This Girl Scout cookie baking community service project is a wonderful non-denominational meeting that can be done this December.
Note-This activity was done with my troop when they were third grade Brownies in December 2012, many years prior to Covid. Please check with the organization you wish to donate to and see if they are accepting homemade baked treats.
For Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors, here is what my troop did as a Girl Scout cookie baking community service project for many years.
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Troops can do more than sell Girl Scout cookies-they can bake them for a community service project! There are many organizations that can benefit from your girls’ efforts. Senior citizen centers, shelters, police, fire fighters, and our military troops overseas are just some of the groups that can benefit.
In December 2012, my Brownie Girl Scout troop baked cookies for our military serving overseas. In our community, we have an organization that has a cookie drive for the troops. They send homemade or store bought cookies that are brought to them. I wanted to do a different project for the holiday season, and this one sounded like something my girls would enjoy.
Girl Scout troops of all levels can do this cookie baking project. The level of the troop, as well as how many girls you have, will dictate the kinds of cookies you bake, as well as how much additional help you will need. My girls were second year Brownies (third graders), and I has eleven in my troop. I recruited five helpers-myself, my co-leader, two other moms, and my sixteen year old daughter.
Pre-Meeting Things to Do for a Girl Scout Cookie Baking Project
Once I decided that our girls would bake cookies for the troops, I needed to get a field trip approval number from my Service Unit contact. When the trip was approved, I sent an email to the parents informing them of the trip and the date. In this email, I also solicited volunteers and sent the permission form as an attachment.
Originally, the cookie baking was going to be at my house. But I lucked out and had a parent volunteer her brand new, very spacious kitchen! Note to leaders…in order to have an off premises trip such as this, you will need three registered volunteers. Again I lucked out, as the kitchen volunteer was also our troop treasurer.
How to Organize the Girl Scout Cookie Baking Project
In order for this Girl Scout community service project to work, you really need to be prepared. Road test a few recipes if you do not bake often, otherwise, just use some of your favorites. You can ask a friend for one of her successful recipes.
You have to decide what kind of cookies you want your girls to make. Drop cookies? Cookie bars? Cut-out cookies? You also need to decide if they are going to do all of the baking and measuring on the field trip kitchen or if you are going to do it in advance. The type of cookie you make and how capable your girls are will dictate how you proceed.
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Because I wanted this to be hands on with minimal mess, I decided on a cut-out cookie recipe. I went to Target’s after Halloween sale and scored colorful sugars and sprinkles for half price.
The week before our Girl Scout cookie baking project, I sent out an email to the parents. I wanted the girls to bring their own rolling pin and two of their favorite cookie cutters. Both of these items had to be labels somehow with the girls name to avoid any mix-ups. If any of your girls do not have any of these items, it is fine, since they can share.
While our trip took place during our regularly scheduled meeting time , I did need to extend the time an extra half hour. This additional time may not have worked for everyone, so I asked the parents to inform me if their daughter was being picked up at our usual time. I needed to know this information so make the groups accordingly.
You will also want to ask how many cookie sheets and cooling racks your host kitchen has, as well as how many cookie sheets can fit into the oven at one time. You will need at least four cookie sheets and three or four cooling racks.
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Shopping list for the Girl Scout Cookie Baking Project:
Ingredients for the cookies
Parchment paper
Paper bowls (to put the decorations)
Plastic spoons (for the decorations)
Foil cookie trays (if you are going the disposable route)
Cookie decorations-sugars, sprinkles, chocolate chips, toffee, etc.
Construction paper
Markers
Disposable plastic containers
Stickers
How to Organize the Big Cookie Baking Day
Since I wanted to make this project with minimal mess, I made all of the dough the night before. The recipe called for the dough to be chilled, and the person who gave me the recipe for this cookie said she had made in the day before with no problem.
Each batch of batter was divided into thirds and then wrapped in parchment paper that had been sprinkled with powdered sugar before being put into the refrigerator.
Because I could not have eleven girls (plus the two younger sisters of one of my girls and my son) bake at the same time, I made stations.
Station 1 Baking
Station 2 Making cards for the troops
Station 3 Decorating the plastic containers where the cookies would be placed
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Each station lasted about twenty minutes. There was one adult at each of the art stations, and two at the baking station. My daughter floated around to all three stations to help anyone who needed it.
To avoid drama, I made the up the groups in advance. The girls who had to leave at our normal time baked first, insuring they would get their turn.
How to Keep the Mess to a Minimum
Baking Station
Plastic Table Covers
Parchment Paper
Trefoil cookie cutter
Hand wipes
Lay the plastic table covering on the table or island where the girls will be baking.
Unwrap the parchment paper, divide up the dough, and have the girls roll out their dough and cut out the cookies on a fresh piece of parchment paper of their own. Once the cookie is cut, leave the cookie cutter in place. Spoon on the sugar or sprinkles and they will not roll around all over the cookie sheet! Repeat until there is no more dough left to cut. Remove those pieces and leave the cookies on the parchment paper.
Where there is room on the parchment paper, repeat until the dough is gone. Move the parchment paper onto the cookie tray and put it in the oven. When they are done, remove the parchment paper with the cookies onto a cooling rack. The cookie sheet is now ready for the next group of Girl Scouts, no cleaning necessary!
When the girls are done baking, assign a volunteer to wash the rolling pins and cookie cutters. Then have the girls put them in their bags or by their coats.
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Card Station and Container Station
Materials
Construction paper or cardstock
Markers/crayons
Fancy edged scissors
Stickers
Trash can by the table for scraps of paper
The girls can make more than one card. For the girls at the container station, here is where my they got very creative. I bought those tiny circle stickers at the Dollar Store. The used them to make smiley faces and words, such as “Thank You” and “Happy Holidays”.
My co-leader, the troop photographer, took pictures for our perpetual Girl Scout scrapbook!
The girls had a fantastic time, and so did the volunteers. Having my Girl Scouts bake cookies for a community service project is something they will always remember!
After the Project
I know the troops were appreciative. My husband and I attended a cocktail party on our local military base two hours after we finished our Girl Scout cookie baking community service project. When I shared with a two star general what the girls accomplished, he gave me his coin! This is one of the highest honors a civilian can receive from a senior officer. Our military truly appreciates everything you do to support them.
What service projects are you planning for this December?
