scout Cookies are we trying today?* Caramel Delights* Samoas* Tag-a-longs* Peanut Butter PattiesWho is on this cookie quest?* Randi, please stop.* Nate, sorry dear.* Matt, now with more girl parts…?* Amy, SUBSCRIBE!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 CookiesGirl 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!Caramel Delights vs. Samoas* Amy - A better caramel pull on the Samoas.* Randi - Oh yeah, I don’t like coconut. * Matt - More caramelly on the Samoas. * Nate - The chocolate tastes better on the Samoas Samoas win, Little Brownie Bakery.Peanut Butter Patties vs. Tag-A-Longs* Amy - The Tag-A-Longs have a flavor leeching into it.* Randi - Peanut Butter Patties are dusty.* Matt - The Tag-A-Longs have a creamier peanut butter.* Nate - I’m leaning Tag-A-Long but it is only a slight lean.Tag-A-Longs win, Little Brownie Bakery.There you have it. Little Brownie Bakery gets 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.htmlThank 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.SHOW NOTES:https://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/about-girl-scout-cookies/cookie-history.htmlhttps://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/24/18195824/girl-scout-cookies-explained-thin-mints-buyhttps://www.mentalfloss.com/article/644123/girl-scout-cookies-facts This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questforthebestpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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