Girl Guides of Canada - Girl Guide Cookies

Girl Guide Cookies

Girl Guide Cookies are a tradition in Canada. Inspired by America's Girl Scout Cookie, they were first baked by a Guide leader, Christina Riepsamen, in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1927. They were sold door-to-door, with a bag of 12 cookies costing 10 cents, for the purpose of earning passenger rail fares for a camping trip to a lake. The sales were brisk, requiring extra batches to be baked to meet demand. It was then adopted as a simple way to raise money for uniforms and camping equipment.

In 1929, the National Headquarters began selling the cookies across Canada. Girl Guide cookies have gone through many recipe changes but the goals remain the same. Girl Guide cookies today are the largest fundraiser for the organization, and are used to help support the girls in their program and activities.

There are two different cookie campaigns, one in the fall and the other in the spring. The fall cookies are the chocolatey mint cookies, similar to the Girl Scout Thin Mints cookies sold in the United States. The classic vanilla and chocolate sandwich cookies are sold in the spring.