Saturday, December 3, 2011

Girl Scout Cookie Rally

Can you believe it's almost that time again?  Abigail is attending a Girl Scout Cookie Rally this morning where the girls will play games, do a craft and sample cookies all for the purpose of getting excited about selling them.  So, here I am, early this morning looking up the ingredients of each of the cookies to see which ones she can sample and which ones she'll have to skip.

There are two cookie manufacturers that provide cookies for the Girl Scouts.  In our region, it's Little Brownie Bakers.  Other areas of the country get cookies from ABC Bakers.  Both have excellent allergen labeling policies.  If you are concerned about peanut/tree nut ingredients and the risk of cross-contamination, you'll need to know which bakery supplies your cookies and/or double check the labeling on the box.  At Little Brownie Bakeries, the Thin Mints, Samoas, Trefoils and the Thank U BerryMuch cookies are safe for peanuts and tree nuts.  The Dulce de Leche and the new Savannah Smiles may contain traces of tree nuts, and of course, the Tagalongs and the Do-si-dos are not safe for either.  It looks like ABC Bakers has just 3 cookies that are safe which are Thin Mints, Thanks-a-Lot and the Lemonades.  That's a bummer!  At least the Thin Mints are safe!

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of my daughter selling Girl Scout cookies.  However, I do love her being a part of the organization, and we've found a really great Brownie troop in the new area where we live.  I was pleased to find out that her new troop is selling cookies to raise money to go on a mother/daughter trip when they're in 5th grade.  That gives them 4 years (the other girls started working towards it last year) to raise the money to spend a long weekend in Savannah, the birthplace of Girl Scouts.  So, I'll be out there in the cold with Abigail the first of January while she rings doorbells asking if anyone wants to buy Girl Scout cookies.  And, I'll even buy a box...or two.