Seasonal. Local. Girl Scout Cookies®.
You can only get them in February and March. You can’t buy them online, only from neighborhood kids (or their pushy parents).
God knows where Girl Scout Cookies® are made or what’s in them, but who cares? Eating them may not be good for you, but if buying the cookies helps millions of cute little girls, eating them is not just allowed, it’s an obligation.
Seasonal + local = trendy, so celebrity chefs and faithful foodies feature Girl Scout Cookie® recipes this month:
José Andrés: citrus gelatin with fresh fruit and Dulce de Leche cookies
Michael Englund: Samoas Coconut Cream Cookie.
Jason Koppinger: Thin Mint and Macadamia Nut Roulade.
Brian Malarkey: Coconut Macaroons Served on Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
Rebecca Masson: Girl Scouts Lemonade Shortbread Balls
Doug Morris: White Chocolate and Pink Grapefruit tart using Girl Scouts Shortbread Cookies (scroll down).
Paradise Grill (Del Mar, California): Paradise Samoas Girl Scout Cookie Sundae.
James Woodfork: Coconut Caramel Strudel using Caramel deLites, Chocolate Eclairs using Thanks-A-Lots; Almond Fudge with Thin Mint Crust using Thin Mints; Strawberry Cream Shortbread using Shortbread; Cinnamon Biscotti using Daisy Go Rounds; Lemon Bars using Lemonades; Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies using Peanut Butter Patties; and Peanut Butter Milkshake using Peanut Butter Sandwich.
Further reading:
“Chefs take Girl Scout cookies to new culinary heights,” Sylvia Rector, Detroit Free Press.
“Girl Scouts Go Gourmet,” San Diego Restaurant Week.
“Beverly Hills Grill chef aims for simple delights with his Girl Scout cookie creation,” Robin Ruehlen and Heidi Roman, C & G News.
“Girl Scout Cookies Gone Wild!” NBC-TV Connecticut
“Versatile Girl Scout Cookies used in chicken, catfish recipes,” Lydia Seabol, Tuscaloosa News.
“Girl Scout cookies inspire chefs’ desserts for charity,” Ryan Franklin, College Heights Herald.
If you miss this year’s Girl Scout Cookies®, follow the harvest. Girl Guide Biscuit sales in Australia start in May. And don’t forget eBay.
Image (Cooking with Cookies) by Mike Licht. Trefoil design and logo are registered trademarks of Girl Scouts of the USA and are used here to prevent confusion with Little Debbie, Virginia Dare, Mary Janes, Fannie Farmer, and Laura Secord. We received no promotional consideration from the Girl Scouts, not even a single lousy box of Samoas®.
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
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March 15, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Awww..sounds nice. Shame they don’t have them here in the UK.
March 16, 2009 at 1:11 pm
[…] has spotted a new trend in the local, seasonal movement: Chefs incorporating Girl Scout cookies into their recipes. Y&H is trying to imagine the negotiations between the chefs and the GS suppliers: […]
March 17, 2009 at 11:43 am
[…] Recipes that feature Girl Scout Cookies as an ingredient. […]
March 18, 2009 at 12:00 pm
[…] Hilarious and informative post from Mike Licht on Girl Scout cookies is here. […]
March 18, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Odd, I’ve never seen Girl Scout cookies for sale in February/March. I buy them from my sisters in September/October and receive them in early November.
It’s also common in the Northeast for Girl Scouts to sell the cookies year round at tables in malls.
March 18, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Stiney Says: I buy them from my sisters in September/October and receive them in early November
Perhaps out-of-season Girl Scout Cookies® are flown in from South America ….
March 18, 2009 at 2:41 pm
I got my six boxes last week and haven’t brought them home because I didn’t want to let my husband, with whom I’m trying to lose weight, know how many I bought or be tempted. (I love the girl scouts and like to support them). Anyway, I’ve only finished one box and I shared them. Thanks to this post, though, I realize the importance of eating them in season.
March 18, 2009 at 2:51 pm
mamie jane: What a dilemma — Do-Si-Dos® or divorce? Our thoughts are with you.
Suggestion: If you seek counseling, go with Oprah, not Dr. Phil. Girlfriend knows what you’re going through.
March 18, 2009 at 2:56 pm
[…] (via Bitten) has a great post up talking about how several celebrity chefs have been using girl scout cookies in gourmet recipes, […]
March 18, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Am I the only one who is anti-girl scout cookie? As per the GS website, 70% of the money from GS cookies goes to the GS council, not the troop selling the cookies. 12% percent goes to the troop. the remainder goes to the baker. How come Boy scouts can run their troops without selling cookies, but the girl scouts can’t?
In a time where we have problems with obesity, diabetes, and inactivity, Girl scouts are selling cookies that are incredibly high in calories and fat. ie. the Samoas are 150 calories and 8g of fat. that is 30% of your USRDA of fat. from two cookies. (as per littlebrowniebakers.com who makes the cookies)
How is this helping anyone?
March 18, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Brett, Denise also admits she is not fond of GS cookies and explains why on this post at Bay Area Bites.
March 18, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Boy Scout troops don’t sell cookies, but they do sell chocolate bars and popcorn and nut tins (varies depending on your local troop). Scout troops are run primarily through an extensive amount of unpaid volunteer labor on the part of the parents and troop leaders, who run meetings, organize trips and activities, and often pay for supplies through minimal dues or out of pocket. I hardly begrudge them this source of funding – and I doubt that cookies that are available a few months out of the year are a high source of dietary danger for obesity, diabetes, and inactivity. Check out the junk food aisles in your local grocery and write the snack producers you see there–but I guess it’s easier to take pot shots at the Girl Scouts instead.
March 18, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Brett: I hope you are the only one who is anti-GS cookie.
For the record, Boy Scouts have raised money by selling other things like Tom Watts products, canned nuts, and various other items, which they may use to “run their troops.”
Girl Scout councils provide services and amenities to Girl Scout troops. There are the professionals at the council who manage the many aspects of the organization, provide free training to troop leaders, and a plethora of other services. Councils often administer the council camp if there is one. Ours had one. It costs a pittance for a troop to camp there compared to commercial camps and includes tents on platforms, cabins, and canoes and a lake. The council subsidized it so that all troops in the council could afford to use the facility (and have leaders in their own troops trained in the outdoors and first aid).
Statistically, Girl Scouts are more likely to graduate high school, go to college, and less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy than their non-GS sisters. I think it’s helping lots of someones and I think it’s worth the calories.
March 18, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Thin Mints are like crack.
No one can eat just 12.
March 18, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Brett,
Great post on local, seasonal food –I love it.
Unfortunately those of us that are gluten intolerant cannot partake in the annual Girl Scout Cookie “harvest.”
I have to resort to making my own. Here’s a gluten-free recipe for a chocolate covered shortbread Girl Scout Cookie:
http://www.elanaspantry.com/black-and-white-cookies/
Can’t wait to see more of your posts, I really enjoyed this one.
Thanks,
Elana
March 18, 2009 at 10:55 pm
All valid points, and all well made. I see the points made and while I don’t fully agree with the points made, I respect the answers, and I respect the points of view.
with two exceptions. I didn’t take any pot shots at the girl scouts. I quoted sources and stated facts. I didn’t say I was anti girl scout, I said I was anti-girl scout cookies. So I don’t think that was a fair response.
I am not so worried about the calories as the grams of fat. As a medical professional 30% of your rda of fat for two cookies is unsafe. because no one is eating two cookies.
March 19, 2009 at 3:36 am
[…] Yep, the season is February and March, get them at your local market […]
March 19, 2009 at 5:22 pm
I recently examined closely the nutritional content of a batch of Girl Scout cookies I had purchased and I was shocked and dismayed that they are as unhealthy as they are. Almost every ingredient is artificial; nothing natural; and the fat and calorie count is excessive. I will not purchase them again, nor give them to my office colleagues. They are not healthy at all!
March 19, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Dale: They’re cookies, not carrots. They are not claiming to be a health food. How does their nutrition compare to other cookies? To breakfast cereals? To Quaker Oats Chewy Granola Bars (http://www.quakeroats.com/products/oat-snacks/chewy-granola/chocolate-chip.aspx#NutritionalInfo)?
Nothing natural? Flour, sugar, oats, and peanut butter (in Do-si-dos) are not artificial ingredients.
March 20, 2009 at 7:59 am
Sophie –
I think you are making Dale’s point for him. The granola bar you cited has 100 calories, 3 g of fat, and 1.5 g of saturated fat. One serving of any of the GS cookies has higher totals for all of these categories (with the exception of the reduced-fat Daisy Go Rounds(tm) – and who actually buys those?). Granted, one serving of most of the GS cookies is larger than the 24-gram granola bar, but I believe that most people are likely to only eat one of the individually-wrapped bars, while they probably eat (at least) one full serving of the cookies. The sugar totals compare closely to what you find in kid-friendly breakfast cereals (10-15g/serving), but including cereal, which has zero to little fat, in this thread doesn’t really make sense.
I agree that Girl Scouts should be free to sell whatever they want, and if their customers can’t figure out how to read a nutrition label or exercise self-restraint, it’s not their problem. That being said, an organization that prides itself on training future leaders and social responsibility (as opposed to a profit-driven food conglomerate) should seriously consider the implications of what they put on the market. Maybe that’s why they only sell them a couple months of the year? 🙂
March 23, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Girl Scouts not selling cookies? I don’t think that’s going to change. It’s a tradition that most people look forward to. But it is what it is, a fundraising activity not unlike PTA cookie dough or candy bars.
As a Girl Scout Leader for 2 troops, I wish we didn’t have to sell cookies but it is our fundraiser and we love that we can make money to do lots of fun activities. I also work for my local council and yes, they do make a lot of money from cookie sales. They are a non profit org so they are very accountable for their spending. We have great camps and other facilities that benefit our community. We have outreach programs that bring Girl Scouting to girls who might not have the opportunity to be involved. This year the budget is tight due to smaller United Way contributions and the ecomonic downturn.
My girls and I are having lots of fun together, learning things, traveling, meeting people, preparing for the girls futures. I get what Girl Scouts is about. Its not just about Cookies, Camping and Crafts. Its building girls of Courage, Confidence and Character. So buy a box of cookies and donate them to the military, if you don’t want to eat them or just be polite and say no thanks. We will smile either way.
March 25, 2009 at 1:02 am
If they’re not made from real Girl Scouts, there’s no point in worrying about “local” or “organic” although it’s interesting to see that they’re kosher.
March 26, 2009 at 1:50 am
I’ve been waiting for someone to make that Addams Family crack since the moment I started reading these threads!
March 26, 2009 at 3:25 am
L. Hernandez & R. Phillips: I had to look that one up. It’s from The Addams Family movie (1991).
“Is that lemonade made with real lemons?”
“Are those Girl Scout cookies made with real Girl Scouts?”
March 28, 2009 at 9:49 am
David: Let me try to make my point one more time. A GS cookie is supposed to be junk food, not health food. How is it that folks are shocked (shocked, I tell you) to find out that there are artificial and unhealthy (or less than optimal ) ingredients in junk food. I singled out the granola bars precisely because they are marketed as a healthy breakfast food.
I am saying that GS cookies are marketed as snacks of the junk food genre, not healthy alternatives. Is Dale arguing otherwise?
November 19, 2011 at 4:06 am
[…] (via Bitten) has a great post up talking about how several celebrity chefs have been using girl scout cookies in gourmet recipes, […]