Six decades of sweet cookies

Welcome Bay brownie Connie Gilchrist, 8, and Welcome Bay Girl Guides and sisters Ellyse, 11, Payton, 11, and Mackenzie Schrama, 12, meeting June Minnell, 87, who was a tawny owl in 1963 in Wanganui. Photo: Tracy Hardy.


It's that time of year again. Girl Guide biscuit season. But this year is a little different.

This year, Girl Guide biscuit sales will hit their 60th anniversary. Yes, New Zealanders have been chomping on the Guide cookies for 60 years.

Tauranga Girl Guide biscuit champion and unit guide leader for Welcome Bay guides Donna Schrama says her girls trooped down to the Acadia resthome in Tauranga this week to celebrate 60 years with the residents.

'The girls thought that was great. They just enjoyed going over and spending time with the people. 'They went around showing off their badges.

'I told the residents a little bit about how it was our 60-year anniversary for selling biscuits – and there was a lady there who was a tawny owl, which is a Brownie assistant leader, about 54 years ago,” says Donna.

'What are the chances of talking to someone who was almost there when biscuits were first brought out?”

According to GirlGuiding New Zealand their biscuits are just as good now as they were when first sold in 1957.

Chief executive Susan Coleman says the recipe for the original Guide biscuit is still basically the same since it was developed and sold in large square tins 60 years ago.

'We have met the demands of our modern market for chocolate and mini varieties, but the old favourites have stayed original. The recipe has hardly changed and local company Griffin's still make them.”

For more information or to get involved in your local Girl Guides, visit: www.girlguidingnz.org.nz

And if you're ready to try something different with your Guide biscuits, visit: www.guidebiscuits.org.nz/#recipes for some great recipes

Or try this ever-popular fudge recipe using one packet of plain Girl Guide biscuits.

Continental fudge

Base ingredients:

125g butter

½ cup sugar

1 Tbsp cocoa

1 egg, beaten

1 pack original Guide biscuits, crushed

¼ chopped walnuts

1 tsp vanilla essence

Filling ingredients:

125g butter (soft, but not melted)

1 Tbsp hot water

2 cups icing sugar

1 Tbsp custard powder

Method

To make the base. Melt butter, sugar and cocoa. Remove from heat and add beaten egg and crushed biscuits, then remaining ingredients. Press into sponge roll tin, chill, and then cover with filling.

To make the filling, mix all filling ingredients together thoroughly and spread on top of chilled mixture. Chill again. Ice with chocolate icing if desired and slice into fingers.

Serve and enjoy!

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