In 1932, the first formal sale took place in Philadelphia, where the girls baked their cookies and sold them from the city’s gas and electric company windows; a commemorative plaque marks the building today. The response was so good that they realized their time was better spent selling, not baking: next thing you knew, the cookies were being commercially produced by approved bakeries in the shape of the Girl Scout trefoil. Enthusiasm for the cookies spread nationwide, and in 1937, more than 125 Girl Scout councils reported holding cookie sales.
Since then, the cookies have pretty much been sold annually, save a few limited-production years during World War II, when sugar, flour, and butter shortages led Girl Scouts to sell calendars to raise money for their activities instead. After the war, cookies were back and better than ever.
By that time, the cookies came in several flavors, including Shortbread and Chocolate Mints (the precursor to today’s Thin Mints). In a way, it was this expansion that eventually led to the assortment of cookies that we know today. Currently, two licensed bakers produce a maximum of eight varieties, including three mandatory ones (Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, and Shortbread Trefoils).
The Girl Scout cookie tradition hasn’t been without a few bumps in the road. There have been a few price wars between neighboring towns, and recently, due to the rising costs of ingredients and transportation, the number of cookies in each box has gone down. (To date, nobody has cited the positive effect of these reduced portions on our collective waistlines.) But really, we ought not perceive these actions negatively; after all, the profits do go toward supporting the venerable Girl Scouts of America.
Scout Butter Cookies
TODAY, WHILE THIN MINTS ARE the undisputed bestseller, there’s something to be said about the simplicity of the earliest versions of these cookies, which evolved into today’s Shortbread Trefoils. What follows is an adaptation of that early recipe from the Girl Scout magazine; while the cookie was originally rolled as a cutout cookie, I’ve updated it a bit as a slice-and-bake cookie for easier home baking.
Makes 4 dozen small cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole or 2% milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Mix in the milk and vanilla, then add the flour mixture in 2 to 3 additions, mixing just until incorporated, again scraping the bowl as needed.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Roll the dough into several logs (3 or 4), each about 1 foot long and a little over 1 inch in diameter. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. You may have to bake in batches and reuse one of the pans.
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator (one log at a time). Slice into coins of dough, about ¼ inch thick. Transfer the cookies to the prepared sheets, leaving about 1½ inches on all sides to allow for spreading. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
WHAT’S IN A NAME? SWEET STORIES BEHIND SNACK CAKES WITH CURIOUS NAMES.
DEVIL DOGS: A combination of cake type and construction led to this unusual name: unfrosted devil’s food cake sandwiches are gently folded around the filling on one side, which makes them (sort of) resemble hot dogs.
DING DONGS: These chocolate-covered, hockey puck–shaped, cream-filled cakes were named to coincide with a TV ad campaign featuring a ringing bell. Don’t mistake them for Ring Dings, a similar snack made by Drake’s Cakes that was purchased by Hostess and absorbed into the greater Ding Dong world.
HO HOS: Resembling mini roulade cakes, made from chocolate cake rolled with vanilla cream filling and coated with a thin layer of chocolate, these treats were named for a jovial mascot with a hearty laugh, named Happy Ho Ho.
KRIMPETS: Originally, these snack cakes would crumble in eager hands, so the manufacturer “crimped” the pan to make the cakes easier to hold; perhaps the K was a style choice in keeping with their company name, TastyKakes.
SNO BALLS: These balls of marshmallow-and-coconut-coated cake happiness were originally all white, but to add a little pizzazz in the 1950s, Hostess started tinting the cakes and including one white and one pink in each pack. This proved too strenuous, apparently, and ultimately the pink survived. The white ones are available seasonally, during winter months.
SUZY Q’S: Sweet, sweet nepotism. These unfrosted, oblong banana or chocolate cream–filled sandwich cakes, developed in 1961, are named for the daughter of the Continental Baking Company’s vice president.
TWINKIES: On a meeting to pitch the quintessential all-American snack cake, inventor James Dewar got his idea for the name when driving by a billboard advertising Twinkle Toe Shoes, which he shortened to Twinkies.
ZINGERS: These snack cakes have a little “zing” that comes from their frosting—or, in the case of the raspberry zinger, their raspberry and coconut coating.
HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS, OREO LOVERS, because I’ve got a secret to tell you: America’s favorite sandwich cookies, those twin chocolate wafer rounds filled with the addictive “creme” filling, were actually preceded by another—the Hydrox cookie. This may come as a surprise, especially given the fact that the Hydrox has always seemed to play second fiddle to the more famous cookie that ultimately eclipsed them. But it’s time to face the truth.
Oreo even has a street named after it—Oreo Way—in New York City, where the first Oreo cookie was made at the original Nabisco factory.
The chocolate wafer cookies filled with vanilla icing known as Hydrox made their debut in 1908, a product of the Sunshine Biscuit label. Its name was taken from the atomic elements that make up pure water: hydrogen and oxygen. Maybe this was done to put out an image of purity—but ultimately, the name comes off sounding somewhat like a cleaning product! In spite of the unfortunate name, however, the cookies proved popular. Or at least popular enough to gain the interest of Nabisco, a rival company.
In 1912, Nabisco debuted a cookie called the Oreo. Like Hydrox cookies, Oreos were a creme-filled chocolate wafer sandwich cookie with a strange name. The fact that Nabisco had released a rival cookie wasn’t all that surprising—the two companies had sparred for years with competing products.
In the case of Oreo vs. Hydrox, there really wasn’t a whole lot of difference between the cookies. Visually, the imprint designs on each differed, but not a whole lot. Fans of the Hydrox will say it had a “tangy, less sweet filling” and was a crunchier cookie that stood up better in milk. Oreo fans will say that the twist, lick, dunk ritual works better with the Nabisco biscuits.
Perhaps it was a simple case of better marketing (and a better name) that propelled Oreos to the top, but either way, as time went on, more and more people thought that Hydrox cookies were a ripped-off version of the Oreo cookie (I myself can remember turning up my nose to Hydrox cookies as a child— foolish girl). In 1996, Hydrox cookies went through an image change and were released as Droxies, but after the so-called “hipper” version received a lukewarm reception, the Hydrox was ultimately discontinued. On the cookie’s one hundredth anniversary, Kellogg’s resumed distribution of Hydrox. The cookies were only available nationally for a short time, and now poor, abandoned Hydrox doesn’t even appear on the Kel
logg’s website.
So Oreo might not have been first to the plate, but they won the game. Today, more than a hundred years after its invention, it’s the bestselling commercial cookie in America. Oreo even has a street named after it—Oreo Way—in New York City, where the first Oreo cookie was made at the original Nabisco factory. While vestiges of the Hydrox still exist—crumbled Hydrox cookie bits are still sold as “mix-ins” for yogurt or ice cream, and there are websites dedicated to its memory—it is a cookie that exists just there: in our memories.
Chocolate Creme-Filled Cookies
MAKING HOMEMADE SANDWICH COOKIES is a rewarding practice; you’ll have fun seeing all those perfectly round little wafers on your countertop, just waiting to be married up with their mate. (Tip: For the perfect twist, adhere the tops only lightly.) Some folks may turn up their noses at the vegetable shortening called for in the filling. While butter will work and taste great, to duplicate the unique, slightly fluffy texture of store-bought varieties, you’ve gotta use the shortening.
Makes 20 to 30 sandwich cookies
1½ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1⅓ cups Creme Filling (recipe follows)
1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 2 to 3 additions, mixing until just incorporated and pausing to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.
3. Form the dough into 2 flat disks and wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour or overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper (or reuse pans).
5. Generously flour a work surface. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll the cookie dough to about ¼ inch thick, and cut out rounds using an approximately 1½-inch cookie cutter. Gather scraps and re-roll as needed. If the dough becomes too soft, chill to re-firm. Transfer to the baking sheet using a spatula, leaving 1½ inches between cookies to allow for spreading.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tops have a dull finish. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (they will crisp as they cool).
7. Spread a teaspoon-size dollop of filling on half of the cookies (on the bottom sides); press the remaining cookie halves lightly in place so the cookies adhere to the filling and form sandwiches.
8. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Note: The filling will soften the crisp cookies; if you prefer crisper cookies, fill immediately before serving.
CREME FILLING
Makes 1⅓ cups filling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup vegetable shortening
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Pinch salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and shortening on high speed until smooth.
2. Reduce the speed to low, and beat in the confectioners’ sugar, salt, and vanilla. Increase the mixer to high and beat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the filling is very fluffy.
THERE IS A HAPPY COOKIE WITH A BUTTERY BASE that hovers somewhere between chewy and crunchy, that’s capped with a bright pink swirl of frosting, and that proliferates in the northwest United States—especially in the Seattle area. Even though it’s widely available, it flies oddly under the radar: while it does hang out in some bakeries, it’s more comfortable in places like convenience stores, delis, grocery stores, and even drugstores. It seems like it could be a packaged good available everywhere, along the lines of a Twinkie or Yodel. Let’s discuss the interesting series of events that brought it to the Northwest.
A happy cookie with a buttery base that hovers somewhere between chewy and crunchy, that’s capped with a bright pink swirl of frosting.
The original pink frosted cookie is sold under the name Uncle Seth’s Cookie. For many years this was an independent company, but it was sold to a larger wholesaler in the area. Pinks Original Bakery, the current owner of the cookie, describes:
“From the high mountain tops of Bali came the inspiration for the feel good cookie. Danny Brown, the originator and inventor of the Original Pink, also known as an Uncle Seth Cookie, found a kindred spirit in a man named Seth. Seth moved from a crazed urban setting better known as the City, to live his dream of peace in the mountains. The namesake of the Uncle Seth Cookie gave tribute to this man named Seth who changed his life for the sake of fun and happiness. To bring a bit of that passion and fun to light, Danny created a cookie that says eat me because you can. This cookie has a good aura. After nine years of hand rolling this Danish Shortbread, Danny too, decided to head for the hills. Mostly Muffins purchased Uncle Seth’s Cookies in 1996 and Danny was off to live in Hawaii!”
Turns out, Mr. Pink Cookie had been baking these treats since before his Bali awakening. Danny Brown, who was raised Mormon, had done his mission work in Denmark: it was there that he’d learned how to make Danish butter cookies, and would later jokingly refer to his time there as “Pink Cookie Bootcamp.” It wasn’t until Brown had his serendipitous spiritual meeting in Bali, however, that he decided how to put his cookie-baking prowess to work.
While the cookies still have a stronghold in Utah, they’re arguably not as ubiquitous as in the Northwest, where they seem to have hit just the right audience at the right time. Early on, the cookies were mostly sold in coffee carts—and this was just as the coffee business was starting up in earnest in Seattle. Naturally, the pink cookies tempted customers for the same reasons that coffee is so popular in the area—the climate just begs for rich treats and hot drinks during those rainy days that take up, oh, eight months of the year. The second and perhaps more important aspect? Duh—the frosting color. It’s no secret that pink frosting tastes better than any other color.
Danny Brown eventually sold his company in Seattle, abandoning the drizzle for sunny Hawaii, where he helped start a bakery. Danny’s attention to detail was passed on when he sold the company to Pinks Original Bakery, a wholesaler in Seattle. Even though it’s a commercial bakery, they follow the original list of ingredients and mixing instructions—and they still hand-frost each cookie, which also follows a very exacting process, including specific brands of flour, sugar, and flavorings.
Pink Frosted Cookies
THESE ARE A SOFTER, MORE DELICATE VERSION of the pink cookie than Danny’s iconic original (the recipe for that is still a secret!). And why not make them a little more luscious, since they don’t have to go through the rigors of packaging and traveling to far-off places? These are baked as a drop cookie rather than as a rolled, cutout cookie—which makes them even friendlier for home bakers. It’s an easy recipe, and an opportunity to get a taste of a cookie with a strange but sweet past.
Makes 2 dozen cookies
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup whole or 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups Pink Frosting (recipe follows)
Sprinkles, for garnish (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the
butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Mix in the milk and vanilla.
4. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 2 to 3 additions, scraping down the bowl as needed, until everything is well blended. Drop the cookie dough by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1½ to 2 inches around each cookie to allow for spreading.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies spring back to the touch, like the top of a cake (they will remain fairly light in color). Leave the cookies on the tray for several minutes, then use a metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
6. Spread the frosting in a thick layer on top of the cookies.
7. Store in a single layer in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 3 days.
PINK FROSTING
Makes 3 cups frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons whole or 2% milk
About 6 drops red food coloring
1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and vanilla until smooth. On low speed, gradually beat in the sugar 1 cup at a time, until your desired consistency has been reached. If the mixture becomes too thick, thin it with the milk. Stir in the food coloring, drop by drop, until your desired pink hue is achieved Cover the frosting tightly and keep it chilled until you’re ready to frost the cupcakes.
POP-TARTS LINE HALF AN AISLE IN THE SUPERMARKET; they’ve been the star of memorable television commercials; they’re ubiquitous in office vending machines. Even if you don’t eat them on a regular basis, these slim-profiled pockets of filled pastry, perfectly sized to fit in a typical toaster, have certainly become part of our everyday American landscape.
The Secret Lives of Baked Goods Page 13