(NEXSTAR) — A painfully short but pleasantly sweet time of year is back again — no, we’re not talking about tax season or Mardi Gras. It’s something even better: Girl Scout cookie season.
Girl Scouts nationwide are gearing up to sell boxes upon boxes of Thin Mints, Trefoils, Lemonades, and, for the final time, two other “beloved” cookies.
Regardless of where you live, there is likely a Girl Scout troop near you ready to sell you a box (or multiple).
Where you buy your cookies may impact what cookies you get, at least sort of.
Generally speaking, you’ll have 12 cookie flavors to choose from, from the original Trefoil and iconic Thin Mints to the soon-to-be retired S’mores and Toast-Yay!
A handful of offerings have a dual identity, thanks to the bakery responsible for them.
Two bakeries are tasked with producing Girl Scout cookies: ABC Bakers in Richmond, Virginia, and Kentucky-based Little Brownie Bakers. While recipes may vary, the bakeries make Thin Mints, Adventurefuls, Trefoil, Caramel Chocolate Chips, Girl Scout S’mores, Lemonades, Lemon-Ups, Toast-Yays!, and Toffee-tastic cookies.
Both also produce caramel and coconut cookies with chocolate stripes; oatmeal and peanut butter sandwich cookies; and “cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating” — but, as the Girl Scouts note, “the name of the cookie and the recipe may differ.”
At ABC Bakers, those cookies are known as Caramel Delites, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, and Peanut Butter Patties. When coming from Little Brownie Bakers, they’re Samoas, Do-Si-Dos, and Tagalongs.
Generally, the cookies will have little differences. For example, Adventurefuls produced by Little Brownie Bakers have fewer calories than their ABC Bakers counterpart, while ABC Bakers’ Peanut Butter Patties have fewer calories than Little Brownie Bakers’ Tagalongs.
Each council — which represents the Girl Scout troops across local regions or states — selects the baker for their cookies. It’s common for neighboring councils to have the same baker, but it’s not the standard.
Five of the six councils that represent Girl Scouts in Wisconsin, for example, use ABC Bakers. The Girl Scouts of Manitou Council — which covers troops in all or parts of Calumet, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, and Wisconsin — uses Little Brownie Bakers instead.
Illinois experiences a similar phenomenon. Of the five councils that cover the state, four sell cookies from Little Brownie Bakers. The Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, however, work with ABC Bakers.
Not sure which cookies your troop is selling? You can find their cookie information on the Girl Scouts website, as well as details on how to order a box (or a case).
