For over a century, Girl Scout Cookies have been sold door-to-door across the United States in a campaign to develop independent, socially conscientious young women. Going from early February until late March, the cookies are sold by Girl Scouts, with all proceeds going back into sustaining their local programs. I recently tried some of the newest cookie flavors to provide my personal recommendations on the classic snack.
Girl Scout Cookies are very important to the U.S. Amidst the hodgepodge of American culture, there is little that unites us more than the beloved treat. Led by a battalion of entrepreneurial young girls and sold only during the late winter and early spring, the cookies are a hallowed sign of changing seasons. It’s a thing I find we forget about as we become depleted by the moody, sunless months of winter. Yet when the weather finally begins to warm and better times seem closer ahead, the troops return, ready and able to help us usher in the sun.
Next to the Corner’s Bank of America, you will find a foldable gray table with boxes upon glorious boxes of Crayola-classic purples and blues. It’s a neat location, perfect for those who enjoy slow walks and admiring lovely, dry mornings — for they have come at long last.
During my visit, I saw some familiar favorites — Samoas and Thin Mints galore. But there are new ones too. Released in 2021 and 2022, respectively, Toast-Yay! and Adventurefuls are joined this year by the newest edition, Raspberry Rally. With these cookies on the stands, it’s a delightful return to the season, and our national ritual feels newly precious in warm air.
To help prepare you for your imminent visit to the table, I’ve broken down the new flavors and my first impressions of them. So, let’s try some $6.00 snacks, enjoy the sun and salute our wonderful Girl Scout tradition. May she never die.
Raspberry Rally
The cookie is a thin, shiny chocolate painted over a pink biscuit. It’s certainly sweet, but there’s a zing from the raspberry that seems unbecoming of shortbread. This is because shortbread, from conception, has always been about the butter — the kind of fat that feels heavy on your tongue.
Raspberry — great as it may be — is incompatible with such heavy, coronary glory. What’s left is an oddly tart, strangely satisfying clash of the bright and creamy. It’s not a bad flavor, but it could be better. The texture, however, is purely wonderful — a honeycomb of crunch and air. The bites are loud, and the cereal-crisp innards crackle between your teeth. It is a fun sound but doesn’t make up for the lackluster taste.
Adventurefuls
This cookie has a brownie inspired base, furbished with a button of caramel and drizzled syrup — I thought they were rather cute. The taste is of chocolate and salt — it’s not bitter like real cocoa, but there is an oily sweetness that excites an inert palate for sugar and grease. The texture, already stodgy like a protein bar, with the added caramel center makes for an absolutely gnawing tear. It is a commitment to eat. There is a lot of chewing. I’m not sure it’s worth it. I would recommend a classic Thin Mints instead.
Toast-Yay!
This spiced sugar cookie is modeled after toast, with one side layered in icing — a winning feature for anyone with a sucrose-loving heart. Inspired by the flavors of French toast, this biscuit, unlike the other rookies, suggests a more nostalgic vision.
Cinnamon is present in waves — flitting from light undertones to clove-laden strikes of flavor. Icing is as it should be, sandy on the tongue but quickly melting into milky treacle. It has a soft, dehydrated crust, similar to the pap of a leftover cake. The staleness would mesh well with a cappuccino. There is a broader appeal here — the Toast-Yay! meets both childhood whimsy and the drier, more textured needs of an older consumer. A laudable compromise, surely.
To conclude, I found the new flavors exciting to sample and okay to taste. I still think Samoas are better, but the real fun was always the event of getting sugar-high with your friends anyways. It remains the best way to start the season, and I suggest dropping by a booth to try for yourself.
The closest booth to Grounds can be found most easily in front of the Corner’s Bank of America. There, the cookies are sold on weekends from 2:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. I recommend a visit, if only for the tradition.
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