Savannah Smiles

[Wall-E1]

Savannah isn't the only one smiling...

Girl Scouts cookies, including the new lemon-wedge, will go on sale in South Florida Jan. 12

The Miami Herald
7:26 a.m. EST, January 6, 2012

The Girl Scouts of USA are about to make it more difficult to say no to their cookies as they prepare their sales blitz across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Next Thursday is the official start of Girl Scout cookie season and to mark the famed-organization's 100th anniversary the scouts will introduce a new cookie: Savannah Smiles.

The cookie is named after the birthplace of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low and is described in the sales guide as "bite-sized, lemon-wedge cookies dusted in powdered sugar and bursting with zesty lemon flavor."

About 28 are packed in each box and they contain zero grams of trans fats per serving. Girl Scout cookies sell for $4.00 a box. The annual cookie sale makes up a large part of the Girl Scout's yearly budget.

The program is the largest girl-led business in the country and generates over $700 million for girls and communities across the country. In Miami-Dade, the Girl Scout cookie sale runs from Jan. 12 to Feb. 12. In Broward County, the cookie sale runs from Jan. 19 to Feb.12.

Has anyone "on the inside" tried these yet? They sound great, and with zero grams of trans fat, I can eat as many as I want and not gain a single pound(don't want to hear it!)

Three more days...

 

[dakcp2001]

I love girl scout cookies! I do not love that they come out to test me during my NY resolution diet. lol.

 

[Jennasis]

The cookies seem to have declined in size and quality over the years. I remember when the samoas were much bigger. Of course I live in an area serviced by the bakery that calls them "caramel delights" or something so maybe the samoas are better when made by the other bakery? I also miss the chocolate chunk ones from WAAAAYY back.

 

[Robinrs]

Loved the joke SNL made about it sounding like the name of a Porno star!!

 

[msjprincess]

I tried them, I thought they were all right. I preferred the Lemon Chalet Cremes. Most of the girls in my troop didn't like them. They thought they were too tart.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I tried one at our cookie rally. I didn't like them b/c they had a strong lemon flavor. If you like lemon cookies, though, you would probably like them. Also, I didn't care for the powder b/c it was messy. They were pretty small.

I wish they would bring back something that most people would like, such as the double dutch (choc.).

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I haven't tried them, but I bet they will give Samoas a run for my money (not that I won't be spending waaaay too much money on cookies anyway - we have a small family, so I buy extra to help my kiddo and my niece's troops out).

 

[Stitchfans]

Used to love Girl Scout cookies. Haven't been buying as many as I used to since the price seems to creep up and the cookie seems to be shrinking. Not much for your money. Since it is a good cause though, I still buy some. Savannah Smiles ones sound good. Love lemon.

 

[tweedlemom]

I thought you were talking about the movie they made YEARS ago called "Savannah Smiles." A little girl plays hide and seek in a car and is accidentally carjacked by some guys. Kind of a creepy themed kids movie. Can't believe they're naming a cookie the same name. Can't help but think of that old movie.

 

[Golf4food]

These aren't really "new" cookies are they? Haven't they had a lemon cookie almost exactly like this in the past - including the very recent past? Sounds more like a marketing ploy by changing the name to me.

GSC's are like everything in recent years - smaller packages, smaller items, higher prices.

But darned if those Thin Mints aren't still addicting...

 

[CathrynRose]

I thought you were talking about the movie they made YEARS ago called "Savannah Smiles." A little girl plays hide and seek in a car and is accidentally carjacked by some guys. Kind of a creepy themed kids movie. Can't believe they're naming a cookie the same name. Can't help but think of that old movie.

I thought so too. I loved that movie!

 

[msjprincess]

These aren't really "new" cookies are they? Haven't they had a lemon cookie almost exactly like this in the past - including the very recent past? Sounds more like a marketing ploy by changing the name to me.

GSC's are like everything in recent years - smaller packages, smaller items, higher prices.

But darned if those Thin Mints aren't still addicting...

I don't know about other areas but the lemon cookies that we had the last few years were lemon sandwich cookies. I don't recall ever having cookies similar to these but I may be mistaken.

 

[clutter]

A couple years back they had some lemon cookies dusted with powdered sugar. They were excellent. I'm hoping these are the same, but even though I was a troop leader then, I cannot remember the name.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I thought you were talking about the movie they made YEARS ago called "Savannah Smiles." A little girl plays hide and seek in a car and is accidentally carjacked by some guys. Kind of a creepy themed kids movie. Can't believe they're naming a cookie the same name. Can't help but think of that old movie.

YES_ that was my immediate reaction when I heard about the new cookies on the news. (Actually, my comment was they must have been named by some young "kid" who had never heard of the movie.)

The second wierd thing is our local news was promo-ing the cookies- when our council gets cookies from the other GS baker (eg with Caramel delights and peanut butter patties vs Samoas and Tagalongs). We don't even have them to sell!

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

These aren't really "new" cookies are they? Haven't they had a lemon cookie almost exactly like this in the past - including the very recent past? Sounds more like a marketing ploy by changing the name to me.

GSC's are like everything in recent years - smaller packages, smaller items, higher prices.

But darned if those Thin Mints aren't still addicting...

You are thinking of the Lemonades, which are a shortbread based cookie with a sweet mild lemon cream coating on one side and the exposed side looks like a cross section of a lemon slice.

I am a GS leader and let me tell ya, we are none to happy about the cuts in quality over size and qty. But one thing I wish ppl would realize is that , we the leaders and girls, have absolutely NO control over any of it.

We fall under ABC bakers, so we don't have this Savannah Smiles, we didn't even know about it til we started reading about it online. not like ABC was going to tell us. We had a new cookie come out last year, and this year will be it's last, the Shout Out.

It's extremely frustrating. Our girls keep .43 of out $3.50.

I know people are continuing to purchase them because it helps the girls, and we have people say all the time, they only have money for 1 box @ $3.50, which we totally believe them. But please consider making a donation instead if you really don't want the cookies. When a donation is made, the girls get to keep 100% of it, even if it's only $1. What a lot of ppl don't know is that donating that $1 is more profit than selling 2 boxes of cookies. So what may seem small to the giver, is generously recieved on our end.

 

[NYEmomma]

Oh, I thought you were talking about Okkervil River....

 

[dallastxcpa]

You are thinking of the Lemonades, which are a shortbread based cookie with a sweet mild lemon cream coating on one side and the exposed side looks like a cross section of a lemon slice.

I am a GS leader and let me tell ya, we are none to happy about the cuts in quality over size and qty. But one thing I wish ppl would realize is that , we the leaders and girls, have absolutely NO control over any of it.

We fall under ABC bakers, so we don't have this Savannah Smiles, we didn't even know about it til we started reading about it online. not like ABC was going to tell us. We had a new cookie come out last year, and this year will be it's last, the Shout Out.

It's extremely frustrating. Our girls keep .43 of out $3.50.

I know people are continuing to purchase them because it helps the girls, and we have people say all the time, they only have money for 1 box @ $3.50, which we totally believe them. But please consider making a donation instead if you really don't want the cookies. When a donation is made, the girls get to keep 100% of it, even if it's only $1. What a lot of ppl don't know is that donating that $1 is more profit than selling 2 boxes of cookies. So what may seem small to the giver, is generously recieved on our end.

I am so glad to hear this. I really have a problem with the over priced cookies. I usually buy about $40 worth every year but, I don't really need the cookies. I will just make a donation this year.

Also, our local newspaper reported on the new app to buy cookies..... Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of the girls selling the cookies and learning skills about selling, social interaction, etc...

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Our cookies are $4 a box, but we get to keep 70 cents.

 

[descovy]

I am so glad to hear this. I really have a problem with the over priced cookies. I usually buy about $40 worth every year but, I don't really need the cookies. I will just make a donation this year.

Also, our local newspaper reported on the new app to buy cookies..... Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of the girls selling the cookies and learning skills about selling, social interaction, etc...

I have the app, it just lets you know where the nearest cookie booth is. So the girls still have to sell the cookies.

I am okay with my troops just getting a small cut of the cookies. Out of $4.00/box they will get 60 cents. yes, it isn't much, but the remainder (well about $1.00 goes to the baker) stays in our council and upkeeps our camps. We have several camps in our council and options for horseback riding & sailing. The camps are as affordable as the church-run camp I send my kids too. And my church run camp runs off of big donation campaigns too!

I think in a low-income area, I might give the troop a donation outright vs buying the cookies. A lot of those girls are in girl scouts to be able to experience things they could otherwise not afford to experience.

OTOH, in my suburbia, I would probably ask the girls what their plans for the money are. My Cadette troop does use a lot of it on service (this year they "adopted" a family for Christmas with $200 of troop funds. Yes, we spend money on fun stuff too.

But my youngest, when they were selling cookies one year it was to go to Build A Bear. Fun activity, yes, but these were girls who's families could completely afford BAB. It was nice that they set a goal and learned to work hard towards it (one cookie at a time) but I do not feel that a $40 outright donation would be appropriate. That's just me, though.

Oh, and as a cookie mom in a council who uses ABC bakers (the "other" baker, who is not selling Savannah Smiles) I really wish our local newscasts would hush up, as we are net selling the new cookie. Everyone keeps asking! All ABC did for the 100 anniversary is put an old-ish photo on the Shortbreads box

 

[KnearSeattle]

I don't think anyone responded yet to the question about the Savannah Smiles being very similar to a cookie we used to have. Yes, they are very similar to the Lemon Coolers that Little Brownie Bakers offered a few years back.

Besides misleading people on what cookies are available, these news releases / articles that aren't local tend to have incorrect sales dates, which can be frustrating.