It's Girl Scout Cookie Time

Time to stock up on Thin Mints and more

Here’s a small fun fact. I was a Girl Scout. Yep, me. I still have the uniform (sash, beret, and all) somewhere to prove it. I remember selling cookies during the annual fundraiser for the organization, knocking door to door, and asking my father to sell some down at the store he managed. I wasn’t a Girl Scout for long, but the uniform came in handy during my improv comedy days.

Although you might still see girls clad in green berets selling cookies at fairs and setting up tables outside markets, you won’t likely get an adorable child knocking on your door these days. The Girl Scouts have modernized their efforts to sell treats, utilizing an online cookie finder that will lead you to your local troop’s efforts instead of having small children go door to door like old-timey vacuum salesmen.

The finder works like a charm. Simply type in your zip code and find where your local troop will be selling cookies at events, flea markets, malls, schools, and anywhere else you can think of.

While this year there aren’t any new flavors, favorites like Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs return and it’s the last year to purchase S’mores — the graham cracker sandwich cookie filled with marshmallow and chocolate. There are also two gluten-free cookies (Toffee-tastic and Caramel Chocolate Chip) and several cookies (Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades, and Toast-Yay) are vegan. All varieties of Girl Scout cookies are Kosher and Halal certified.

The Girl Scouts have been selling cookies as a fundraiser since 1917, with the annual cookie drive growing larger and getting more popular each year. What started as a grassroots way to fund programs has become a multi-million dollar campaign. In 2020, the Girl Scouts sold $800 million worth of cookies, which is about 200 million boxes. The local troops that sell the cookies at $6 a box, get to retain about $4 (or more than 60 percent) for their troop expenses.

The girls who sell these cookies also learn valuable business and people skills. Don’t believe me? Try to say no to those adorable little salespeople when they suggest you buy six more boxes of Thin Mints because they “freeze well”.

Lisa Johnson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida agrees. “Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, our girls develop skills that prepare them to take on the world. Every cookie purchase fuels unique opportunities for Girl Scouts to explore their passions, make an impact in their communities, and gain experiences they’ll carry for a lifetime.”

Cookies are on sale now in most cities and are sold through March 2, 2025. To purchase Girls Scout cookies, use the cookie finder tool at girlscouts.org to find a troop selling cookies near you. Starting February 21, you can also order online at the same website.

If you want to send a treat to our troops, the 17th annual Cookies for the Military program allows you to buy cookies to be sent to service members both domestically and overseas. Since the program began, more than 800,000 boxes of cookies have been shipped out to military personnel in partnership with organizations such as Forgotten Soldiers, Operation Homefront, the American Legion, and Soldiers’ Angels. To buy cookies by the box or case for U.S. troops, visit cookiesforthemilitary.org.