Girl Scout Cookie Throwdown Poll: And The Winner Is …

Community Corner Girl Scout Cookie Throwdown Poll: And The Winner Is … Eating Girl Scout Cookies taps a wellspring of memories for former Scouts; it’s not just the classic cookies that show up in our survey. Reply
Girl Scout Cookie booths will soon crop up in cities across the country. This year’s lineup includes 13 varieties, including a new Raspberry Rally cookie, billed as a “sister” to the classic Thin Mints. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Girl Scouts of the USA)
ACROSS AMERICA — So sorry, Samoas fans. Thin Mints are the clear winner in our search for the best Girl Scout Cookie.
Our survey listed each of the varieties in the 2023 Girl Scout lineup and asked Patch readers to select their favorite. It’s by no means a scientific poll, but with 2,837 responses, it does offer a glimpse of what cookies people will choose as the annual Girl Scouts campaign gets started this month and continues through early spring. Before we get into the results, a fair number of readers said the different flavors trigger fond memories of Girl Scout Cookie sales when they were kids. Local councils and troops directly benefit from in-person and online cookie sales, according to the Girl Scout organization.
“I’m 74,” one reader said. “I was a Girl Scout when I was 12 years old. I sold the most cookies in my troop and got a badge. The most favorite cookie back in the day was [Thin Mints]. My favorite cookie still.” Another person, also a Thin Mints fan, said the cookies refresh “the memory of enjoying them as a kid and Girl Scout.”
‘I Could Eat A Whole Sleeve’ The crisp, chocolate and mint wafer was also the top choice of about 42 percent of readers, compared with about 23 percent who chose Samoas, known as Caramel deLites in some parts of the country, and about 15 percent who chose Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs. “Classic and light!” someone effused about Thin Mint, saying the “cookie is delicious!”
“The perfect blend of chocolate and mint makes Thin Mints so special,” someone else said, using three exclamation points to convey their love of the Girl Scouts’ classic. “There’s hardly any other chocolate/mint combination that is this good!” another person proclaimed.
“The dark chocolate and the mint is awesome,” another reader noted, adding the peppermint flavoring is not overpowering. One reader freezes Thin Mints and serves them with milk. Another eats them straight out of the box or the freezer; it doesn’t matter much which. “Chocolate and mint are a classic flavor profile that never gets old,” someone else said. “The cookies are versatile and can be paired with ice cream and other desserts!” For some readers, Thin Mints are practically an entrée. They’re “the kind of cookie that it is hard to have just one — just keep going eating them,” someone noted. “Love the Thin Mints,” another person agreed. “I could eat a whole sleeve at one sitting.”
The recipe is timeless, another person said, noting, “They have been the same from the beginning and I look forward to buying them.” ‘The Freaking Best’ Samoas, though. (You may know them as Caramel deLites.) “They are the freaking best!” someone boldly proclaimed. “They are the GOAT cookie,” another person said, using the acronym for “greatest of all time.” Why?
“It just is,” one person said. “It tastes the best, obviously,” said another. “I don’t know,” someone else said, “but I can’t stop at just one or two.” Another person called them “absolute perfection.” It’s not hard to see a devilish grin behind this comment: “Nobody in my house likes coconut, so these are all mine.” Another reader challenged: “They are my very favorite. Nothing says it more. Just try one.” A person who grew up as a diehard Thin Mints fan did. “Mom purchased a box [of Thin Mints] and put them directly in the freezer. We were allowed two frozen cookies for dessert. It was heaven,” the person wrote.
“Samoas took over in my workplace when a colleague’s daughter presented herself and had no boxes of Thin Mints,” the reader continued. “I suggested that she choose my alternative. The coconut bits were immediately awesome. The Samoas never made it home to the freezer.” “I love the combo of chocolate, coconut and caramel,” someone else said, proclaiming the treat “soooo good!” “All my favorite yummy ingredients are within!” another person said. “The combination of chocolate, caramel is hard to resist,” one person said, noting, though, that it “is nice to see some gluten-free selections now, too.” ‘Melts In Your Mouth’ Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs cookies have “always been my favorite,” a former Girl Scout said.
“It’s peanut butter and chocolate, what’s NOT to like,” someone else said of the cookie, using the hashtags #Yum and #TeamTagalong to punctuate all the Tagalongs love. Another reader does like Thin Mints as an alternative, but said “peanut butter and chocolate are still unbeatable.” These cookies are “mmm, mmm yummy,” someone else said. “Need I say more?” Several readers whose favorites ranked close to the bottom of the cookie poll defended their choices. Lemonades are the top choice for 75 readers (2.6 percent), who like their refreshing, zesty taste. “Melts in your mouth,” one person said.
A reader in Georgia loves the shortbread cookies with zesty lemon but is bummed because she can’t order them from Girl Scouts in her state. “So you have to support and purchase from other troops in states outside of Georgia,” the reader said. “I wish Georgia would have more choices other than the same ol’ ones year after year.” “The subtle lemon flavor with a shortbread cookie” is what another reader likes about Lemonades. Lemon-Ups didn’t get as much love, with only 25 people (0.9 percent) making them the top choice. One person appreciates Lemon-Ups for “the flavor, size and the powdered sugar-coating.” Toffee-tastic, which 34 readers (1.2 percent) prefer, “don’t taste like a gluten-free cookie, and they are delicious,” one reader said. Several other readers also said they liked the gluten-free option.
“Reminds me of my favorite, Dulce de Leche,” another reader said, referencing a Latin American confection. S’more Of This, Please Girl Scout S’mores, the choice of 1.4 percent of readers, are a nice treat without having to light a campfire, according to a reader who first bought a box at a booth outside a grocery store in Florida, then looked for them without much success in New Jersey “They always seem to run out at booths,” said the reader who recalled her own Girl Scout Cookie selling days in Newark in the 1960s. About 4 percent of readers said Trefoils, the original Girl Scout Cookie, can’t be beat. They’re great for dunking in coffee, tea or milk, several people said. “It’s been my favorite all my life,” one person said of the shortbread cookie.
“It’s a classic: always tastes the same year after year and brings back memories from my childhood,” someone else said. Also underappreciated is Toast-Yay, which 12 people (0.4 percent) of readers said was their favorite. One person liked the “delicious creamy peanut butter centers,” another liked the consistency of the cookie and someone else proclaimed it “delicious.” The New Cookie On The Block To be fair, Raspberry Rally — billed as a “sister” to Thin Mints, infused with raspberry flavorings instead of mint — is a new cookie and not many people have had a chance to sample it. Those who have seemed to be hooked, though. Eighteen readers (0.6 percent) said they prefer it over all the others. “Chocolate and raspberry is a good mixture,” one person said.
“I love the new raspberry cookie,” said one person who has tried them. Several others, especially fans of Thin Mints, said they would give them a try this year. We didn’t offer the choice of “none of these cookies,” but the comments of a few of readers suggest we should have. One person chose Thin Mints by default. “Honestly, it’s an edible cookie while the rest of the GS cookies are pretty terrible,” the person said.