As the month of February approaches, people prepare for important days like Valentine’s Day and Groundhog Day. More importantly, they look forward to buying Girl Scout Cookies.
“Normally cookie selling starts on the 1st or 2nd weekend of February and it goes through until April. If you are in a troop, they can contact stores and ask if they would be able to set up a booth outside their store for a certain amount of time,” sophomore Casey Pratt said. “Mainly younger kids do that but you can really sell at any time between February and April.”
The Girl Scout’s yearly tradition of selling cookies to raise money for their troop activities started in 1917 and have grown to be expected each spring.
“I am very excited to buy Girl Scout cookies! My family has been buying Girl Scout cookies since I was around 5 and it has been a staple in my life,” sophomore Reagan Wilk said. “This makes me look forward to their comforting flavor each year.”
The most popular cookie is the Thin Mint and according to sales statistics, over 50 million boxes of them are sold annually.
“My favorite flavor of cookies are the Thin Mints because they are classic and they always taste good,” freshman Audrey Strebel said.
Although Thin Mints are the best selling cookies, not everyone is ‘mint’ to buy them. Other favorites are the Samoas (aka Caramel deLites), Tagalongs (aka Peanut Butter Patties), and Trefoils (aka Shortbreads).
“[My least favorite flavor is] Thin Mints because they are very minty. I personally don’t like mint. My favorite flavor of Girl Scout cookies is the Trefoils,” Wilk said. “I love Trefoils because they have a classic shortbread flavor which reminds me of one of my favorite types of cookies. They are also a simple flavor that doesn’t taste too strong like some other flavors.”
Even though you can get cheaper cookies at a grocery store, it’s not the same as supporting or donating to the organization. According to the Girl Scout website the number one reason that people buy cookies is because they want to support the program.
“[I buy for] support and flavor; the cookies taste great,” senior David Arredondo said. “It’s good to give for the cause!”
No matter which cookie they choose, some have a unique style to eating them while otheres pair it with milk or coffee.
“I like to dip Caramel deLites into my coffee because the coffee complements the chocolate,” freshman Dominick Schlanger said.
When it comes to cookies, people can be very protective of them, but still some people choose to share Girl Scout cookies with their friends and family.
“I share Girl Scout cookies with my family,” Wilk said. “We all love them and buy a couple boxes to share.”
Most people don’t wait to save the cookies when they get them because they believe that they are too good to be saved.
“Often, I eat them right away,” Arredondo said. “They taste really good; any flavor I get never fails to disappoint.”
Almost every year, the Girl Scout organization comes out with new exciting flavors. They do it to get their customers more excited about buying cookies.
“The newest flavor is rocky road inspired called the Exploremore. So far, I’ve heard mixed reviews about it. Some people like it and others don’t,” freshman Abigail Gamez said. “One person said that it tastes just like a regular chocolate cookie while another said that it tastes really good and that they could eat the whole box in one sitting.”
With new flavors always baking, students come up with their own ideas of exciting cookie types.
“I would make a mango cookie with coconut frosting and I would name it Mucho Mang,” Strebal said.
For girls in Scouts, the amount of cookies they sell typically ranges from year to year.
“Normally per season my cookie sales vary, however they’re typically around 150-200 boxes,” junior Payton Grant said. “It’s harder to sell cookies as a high schooler. One, because you’re older and two, because of other commitments, but I manage pretty well.”
The cookies have become part of Americana forming favorite memories for people and bringing brightness to their lives.
“My mom’s a teacher and she used to have Thin Mints in her classroom,” Wahlquist said. “I would eat that every day after school.”
