Taste Test: Girl Scout Cookie Flavors Ranked

Girl Scout cookies hold a nostalgic place in my heart — I was the top cookie seller in my troop, after all. But it's been a while since I've eaten many of the cookies (and some I have never tried at all), so it was past time to revisit them. I got my hands on every Girl Scout cookie flavor I could, which, in my area, means all the ABC Baker varieties, like Caramel deLites and Lemonades as opposed to Somoas and Lemon-Ups, and I ranked nine flavors based on criteria like taste, texture, and dunkability. 

Related: How To Buy Girl Scout Cookies Online

Thin Mints are the top selling Girl Scout cookie, and who am I to disagree? The texture, with a crisp middle and firm, creamy outer shell, is perfect. They manage to deliver a strong, refreshing mint flavor without overpowering the rich chocolate. And there's about a million of them in a box — though that hasn't stopped anyone from eating an entire sleeve in one sitting. Are you on the fence about Thin Mints? Throw them in the freezer and try again. Pulverize them and mix into ice cream or brownies. They are a powerhouse cookie, and practically in a league of their own. I'm guessing the Girl Scouts could fund their programs on Thin Mints alone if they had to.

Related: 13 Discontinued Girl Scout Cookies That Are Gone Forever

Peanut Butter Patties are a straight-up peanut butter cup, but better because they've got that added crunch from a shortbread-like cookie (and we all know Reese's cups are better when they've got a crunch). Would you sit down and eat four peanut butter cups in a sitting? Probably not, but it's ridiculously easy to do when they're in cookie form. I remember there being more peanut butter when I was a kid, which was nice, and I also wish the coating was more chocolatey and less waxy. But it's hard to nitpick when you're chewing and it's got you in its peanut butter cup clutches. Oops, I just ate a second one without realizing. 

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Okay, this is where things get contentious. Caramel deLites are great. I love coconut, caramel, and chocolate, and considering they're the No. 2 seller, so do all of you. The texture is, dare I say, deLiteful, though if you're one of those people who doesn't like chewing on bits of coconut for a few minutes after you eat one, you're going to be annoyed. I especially love all the nooks and crannies on the chocolate on the bottom of the cookie. But they're so cloyingly sweet that it's hard to eat more than two at a time, and when I want to eat Girl Scout cookies, I want to binge. They're the worst cookie for that, considering their candy bar-like qualities and how few there are in a package.

If your grandpa ate cookies, he undoubtedly loved Peanut Butter Sandwiches. I am a grandpa in spirit, because I loved these as a kid and still do. The oatmeal cookies are earthy and crisp, and the peanut butter in between is super creamy (that little nip that squeezes out of the hole in the middle is the most satisfying bit). The peanut butter has a deep roasted backbone that peanut butter cups don't have, giving this cookie depth, but I wish there was more PB. Plus, as a dunker, this is a primo choice for milk.

Why aren't these called snickerdoodles? I had never had them before, and was not super excited by the notion of a "French toast-inspired" cookie, but they're surprisingly good because they taste like a cinnamon-coated churro instead of eggy bread. The crunch is more robust than the refined Lemonades, making these the more rugged and assertive white-bottom-coated option. Too bad the name is dumb and the description is confusing — but that just makes them the most surprising cookie of the bunch.

I'm a sucker for all things citrus, but Lemonades don't score a higher place in this ranking because they should pack a brighter lemon punch. As it is, they're lemon-flavored shortbread, when what I really want is crunchy lemon curd or a stand-in for super tart lemon bars. On the plus side, they're adorable with the citrus design, they have a great texture, and they make a refreshing counterpart to all the other heavy cookies sporting flavors like peanut butter and chocolate.

I like Trefoils — just not as much as the other cookies. I remember Trefoils tasting more buttery when I was a kid, which is important for plain old shortbread cookies. But as far as a grandma cookie goes, they're pretty solid. No one will turn one down, but no one will reach for these in a pile of mixed Girl Scout cookies, either. They are supreme dunkers, though, whether that's in tea, coffee, or milk, and they make great cheesecake or pie crust if you're a baker. 

These are not great! But I know that the gluten-free community longs for good, mass-produced, and inexpensive snacks, so I'm going to give you the good news first: Caramel Chocolate Chip cookies are better than Adventurefuls. I expected crunch, since pretty much all other Girl Scout cookies are crunchy, but these seemed like they sat in someone's hot, humid car for too long, and they crumble when you look at them wrong. I thought they had raisins at first, but it's actually just chewy caramel bits. I guess gluten-free also means flavor-free. Sorry, celiac sufferers.

Who allowed Adventurefuls to come back? They were new in 2022, and they should have died with that cookie season. The box says they're "brownie-inspired" with caramel and salt but there is nothing of any of those flavors in these little brown hockey pucks. Don't invoke the sacred brownie if there is no hint of chocolate, fudginess, or chew in your cookie, Girl Scouts. Maybe try "Styrofuls" next year if you insist on bringing them back again. The scouts claim they're the No. 4 top seller, but I refuse to believe that. 

I'm actually angry that I just ate those 120 calories.