As the annual Girl Scout cookie season rolls around, opening Jan. 6, there has been excitement built around the classic flavors and some mixed opinions about this year’s new flavor.
Little Brownie Bakers, the company that produces Girl Scout cookies, released Exploremores this year, a new Rocky Road Ice Cream inspired flavor. It’s a chocolate sandwich cookie filled with an almond, marshmallow and chocolate cream, resembling an Oreo cookie.
“I’m not excited about the new flavor this year,” senior Alyssa Seam said. “It feels similar to cookies that are already available.”
While Exploremores became an official flavor, Girl Scout S’mores was discontinued from the lineup after being added in 2015. While some are excited for the new cookie flavor, others are unsatisfied and would rather the original flavors.
“I actually don’t like Exploremores being added,” senior Hadley Preston said. “I am glad S’mores are gone because that was the worst cookie, but I think they should just keep a set lineup and stick with it instead of constantly changing flavors.”
Over the past few years, many cookies have joined and left the line up. In the 2022 cookie season, Adventurefuls, a brownie-inspired cookie with a caramel cream, were introduced and have been included since. In contrast, during the 2023 cookie season, Little Brownie Bakers added the Raspberry Rally flavor, a crispy raspberry infused cookie dipped in chocolate, but it was discontinued in 2024 with the company wanting to focus on classic flavors. While it’s unknown whether Exploremores will be featured in next year’s season, it’s still definite that many cookie fans prefer original flavors.
“My favorite is the Tagalong because it’s peanut butter and chocolate,” Preston said. “It’s like a Reese’s peanut butter cup, but better.”
Some of the most popular original flavors include Samoas, a ring-shaped cookie covered in caramel, dark chocolate, and coconut; Thin Mints, a crispy mint infused cookie dipped in dark chocolate; and Tagalongs, a crispy shortbread cookie filled with peanut butter and dipped in milk chocolate. While these are the fan-favorites, many cookie fanatics also enjoy the other classic flavors like Do-si-dos, Lemon-ups and Toffee-Tastic.
“My favorite Girl Scout cookie is Toffee-Tastic,” Seam said. “It has a comforting flavor and tastes great when it’s toasted.”
Regardless of each person’s favorite flavors, classic or not, Girl Scout cookie season has always been an exciting time of year. Lasting until March, more people can try Exploremores and formulate their own opinions on them.
“I like seeing how excited people get when the cookies come out,” Preston said. “People go a little crazy for them. They’re gone all year and nobody talks about them, but once cookie season starts, everyone is suddenly obsessed.”