The OGC: Original Girl Scout cookie recipe

It's been such a long time that we've been able to enjoy a wide variety of cookies that it's easy to forget that at one point, the only cookies sold were the ones the Girl Scouts made with the help of their moms!

In the 1920s and 1930s, Girl Scouts in different parts of the country baked their own sugar cookies with their mothers. They then packaged them in wax paper bags, sealed them with a sticker, and sold the cookies door to door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen.

You don't have to travel back in time to taste this delectable treat at home. Here is the official recipe for Girl Scout cookies. Make sure to enjoy them with a tall glass of your favorite type of milk!

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°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.

These are perfect for troop meetings (hint, hint)!

Your Date with the Future

After 98 years, Girl Scouts remains the premier leadership organization for girls. Posted by GSUSA, this video is an example of how far we've come and yet, stayed the same. Volunteers are still one of the main reasons Girl Scouts of Central Texas continues to reach over 21,000 girls. Here's to another 98 years of building girls of courage, confidence and character!

After 98 Years, Girl Scouts gets a Makeover

Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), one of the most well known organizations in the nation, is revitalizing and reenergizing its brand to reach a new generation of girls.

After extensive research and development, Girl Scouts debuted a long-term, multichannel brand campaign last week that is designed to reacquaint the country with the iconic organization and communicate the power girls have to change the world through Girl Scouting. The campaign, known by the tagline What Did You Today?, is also keyed to boosting the number of girls and adult volunteers who participate in Girl Scouting annually after a period of declining membership.

“About one out of every 10 girls participates in Girl Scouting and that’s a tremendous number when you think about it,” says Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of GSUSA. “We have revamped our entire organization to appeal to that 90 percent of girls who aren’t benefiting from the Girl Scout leadership experience. And with our new brand work, we think we have the right message at the right time.”

The branding is composed of a striking new visual identity, which includes a distinctive trefoil mark, revised color palette, and refreshed logo that was originally created in the 1970s. In addition, the initiative also includes plans for a 360 degree marketing program that taps the online, place-based and traditional media.

“The new brand look will reinforce the Girl Scout message that is relevant to girls and the lives they lead today,” says Etta Moore, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Central Texas. “We’re excited to launch the new brand initiative locally in an effort to continue to build girls of courage, confidence and character and to position ourselves as the premiere leadership organization for girls in Central Texas. “

Girl Scouts is launching its rebranding from a position of strength because it can draw upon strong name recognition and a long legacy of leadership development. With this new campaign and the projected growth in overall girl population in the United States, Girls Scouts expects to see its membership begin to increase over the next few years. The campaign will also pave the way for a major effort to gain exposure during the organization’s national centennial celebration in 2012.

-Kandace Fierro

For more information on the new brand and to view the new brand graphics, check out the Communications Department table at Service Team Conference this Saturday!