Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Burry's Cookies

I have blogged about Burry's cookies before and I am sure I will blog about them again. Today's item of interest is an ad from Women's Day, undated but from around 1963. The box that made me buy the ad was the Gauchos. When I was a kid Gauchos were my favorite cookies, they had a peanut butter cream filling with a kind of oatmeal cookie. But the box I remember, and am still trying to find, had an elephant character. But as you can see the earlier box had a little gaucho dude as the mascot. In the late 60's all the Burry's boxes went through a redesign, the little gaucho was out and in was the more kid friendly elephant. I had always wondered about that Gauchos name and now I understood why they had that name.

As a side note, you can still buy cookies that are the same as Gauchos each year from the Girl Scouts. I think they are called Peanut Butter Sandwich or somesuch. They are exactly the same because Burry's was the original manufacturer of GS Cookies and even though the Burry company is gone the cookie continues.....

33 comments:

curator said...

I've never been here before. What a great blog! Where do you find this stuff?

Dan Goodsell said...

I do a lot of buying on ebay and at flea markets

Anonymous said...

i am suddenly very very hungry...

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I hear that...I am suddenly very hungry too, and there are no girlscouts or cookies to be found. Bummer...

This blog does rock Danno, I have been silently looking here and there for a while but finally broke down and here I am to stay, later...

Enjoy...

Anonymous said...

Very cool. I found your site when I was having a conversation with my 12 year old telling him that Do-Si-Dos Girl Scout cookies are a ripoff of the Gauchos I ate as a kid. I told him they were my favorite cookies growing up, until I was reminded by the Burry's ad that Fudge Filled Shortcake cookies probably surpassed Gauchos. Thanks for bringing back some fond memories.

esoxenvy said...

Gauchos were also my favorite cookies when I was a kid in the 60's and 70's. I clearly remember looking at the orange colored box with the elephant on it as I dunked these delicious cookies in milk and wolfed them down. You can get the exact same cookies in Canada called "Pirate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies" produced by Christie (a division of Kraft Canada and Nabisco). These are a bit less expensive than the Girl Scout version of Gauchos. I just ate some a few minutes ago!

Anonymous said...

I'm eating Do-si-dos, the Girl Scout version, right now! It's great being an adult and not having Mom telling me I have to share the Gauchos with my brother! Luckily, my kids don't like them, so I get them to myself!

I also remember the elephant box, and I had completely forgotten about the Burry's fudge cookies, which were awesome too.

Anonymous said...

Excellent blog. Yes, I remember BOTH Gaucho boxes,and it was wonderful seeing the old box,but I agree,the ORANGE box with the elephant was the best! The Burry Bisquit Company in Elizabeth, NJ was only a few miles from my home. In the summer-at night-they would fire up the ovens and begin baking those masterpieces. What a delicious sweet aroma filled the air for miles.Thanks for the great memory.Gaucho was my favorite,too.

Anonymous said...

Is this the box you were looking for ??

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60585948@N00/685487033/

Anonymous said...

I should've added this one too...
Heres the box for the Fudge Towns.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60585948@N00/70520857/

Anonymous said...

Back in the late 50's and early 60's, the I loved it when I sold girl scout cookies. My favorites were the sandwich ones.

Anonymous said...

Burry's also made a Christmas tree cookie, FANTASIES, I believe. Just a seasonal shortbread type cookie with colorful sprinkles.

Anonymous said...

My sister and I have been trying since the 70's to find a cookie that tastes like the Burrys X-Mas cookies. We haven't had any luck. It was such a wonderful childhood memory. My Dad would buy them and we couldn't eat them until X-Mas Eve.

LindySun said...

I'm so glad to find that other people miss some of these old cookies! Gauchos were the best!
Does anyone know why those old cookie assortment boxes were discontinued? How nice to have a choice....remember those square spice cookies with the fireplace and kettle embossed on them?

Anonymous said...

Burry's Cookies had a deal that if you bought 3 boxes (as though you needed any more prompting) in the 1950's, you would get a free general admission ticket to Connie Mack Stadium. How could anyone beat that?

Anonymous said...

Personally I miss the Vanilla nad Choc sandwich cookies. When the girl scout would come to my house I would buy at least 10 boxes and freeze them, They were the best!

Anonymous said...

sadly i have not enjoyed cookies since fudgetown cookies were discontinued.

Anonymous said...

The former Burry's warehouse in Elizabeth has been burning since yesterday. I can see the smoke from midtown Manhattan and checked the news to see what it was. I saw it was Burry's and got very nostalgic. Can someone please revive Fudgetowns???

Nickelpic said...

I had never heard of Burry's cookies and only looked them up when I saw the old warehouse was burning in NJ. :(

pat said...

I grew up in Elizabeth, NJ and the Burry Biscuit factory was near the Elizabeth Newark line. Many kids got their first jobs with Burry. Miss them. Also miss Olympic Park but that's another story for another time.
Good Blog
Pat

Marianne Pritchard said...

I grew up in New Haven, Ct. and my favorite cookie was the Gaucho. I did have GS peanut butter and it does taste the same.
This is a great blog.
Glad I found it today.
Marianne

Anonymous said...

Growing up, my mom used to go to their discount store in L.A. And buy boxes (crates) of seconds. My favorites were the pe ute butter wafer cookies. I was reminded of them when I saw a Reese's ad for their, new, wafer cookie.

Anonymous said...

Mother's Cookies do have a PB Cookie called Gaucho. They do tast the same as or very similar to the GS version. They are rectangle shape rather than round.
Scott

Troop 505 member/Cinti, OH said...

When I first sold Girl Scout cookies (as a Brownie) in the late 1950's here in Cincinnati, Ohio, we sold the Burry Biscuit-brand of G.S. cookies, and they were delicious (much better than what the Girl Scouts are selling now). Locally a company from Louisville, Kentucky (I think??) sells G.S. cookies under the company name of "Little Brownie," but this brand of G.S. cookie doesn't hold a candle to Burry Biscuit brand of cookies !!! I also miss the quality that Burry Biscuit cookies made for the Scouts - too bad that Burry Biscuit is no more (later this company was bought by Quaker Oats during the 1960's, but the quality seemed to remain the same - possibly still being made by Burry in New Jersey even though owned by the corporate Quaker Oats). When I first sold G.S. cookies, they cost about 40 cents per box !!!

PattyP said...

I remember Burry Biscuit cookies mostly because I worked there from 1964 to 1970 in a small office building on Durant Street just one block down from the factory on Newark Avenue. At that time, it was owned by Quaker Oats Co. It was a wonderful company to work for. I was in both the Marketing and Sales Departments as a secretary. Every morning a lady named Sally wheeled a coffee urn over to our office with an assortment of cookies and crackers, which she laid out on trays. If I remember correctly, the coffee cups she brought were mugs not paper or styrofoam. My sister worked for the Plant Manager and was there long after I left. Later, Burry's was bought by LU, the french company and became Burry Lu but they sold the Burry name/brand to Interbake.
Yes, the cookies and crackers were delicious but what I miss most are the friends I made there.

Unknown said...

I loved these cookies my dad worked for burrys for s long long time yum trying to find s picture of the fantasies cookies

Bill said...

I am 60 years old and my father worked selling Burry’s cookies we had a cellar filled of fudgetowns, Gauchos and Scooter Pies I still have a couple of the giveaway scooter Pie finger puppets they gave away in the boxes. my first job when I graduated high school was a salesman for Mutual Biscuit and are main line to sell was Burry Cookies, they came out with the Burry Best line, there Chocolate Chip cookies were the best, then they were bought by Lu.

Unknown said...

My daddy worked for them too. In Plainfield, Dunnellon and all around the area. I loved those cookies especially the Christmas ones with sprinkles and the little sleeves oh chocolate chips....great memories

Unknown said...

Yes!!!!;!

Unknown said...

Those,were so good. We would push the fudge thru the center hole and wear them on our fingers

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Anonymous said...

My dad worked for Quaker Oats. They gave all employee's children Betsy Burry yellow-haird rag dolls. I still have mine.