Girl Scout Cookie Season, 2021 Edition

Have you ever wondered what Girl Scout Cookies taste like? I surely have. Growing up in the Philippines, I was exposed to watching a lot of American movies. And some of it has the Girl Scout theme. My personal favourite is Troop Beverly Hills. With that being said, I am fortunate enough to have been able to finally try the Girl Scout Cookies in the flesh plus Girl Scout Iced Coffee Dunkin Donuts drinks. Letting you all know, I officially moved to the USA in July 2020.

I was able to purchase the Girl Scout Cookies from a troop selling outside the Walmart in Ogallala, Nebraska. I was helped by one of the girls to choose from the array of cookies laid out on their table. I did skip buying their gluten free cookies and the lemon cookies (as I am not gluten intolerant or a fan of citrus desserts and snacks). What I did get were the following flavours: Toast-Yay!, Thin Mints, Short Bread, Caramel deLites, S’mores, Peanut Butter Patties and Peanut Butter Sandwich. 

Upon research, certain known names of the cookies I have purchased are different, apparently due to the Girl Scout team using 2 different bakeries. Although they look similar in shape and flavour, there are certain differences with the cookies (e.g. Samoas vs Caramel deLites). Upon perusing the Girl Scout website as well, it has come to my knowledge that the Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest Girl-led entrepreneurship in the world. That for me was amazing to find out. By buying these cookies, we are all helping these young ladies in developing certain life skills taught at the Girl Scout community. 

Out of all the flavours I have tried, my personal favourite was the Caramel deLites. I am not a fan of desiccated coconuts and this had that particular ingredient in the batch. What I found most appealing was the flavour profile of the cookie, the coconut was enveloped by the caramel thus reducing the artificial coconutty taste of the said ingredient. The chocolate also pushed forward the flavour envelope as the marrying of the ingredients were such a delightful mouthful. Coming in second was the newest flavour, Toast-Yay! Not only was this cookie looking cute with a frosted side, it also tasted like an actual toast with butter and a hint of cinnamon. The S’mores on the other hand also tasted delicious but it was lacking in the marshmallow flavour profile. As for the peanut butter cookies, I am not a big fan of the peanut butter ones so those for me were ok. The thin mints were pleasurable to eat as they only had a hint of mint, and did not give me the toothpaste-like flavour with every bite. And sadly my least favourite out of the lot was the shortbread as it lacked in butter and was on the dry side. 

Moving on to the Dunkin Donuts Girl Scout Cookie Iced Coffee line, this for me was harder to find in Nebraska. I went to several Walmarts that were supposed to be selling these but found none. I also went to Kansas and explored 2 Walmarts there and found none. I eventually went to Colorado and found 2 of them at a local HMart and 2 flavours in Walmart. To be honest, living in the Midwest makes it difficult for me to access new snacks and drinks that are typically found nationwide, probably more on the coastlines. I know some of my snack friends who live in other parts of the Midwest also have the same sentiments. I am just glad I eventually found them. 

There are only 3 flavours of the Girl Scout Cookie Iced Coffee Dunkin line; Thin Mints, S’mores and the Coconut Caramel. As mentioned above, I loved the Caramel deLites cookies so I definitely tried that iced coffee first. In comparison to the OG GS cookie, it did not taste anything like it. I was utterly disappointed because the caramel or the coconut flavours did not at all show up. All I tasted was a nondescript sweetness and the coffee latte flavour. And unfortunately, this holds true for the S’mores flavour as well. The saving grace of this line was the Thin Mints. As for someone who usually shies away from this flavour, this was the best one. Again not exhibiting a toothpaste-like flavour profile, the amount of mint to coffee ratio was just the right amount. It also somewhat brought me into a Christmas mode. 

Overall, if you have the chance to try the Girl Scout Cookie range, please do support your local troop. They would highly appreciate your business. And as for the Dunkin Donut Girl Scout Cookie Iced Coffee line, I actually expected a better result; do only get the Thin Mints to get maximum bang for your buck.