Everything We Know About Girl Scouts' New Cookie Flavor
While spring is normally the time that Girl Scout troops make big pushes to sell boxes of cookies in neighborhoods around the United States, that doesn't mean fans of the famous flavors like Tagalongs and Thin Mints have to suffer through the rest of 2022 waiting to indulge. Girl Scout Cookies are actually available for sale year-round, according to Totally the Bomb.
All those sales of Girl Scout Cookies; whether outside a grocery store in March or a quick pick-up in August, equally benefit the scouts, too. The sales support experiences and opportunities for Girl Scouts according to the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). The vast majority of the money from Girl Scout Cookies sales goes to those causes, around 65% to 75% (per the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland). Thus, when you buy a box, you're doing much more than just treating yourself to a sweet snack. You're also making life a bit sweeter for the girls and the causes they care about.
And to diversify your sweet snacking options, GSUSA just dropped the news on a new flavor that represents a play on a beloved classic.
Don't be wary of this raspberry
A new Girl Scout cookie flavor available for 2023 is a fruity take on the most popular Girl Scout cookie in the United States, according to a press release from the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). The "Raspberry Rally" cookie features the same chocolate coating as Thin Mints, but inside is a raspberry-flavored wafer (with no mint to be found). You won't be able to pick up a box of the Raspberry Rally cookies in person from any Girl Scout you know, though.
The Raspberry Rally cookies will only be offered online, to enhance "girls' e-commerce sales and entrepreneurial skills," per the press release As Today notes, GSUSA elevated its e-commerce in 2021. That includes a Cookie Finder, a tool that locates the nearest council, delivery partnerships with DoorDash and GrubHub, and direct shipping. GSUSA states there are also Cookie Finder apps for both Android and iOS devices.
GSUSA stresses that to ensure the right Girl Scout gets credit for your purchase, customers should use the Digital Cookie platform for online sales. If you don't already know a Girl Scout, you can use the organization's Cookie Finder, which will direct you to the nearest location where you can buy the treats.
Fans are thrilled about the new Raspberry Rally cookies
If you love the crunchiness of Thin Mints but could live without the mint flavor, you're in luck. Girl Scouts of the USA clarified on Twitter that the new cookies will be "dipped in the same chocolate coating" that Thin Mints are. Plus, the Raspberry Rally Girl Scout cookies will be vegan, just like Thin Mints are.
"Girl Scouts unveiling a new raspberry chocolate cookie named Raspberry Rally might just be the best news I've heard all week," one fan tweeted about the news. "I need the new Girl Scout cookies immediately. I can't wait until February," another person wrote.
And for eager fans who don't want to wait until 2023 to try the new cookie flavor, Girl Scouts of the USA just might have a solution. GSUSA is giving away Raspberry Rally cookies in a sweepstakes competition for fans who sign up for the GSUSA email newsletter.
Not every Girl Scout cookie flavor is a winner
As excited as fans are for the new Raspberry Rally cookies, not every new Girl Scout cookie flavor has been met with the same level of excitement. The list of discontinued Girl Scout cookies includes the white chocolate-macadamia nut combination found in Aloha Chips, the cinnamon roll-shaped CinnaSpins, and the crunchy Apple Cinnamons, just to name a few.
Then there were the lemon-flavored Savannah Smiles, which were discontinued in 2019. Unlike some of the Girl Scouts of the USA's other discontinued flavors, Savannah Smiles had a devoted fanbase, especially in the south. "Worst thing about this Girl Scout Cookie season is realizing that they discontinued Savannah Smiles. I'm devastated. What do I without that powder sugar-dusted lemon cookie?" tweeted Atlantic writer Clint Smith in March 2020. "Who made this decision??? Someone at HQ needs to be fired."
Here's hoping the new cookies won't go the way of the Savannah Smiles and the Aloha Chips. A chocolate-covered, raspberry-flavored cookie — and one that's vegan-friendly at that — sounds like the perfect addition to the Girl Scouts' cookie lineup.