Girl Scout cookie season review

As spring approaches, one annual tradition returns with its familiar sweetness: Girl Scout cookie season. Each year, troops of enthusiastic girls eagerly set up their stands, proudly wearing their sashes, as customers excitedly purchase their favorites.

This year, Girl Scouts San Diego switched cookie bakers, leading to slight changes in names and recipes. Longtime favorites like Samoas are now labeled as Caramel deLites, with a noticeable difference in taste, texture and appearance. 

While changes in cookie lineups are often met with hesitation, I was not too upset about the discontinuation of S’mores and Toast-Yay after the 2025 season. These two were closer to the bottom of my list, as they did not leave much of an impression. The Toast-Yay is shaped like French toast slices with maple-flavor icing, but I found the flavor to be too sweet and artificial tasting. As for the S’mores, they contain the classic marshmallow filling and chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers, but they never create the same experience as the classic campfire treat. The Girl Scout version has a stale texture and an overly sweet, rubbery taste, incomparable to the crispy outside and gooey inside of making s’mores over a campfire. 

The Toffee-tastic is a great gluten-free option, but the texture is too dry and crumbly. The toffee bits are flavorful, but unevenly distributed, and the sweetness is overwhelming. Another cookie I didn’t enjoy as much is the Peanut Butter Sandwich, previously known as Do-si-dos, a peanut butter flavored cookie, since it is inferior to the other peanut butter-flavored cookie, the Tagalong. The Peanut Butter Sandwich has an oatmeal exterior that is too dry and a bit plain, making it less exciting than the other options. 

The Lemon-Ups and Lemonades land in similar placements on my list, but I do prefer the Lemonades since they have a less artificial tasting lemon flavor. There is a lemon glaze on the bottom of the Lemonades which balances out the buttery flavor of the shortbread cookie. The Lemonades are crispier, while the Lemon-Ups feel drier and less indulgent. 

Next on my list are the Adventurefuls, which were one of my favorites when I was younger. I loved them for their intense sweetness, but now it feels too overwhelming. While the chocolate brownie and caramel combination is indulgent, the sweetness makes it nauseating after a few bites. 

The next cookie, Thin Mints, may come at a surprise, since you might think that they would rank higher as they are the most popular Girl Scout cookie. While they have never been my top choice, the change in bakers has made them less enjoyable. Just by looking at them, the chocolate coating looks more matte and dry. The chocolate flavor overpowers the mint, making it less refreshing than before,with a drier  texture. It is still a decent cookie, but not the same minty treat I used to enjoy. 

Moving to my top three cookies, Peanut Butter Patties, previously known as Tagalongs, have remained a favorite for me. The ratio of the smooth, rich chocolate and creamy, peanut butter is perfectly balanced with a crispy cookie in the center. I do prefer Tagalongs more, since the texture of the cookie is better and the peanut butter is more creamy. 

Caramel deLites, more famously known as Samoas, are another fan favorite alongside Thin Mints. It consists of a combination of caramel, coconut and chocolate flavors, and they have not been affected much by the change in bakers. The texture is chewy and crispy at the same time, and the coconut flavor is not too overpowering. 

While many gravitate toward the more decadent options, my favorite cookie has always been the Trefoils, a buttery, shortbread cookie that often gets overshadowed by the others. Their texture is crisp and light, and the flavor is rich but not overwhelming, with a subtle sweetness that comes from the buttery base. Unlike some of the other heavy, chocolate-coated cookies, Trefoils have a perfect balance for those who want a more understated cookie. 

Seeing Girl Scouts selling cookies brings back cheerful childhood memories from stocking up on my favorites and slowly savoring each one. Whether it’s a new cookie or a nostalgic classic, Girl Scout cookies are more than just treats, it’s a tradition that I look forward to every year.