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Girl Scout Cookie Decision Time Arrives

Posted on: Saturday, 14 January 2006, 15:00 CST

By Angie Kinsey, The Paducah Sun, Ky.

Jan. 14--Girl Scout cookie lovers have some serious decisions to make the next couple of weeks: Thin Mints or Samoas? One box or two?

Advance orders for the always highly anticipated cookies began Friday and continue through Jan. 29. Nationally, Thin Mints, a chocolate-covered wafer made with peppermint, make up one-quarter of all cookies sold, but the mints face strong competition in western Kentucky.

"Samoas are the most popular in our council," said Carrie Parnell, community development coordinator for the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, Bear Creek Service Center, which serves 13 counties in western Kentucky and Obion County, Tenn. "Thin Mints and Samoas (sell almost) the same. I can eat a box of Tagalongs in one sitting. We don't offer them except for a short time and I think that's what makes them more desirable."

Samoas -- vanilla cookies covered with caramel, rolled in coconut and striped with chocolate -- are the second-best seller nationally, making up 19 percent of all cookies sold.

The other six varieties are Trefoils, a shortbread cookie; the peanut butter-and-chocolate Tagalongs; Do-Si-Dos, oatmeal cookies with peanut butter filling; All Abouts, a shortbread cookie with a chocolate coating; Lemon Coolers, lemon chips covered with powdered sugar; and a new entry, Cafe Cookies.

The new cookie is a "crisp cookie caramelized with brown sugar," Parnell said. "It has a hint of cinnamon spice which goes perfect with your favorite warm beverage."

For the health-conscious, Tagalongs and Lemon Coolers are trans fat-free this year. Bear Creek's cookies are made at Little Brownie Bakers in Louisville. The other official Girl Scout bakery is ABC/Interbake Foods in Richmond, Va.

The cookie sale theme is "Be Brilliant," which encourages girls to be more involved with science and math, Parnell said. Incentives are offered for sales, and girls who sell 1,000 boxes earn a digital camera or stereo.

"This is the way the girls earn a lot of money for special programs and trips," Parnell said. "It teaches girls about responsibility, economics and even networking."

The cookies will arrive at the Bear Creek office in Paducah on Feb. 22. Last year the council's 1,800 Girl Scouts sold 228,000 boxes of cookies. The boxes cost $3.50 each. "That's a lot of cookies," Parnell said. "Our office becomes a cookie warehouse. It's in our job description for the month."

Troops serving overseas were shipped 3,000 boxes last year through "Treats for Troops," and will continue this year through the efforts of WFGE-FM radio in Murray. The radio station will match the number of boxes pledged by listeners and send the cookies to local troops.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Paducah Sun, Ky.

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Source: The Paducah Sun

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