Comparing Walmart And Aldi's Copycat Girl Scout Cookie Lineups

If you're looking for Girl Scout cookies, but they're out of season, check out Walmart and Aldi for imitations of the classic cookies. These grocery chains keep copycat cookies on their shelves because they know the non-profit organization for girls brings in a large amount of money with the yearly cookie fundraiser. Between January and April, the Girls Scouts sell about $800 million worth of cookies. That number is amazing considering most troops participate in cookie sales for about six weeks. Big business wanted a piece of that action.

There are advantages to appeasing your hankering for cookies by heading to the supermarket. You won't have to wait for cookie season or worry about shortages. Many of the knockoff cookies taste nearly identical to the original product. Finally, the prices in the grocery store are usually much cheaper. Girl Scouts sell their cookies for about $5 a box which is nearly double what most of the imitations cost. Don't let the higher price scare you away from supporting your local troop, though. According to the Girl Scouts of River Valley, about 75% of what you spend on cookies stays in your community. The same cannot be said of major grocery chains.

You can have the best of both worlds, though. Buy from Girl Scouts when they're selling and the rest of the year purchase cookies from the grocery store. So, it all comes down to which imitation cookies are the best tasting and closest to what your local troop sells.

You're in the aisle of shame, browsing through great deals on stuff you don't need when a craving for some Thin Mints hits you. Pick up a package of Benton's mint-striped fudge cookies. These are not an exact copy of the top-selling Girl Scout Cookie, but they'll ease your need for mint and chocolate. Aldi sells them in packages of 28 for around $2.

These cookies are shaped more like Keebler's Grasshoppers than Thin Mints — a chocolate ring with scalloped edges. Instead of dipping them into a chocolate bath, though, Benton's has coated the bottom and striped the top with in light green mint frosting. These gorgeous cookies will add flare to any snack table — more than regular Thin Mints, but the flavor of these cookies is subdued. Their greater thickness means you taste more chocolate cookie and less mint coating. Grab one to nibble on and you'll need to eat it in about five bites instead of the two or three required for daintier thin mints.

The Girl Scout's second biggest sellers are Caramel deLites or Samoas, but you can get the same dose of caramel, coconut, and chocolate by buying Great Value's knock-off caramel coconut and fudge cookies from Walmart. A package costs about $2.20 and has a cookie count of 15, –the same number as in an original box of Samoas, but at half the price.

Great Value has perfectly emulated the original cookie from the Girl Scouts. These have enough caramel mixed with coconut that there's no crunch, just chewy scrumptiousness. The chocolate dribbled over the top and coating the bottom goes perfectly with the other flavors. These treats are closer to being a candy bar than a cookie except that they're round.

In March 2023, Girl Scout troops across the country reported Samoa shortages — supply chain issues meant there weren't enough of the popular cookie to go around. If that happens again next spring, you'll know you can just head to Walmart for chocolatey, coconut, and caramel goodness.

Tagalongs, aka Peanut Butter Patties, are the Girl Scout's third most successful cookie and you can find an acceptable substitute for them at Walmart. A package of Great Value's fudge-covered peanut butter-filled cookies includes 18 treats and costs about $1.80. That's a much better deal than 15 for around $5 from the Girl Scouts. Don't forget though: the money you pay for Girl Scout cookies goes to your local troop while what you spend at Walmart just goes into the megastore's coffers.

When you bite into one of these cookies, the first thing you notice is the sweet, melty chocolate. Then the peanut butter filling squishes out. The experience ends in a crunch when your teeth get to the cookie. That's just about the same as chowing down on some original Tagalongs, but you don't have to wait until cookie season in March. These are pretty good cookies, but having a thicker layer of peanut butter and a thinner cookie would make them mind-blowingly fantastic. Try topping them with an extra spoonful of spread if you want more peanut taste.

If you're craving Do-si-dos, the Girl Scout's peanut butter sandwich cookie, buy Nature Valley's Peanut Butter Biscuits at Walmart. You can find them in the cereal aisle. Do-si-dos are one of the Girl Scout's oldest recipes — they came out in the 1960s and are two oatmeal cookies sandwiching a sweet peanutty filling. It may have been the first time anyone sold industrially baked peanut butter sandwich cookies.

Nature Valley's peanut butter sandwiches also come with peanut butter filling between two oatmeal cookies. While Do-si-dos are small circles, these biscuits are larger oval shapes. The best thing about them is the intense peanut butter taste you get with every bite — it's not overly sweet peanut butter-flavored frosting, but bonafide peanut butter, like eating a spoonful straight from the jar. The cookies have an oatmeal texture from beginning to end — if it weren't sacrilege, you might think Nature Valley's product was even superior to the original.

Ten Nature Valley cookies come individually wrapped in the box and cost around $6.80 — a little more expensive than a box of original Do-si-dos. While the extra packaging isn't great for the environment, it's nice for keeping the cookies fresh. It could also make you think twice before overindulging.

In the grand ranking of Girl Scout Cookies, Lemonades fall somewhere around the middle. They aren't a favorite like Samoas or Thin Mints, but people still like them. They're big and pleasing to the eye, perfect to set out on a table to share. They're also an easy flavor for kids to enjoy. So it's easy to imagine a situation where you might want to buy them outside of season. If that's the case, you should head to Walmart and pick up some of Great Value's Lemon Dipped Shortbread Cookies. A package costs about $2 and contains 16 cookies — the same number as comes in a bag of the originals –, but significantly less expensive. 

Great Value's copycat lemon cookies are almost indistinguishable from the Girl Scouts'. Size, texture, and taste are identical. Carefully inspect the lemon pattern imprinted on the top of the cookie, and you might be able to tell it's one of these knockoffs because it's slightly different. 

The Girl Scouts' caramel chocolate chip cookies haven't had the success of other cookies. Granted, they are gluten-free, which also means they're more expensive and have a less appealing texture. To most palates, though, they taste like any chocolate chip cookie. If you wanted to buy these because you can't eat gluten, check out alternative companies like Goodie Girl or Wow. On the other hand, if you simply wanted some normal chocolate chip cookies — Consumer Reports and CNet say these cookies have almost no caramel taste to them — try Great Value's Chewy Chocolate Chippers. These cost around $2.75 for more than thirty cookies.

Great Value's chocolate chip cookies are run-of-the-mill. There's not much that distinguishes them from a Girl Scout caramel chocolate chip cookie or any other brand. They have plenty of chocolate in them and a nice texture. If the chewiness isn't to your taste, Great Value also offers crunchier, classic chocolate chip cookies. That choice is something the Girl Scouts don't offer. Whichever pack you choose, these cookies are a perfect snack for a play date or an afternoon at grandma and grandpa's.