Girl Scout Cookies have been an icon of American culture for over 100 years. Want to find a box of your own? Go to this website, enter in your zip code and discover the nearest booth selling cookies. National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend is gearing up, so hopefully, you won't have to go far!

2000s: Early in the 21st century, every Girl Scout cookie had a mission. New cookie box designs, introduced in the fall of 2000, were bold and bright, capturing the spirit of Girl Scouting. There were eight varieties and all were kosher. And, much to the excitement of the youngest Girl Scouts, Daisies started selling cookies too!

1990s: Low-fat and sugar-free selections were available. Girl Scouts USA also introduced official age-appropriate awards for Girl Scout Brownies, Junior, Cadettes, and Seniors, including the Cookie Activity Pin, which was awarded for participating in cookie activities.

1980s: Cookie boxes depicted Girl Scouts in action.1984 brought a twist with some of the licensed bakers producing gift samplings of cookies in special decorative tins.

1970s: In 1978, the number of bakers was streamlined to four to ensure lower prices and uniform quality, packaging, and distribution. For the first time in history, all cookie boxes depicted scenes of Girl Scouts in action, including hiking and canoeing. In 1979, the brand-new, Saul Bass-created Girl Scout logo appeared on cookie boxes, which became more creative and began promoting the benefits of Girl Scouting.

1960s: During the time when Baby Boomers expanded Girl Scout membership, cookie sales increased significantly. Thousands upon thousands of Girl Scout cookies were produced annually. By 1966, a number of varieties were available. Among the best sellers were Chocolate Mint (now known as Thin Mints), Shortbread, and Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies.

1950s: With the advent of suburbs, Girl Scout Cookies began being sold by girls at tables in shopping malls. Five years later, flavors evolved. There were four basic types: a vanilla-based filled cookie, a chocolate-based filled one, shortbread, and a chocolate mint.

1940s: Girl Scout Cookies were sold by local councils around the country until World War II, when sugar, four, and butter shortages led Girl Scouts to begin selling calendars to raise money for activities. After the war, cookie sales resumed.

1930s: In 1933, Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia Council baked cookies and sold them in the city’s gas and electric company windows. Just 23 cents per box of 44 cookies, or six boxes for $1.24! Girls developed their marketing and business skills. A year later, Greater Philadelphia took cookie sales to the next level, becoming the first council to sell commercially baked cookies.

In 1935, the Girl Scout Federation of Greater New York raised money through the sale of commercial cookies. Buying its own die in the shape of a trefoil, the group used the words “Girl Scout Cookies” on the box. In 1936, the national Girl Scout organization began the process to license the first commercial baker to produce cookies that would be sold nationwide by girls in Girl Scout councils. Enthusiasm spread nationwide. By 1937, more than 125 Girl Scout councils reported holding cookie sales.

Early years: Girl Scout Cookies had their earliest beginnings in the kitchens and ovens of girl members, with moms volunteering as technical advisors. The sale of cookies as a way to finance troop activities began as early as 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouting in the United States, when the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria as a service project.

In July 1922, The American Girl magazine, published by Girl Scout national headquarters, featured an article by Florence E. Neil, a local director in Chicago, Illinois. Miss Neil provided 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. She suggested the troops sell the cookies for 25 or 30 cents per dozen.

Girl Scout cookie circa 1922

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Additional sugar for topping (optional)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired.

Bake in a quick oven (375 degrees) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six to seven dozen cookies.