Samoas, Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos – Oh, my! by Pam Crooks

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Okay. I admit Girl Scout cookies don’t evoke an image of a hunky cowboy or anything much western, except, well, cowboys love to eat the cookies, too, don’t they?

As a grandmother and aunt of Brownies and Girl Scouts throughout the years, I’ve done my share of supporting their cookie sales, and I look forward to them every spring.  This year, with two granddaughters selling, my haul was twice as big as a normal year.  And at $5 a box, I don’t eat them as fast as I’d like.  I stored most of the boxes in my freezer to ration out as I wanted them, and when we opened up our cabin at the lake, I brought several boxes to keep out there, too.  In fact, I just had a couple of Thin Mints at lunch yesterday.

Nom, nom, nom.

 

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO (can you believe it’s been that long?) five years after the Girls Scouts were organized in 1917, one of the directors printed a sugar cookie recipe in the group’s magazine, and councils across the country used the cookies as a fundraiser.  The girls baked them with their mothers, packaged them in wax paper bags sealed with a sticker, and sold them door-to-door.  The idea grew in popularity, until 1934, the first batch of Girl Scout cookies were made by a commercial baker.

Once World War 2 hit, shortages of butter, flour, and sugar forced the girls to sell calendars instead, but by war’s end, the cookie sales resumed big time.  By 1948, 125 licensed bakers were baking up the treats.  In 1951, there were three main varieties – Sandwich, Shortbread, and Chocolate Mints (now known as Thin Mints).

As the decades rolled by, the cookies flourished in scope.  Packaging became more uniform.  More varieties were developed–some tossed aside, some kept. Eventually, those 125 bakers were whittled down to just two today, Little Brownie Baker and ABC Baker.  Though the pair used the same recipes, they named the cookies differently. Even the infamous and most popular Thin Mints began as Cooky-Mints, which changed to Chocolate Mint, then to Thin Mint, then to Cookie Mint to Chocolate Mint to Thin Mints to Thin Mint and finally, back to the plural Thin Mints.  🙂

Depending on where your cookies are sold, here are the differences in names.

 

I had no idea.  Never heard of a Trefoil.  Or a Samoa.  They were always Caramel DeLites and Shortbreads to us.

What’s your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?  Were you ever a Girl Scout?  Do you have good (or bad) memories of selling cookies – or anything – door-to-door?

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Pam has written 30 romances, most of them historical westerns, but she's proud of her contemporary sweet romances featuring the Blackstone Ranch series published by Tule Publishing, too! Stay up on the latest at www.pamcrooks.com

49 thoughts on “Samoas, Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos – Oh, my! by Pam Crooks”

    • Samoa? You mean Caramel DeLite? LOL. They are my favorite, too!

      I was never a Girl Scout, either, but it’s such a great organization for girls. I hope it stays around for another 100 years.

  3. I liked Caramel DeLites and Shortbread the best. I was a brownie and scout, but when my oldest daughter became a brownie, I became the troop leader (no one else would volunteered). As she went up so did I until she finished her Junior scouting as there not enough girls to go any further. However my daughter became a troop leader for several years and a cookie chairman for 2 troops where we ended up with hundreds of boxes of cookies sitting along the walls until they could be sorted out. My granddaughter also was a troop leader for a couple of years.

    • That’s wonderful, Karijean!! What an amazing influence you’ve been in the lives of scores of young girls – but especially your daughter and granddaughter. I can only imagine the fun memories they’ve all had under your leadership.

  4. My favorite cookie is the Thin Mints, with Samoa’s coming in a distant second. I was a Girl scout, but have no recollection of selling cookies. My daughter was also a Girl Scout and I do recall her selling cookies. No bad connotations come from any of these activities. At the time I was in the Scouts we lived out on a farm so not much time was available for cookie sales I guess. It is a very good organization to help build girls into responsible women.

    • Thin Mints are my favorite – I always feel like I get a bargain with them since there’s alot of them in those two sleeves. Different than the Carmel DeLites (Samoas) which are gone way too fast!

      I’ve heard of Girl Scout troops that don’t sell cookies, but they’d have to find other ways of raising funds, I guess. And yes, many young girls have benefited from the responsibilities they learned while in Scouts.

  5. Samoas are my favorite. I was never a girl scout, but I did sell a few things ( Chistmas cards, candy, etc) door to door for fund raisers at school. I never did really like to ask anyone to buy anything, I felt like they really didn’t want to buy it.

    • It really takes a certain personality to have the confidence to ask a stranger to buy something from you, doesn’t it? I’m a little shy, but fundraising is a necessity everywhere. How else do schools, organizations, churches, etc, get their money?

      I must admit I’m a sucker for a polite kid coming to my door selling something. I pretty much buy every time, even though the items are way overpriced.

  6. Pam- This was a fantastic blog. I was in the Brownie’s and Girl Scouts when I was young. I love GS Cookies and always but them. I love the shortbread, thin mints, and the new Thank You’s which is shortbread with chocolate on one side. Thanks my friend, now I’m hungry for a cookie.

    • LOL! I wish you lived closer, Tonya! I’d share my Thin Mints with you.

      I bet you were a fantastic little scout. You have the outgoing personality for it.

  7. My favorites are the peanut butter sandwich, the shortbread, and the lemonades. I never was a girl scout, though!

  8. I was a brownie when I was a little girl and I LOVED it! I still have my old “brownie handbook”. It’s pretty much worn out! I remember all of the songs we sang-“there’s something in your pocket…it’s a great big brownie smile! The story of the Shoemaker and the Elves. Going to a “round-up” and learning the song ? “Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore”. Sorry for rambling. MY girls were in Girl Scouts for several years and, of course, even though I worked full time, I was the Leader. Loved every minute of it!! We sold gobs of cookies! Then, a few years later, my niece joined G.S. and sold cookies and my sister was co-leader of her group! Lots and lots of cookies were bought by my sister! Hahaha Only child, my niece! We loved samoas, thin mints, and tag-a-longs. Thank you for bringing back so many wonderful memories for me!

  9. I was never a Girl Scout.

    I knew the sugar cookie history.

    The bakeries may claim to use the same recipes, but they do not. Maryland uses one baker and Pennsylvania and Delaware use another. Maryland Girl Scouts sell in the fall.

    Samoa and Caramel DeLites do not taste the same. Give me a Samoa, keep your Caramel DeLite. The Thin Mints and Trefoil taste different, too.

    Hated selling door-to-door. In 8th grade, I had to sell lightbulbs for a field trip. Did not go well because they were very expensive.

    • Samoas/Caramel DeLites and Thin Mints seem to be the top favorites here on P&P today.

      Polls says Thin Mints are #1 most everywhere. I’ve seen recipes that call for Thin Mints, but I can’t bring myself to use them up that way – at the cost they are. 🙂

  11. I was never a Girl Scout as a child, but became one when my daughters were old enough to join. I was a troop leader and acted as the troop cookie manager. Then became the Service unit manager while we were in Colorado and later when we moved to Tennessee where I was also troop manager again. Think garage and/or living room filled with cases of cookies. We have dealt with both bakers. My favorite cookie now is the Caramel Delights/Samoas. When in Colorado ABC (I think) carried my all time favorite – Kookaburras: Layers of crispy rice wafers and caramel coated in milk chocolate. They were a bit like Twix. They were only sold during the 1980’s and not available on the East Coast where we moved after Colorado and California.
    There have always been arguments over the girls selling cookies and how expensive they are, how much the troop gets, and what the girls receive in premiums. One year I had parents say they would rather make a donation to the troop rather than bother selling.

    • Good for you for being so involved in your troops, Pat. You know – I think I’d really like being a GS Cookie mom. I can see myself enjoying the logistics of it, cases stacked against the wall and all.

      But since most moms work, I can see why they would rather make a donation. Much easier – though certainly lacking in the cookie-selling experience and memories!

      Kookaburras sound like a cookie I’d like. Never heard of them, though – even though Nebraska is right next to Colorado.

      Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Pat!

  12. Hi my favorite are the Peanut Butter sandwich cookies and the shortbread ones. I was never a Girl Scout and our daughter and granddaughter weren’t Girl Scouts either, but I always buy Girl Scout cookies. I used to Sell Avon door to door , I met alot of very nice people and some not as nice. Have a great day and rest of the week.

    • Oh, Avon!! That’s a blast from the past, Alicia. My mother-in-law sold Avon, but I don’t think she ever sold door-to-door. She would’ve delivered her orders, of course, but I think makeup, lotions, etc, pretty much sell themselves, don’t you? And many ladies stayed with their Avon products for years.

      Thanks for that memory, Alicia!

  13. Peanut Butter Sandwiches are my favorites. I was in Girl Scouts for one year. Then mom pulled me out. Never did find out why. I have fond memories of helping our son sell cookies and wreathes in scouts. The neighbors knew when Richard would be coming around so they saved $$ so when he came they could help him.

    • Sounds like you have great neighbors, Lori. I remember the wreaths and swags. A bit pricey, I always thought, but oh, the smell of that fresh pine!!

  14. My daughter was both a Brownie and Girl Scout. Her
    last year she was in she sold over 200 cookies. We loved thin mints, lemonades, and shortbreads
    When my daughter was in the brownies and girlscouts she sold cookies the last year she sold a lot. We loved thin mints,and shortbread. and every year she buys boxes of cookies

    • 200 boxes is an amazing number! I hope she got an award for being top seller!

      I think later, many parents took the order forms to work and sold to co-workers. It kept the scouts from selling to strangers, certainly, but it did take some of the responsibility from the scouts themselves. And I know some parents got very competitive. LOL.

      Which, I suppose, the main thing was raising as much money as possible, right?

  15. I was both a Brownie and a Girl Scout. And yes, I remember going door to door getting orders, taking money, and delivering them to our neighbors and friends. Of course, door to door canvasing is no longer practiced…thank goodness! As a chocoholic, I loved the Thin Mints. But since I’ve been diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity issue, I can’t eat them…but they were so good! Great post!

    • So great to see you here, Jo! Another Thin Mints lover! I bet as sweet as you are now, you would have won over many of your neighbors and friends from being so sweet and gracious, then, too.

  16. Peanut butter sandwich are my favorites. Was never a Brownie or Girl Scout because I didn’t like the uniforms lol

  18. Yes. I was a Girl Scout. Two years in a row, we sold so many cookies that I was able to spend a week each summer at Girl Scout camp. My favorite cookie is Samoas. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

    • Oh, fun, debbiejpruss. Those cookies made for some pretty nice memories for you, didn’t they? Your troop’s hard work paid off in that so many could enjoy the benefits.

      Thanks for sharing.

  19. Yes, I was a girl scout. We sold cookies so that we could go to camp. Didn’t make it to camp due to it got cancelled. I was very disappointed. My favorite is the Peanut Butter Patties & Lemonades.

  20. I was a Girl Scout all the way up through my first year of Senior Girl Scouts, when our troop disbanded due to low membership. Cookies sold for 35 cents a box when I started selling them as at Brownie at age 7. We had Thin Mints, Savannahs, which are now called Do-Si-Dos, Scot Teas, which are the Shortbread Trefoils, Chocolate and Vanilla sandwich cookies, but I don’t remember the 4 flavored ones on the flyer. We took orders and collected the money, then delivered them a few weeks later. We did not have cookie booths like the girls do now, it was all done with door-to-door sales by the girls themselves alone, which would be unheard-of today. I always buy a case of Thin Mints, intending to save a box for each month, but they are always gone by March. So I’ve learned to diet before Thanksgiving in anticipation of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Girl Scout Cookie Time!!!

    • Your memory is amazing, Sherry! If your cookie sales are in February like ours is, that’s a whole lotta cookies gone by March. LOL. Those granddaughters probably had a feast!

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