Girl Scout Cookie Program®
Find quick answers to your questions about Girl Scout Cookies®.
Buying Girl Scout Cookies
Girl Scout Cookies can be purchased from Girl Scouts participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program® during your local council’s cookie season. Learn when cookie season starts in your area and locate cookie booths by entering your zip code in the Find Cookies! search box.
You can also contact your local Girl Scout council. Council staff or volunteers can help you find a cookie booth near you. Councils conduct their cookie season generally between January and April.
Try our free Girl Scout Cookie Finder mobile app for your iOS or Android device to search for cookie sales in your area and get details on your favorite Girl Scout Cookies.
When you buy Girl Scout Cookies, you are creating opportunities for Girl Scouts to learn, grow, and thrive through the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. From learning how to interact with customers to creating budgets and taking orders, the Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches Girl Scouts invaluable skills that they’ll need to succeed throughout their lives.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program provides opportunities for Girl Scouts to practice and develop their entrepreneurial skills, giving them an edge compared to their non-member peers, according to a study by the Girl Scout Research Institute.
Plus, Girl Scout Cookie proceeds stay local! From trekking through the deep woods to traveling the world, you're helping fuel new experiences and adventures for local Girl Scouts all year long.
Girl Scouts build a better future for themselves and the world. And the Girl Scout Cookie Program makes it all possible, thanks to your support.
Yes! You can order cookies online through the Digital Cookie® or ABC Smart Cookies® platform links of Girl Scouts or troops participating in the cookie program. These digital platforms offer a convenient way for consumers to buy cookies online and support Girl Scouts at the same time.
If you know a Girl Scout, let them know you’d like to buy cookies online and they’ll help you make your purchase. Girl Scouts will use a personalized cookie website, mobile app, email, or direct link to ask their customers to make a purchase.
If you don’t know a Girl Scout or there are no cookie booths in your area, you can purchase cookies online starting Girl Scout Cookie Weekend (beginning on February 17, 2023) by visiting girlscoutcookies.org and clicking on the Find Cookies! search box.
Only purchase Girl Scout Cookies from registered Girl Scouts. We caution against purchasing Girl Scout Cookies online through auction sites, community list sites, or on websites like eBay and Amazon. Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), your local Girl Scout council, and our licensed cookie bakers cannot guarantee the freshness or integrity of cookies bought through unauthorized sites. In many instances, these cookies are expired, or the sellers are using Girl Scouts’ intellectual property without authorization. Purchasing cookies in this way does not support Girl Scouts participating in the cookie program.
Girl Scout Cookies purchased via a Girl Scout or troop virtual cookie booth link can be shipped within the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and military or diplomatic locations with an APO/FPO/DPO address. If you know a Girl Scout, let them know that you’d like to purchase cookies from them online and they’ll help you out. If you don’t know a Girl Scout, visit our How to Buy Cookies page.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world, but it is just one part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Girl Scouts participate in various activities throughout the year and work on many projects, the cookie program being one of them. Because only registered Girl Scouts can sell Girl Scout Cookies, their market availability is generally between January and April, when Girl Scouts participate in the program through their local council.
Product Information
There are many kinds of Girl Scout Cookies available, from iconic Thin Mints® to some new flavorful favorites! You can learn about the cookies on the Meet the Cookies page of our website. Availability varies depending on the area. Contact your local Girl Scout council to find out which varieties are available near you.
If, for any reason, you aren’t satisfied with a package of Girl Scout
Cookies, contact the baker. The baker contact information is listed on
the side of each package, or you may contact Little Brownie Bakers
or ABC Bakers
directly.
Every Girl Scout Cookie package is stamped with a seasonal “use or freeze by” date. Girl Scout Cookies with a 2023 date would be baked for the 2022–23 season.
Each of the 111 Girl Scout councils set their own prices. Current prices reflect the current cost of cookies and the cost of providing high-quality Girl Scout programming and experiences in an ever-changing economic environment. Remember—the proceeds stay with the local council and troop to power amazing experiences year-round for Girl Scouts. Contact your local Girl Scout council to find out more about pricing in your area.
To find out when Girl Scouts are selling cookies in your area, use the Find Cookies! search box.
Currently, two commercial bakers are licensed by Girl Scouts of the USA to produce Girl Scout Cookies ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers.
The number and size of cookies vary by variety and by baker. This information is featured on every package. You can learn more about the cookies on the Meet the Cookies page of our website.
Each Girl Scout council chooses a licensed baker, either ABC Bakers or Little Brownie Bakers. A cookie may be called Caramel deLites® when baked by one baker and Samoas® when baked by the other. The two cookies look and taste similar, but the name of the cookie and the recipe may be different. The exceptions are Thin Mints®, Adventurefuls™, Trefoils®, and Raspberry Rally™, which are names used by both bakers. Even if Girl Scout Cookie names are the same, the recipes may differ.
GSUSA and Girl Scout council representatives partner with both licensed bakers in the development of Girl Scout Cookies. Councils select the baker for their area, which dictates the varieties offered in that area.
To see a list of all current varieties of Girl Scout Cookies, along with pictures and descriptions, go to Meet the Cookies.
The best-selling Girl Scout Cookies are:
- Thin Mints®
- Caramel deLites®/Samoas®
- Peanut Butter Patties®/Tagalongs®
- Adventurefuls™
- Do-si-dos®/Peanut Butter Sandwich
We encourage consumers concerned about sugar intake to discuss dietary options with a doctor or registered dietitian.
For consumer convenience, each of our licensed bakers lists dietary exchanges on the cookie information pages of their websites, so people with diabetes and parents of children with diabetes can make informed choices. The amount of sugar and carbohydrates is also listed on each cookie package.
Like other specialty products, our gluten-free cookie varieties and Girl Scout S’mores® cookies may be priced higher than other Girl Scout Cookies, reflecting the cost of production and/or specialty ingredients.
Raspberry Rally™ is exclusively offered through digital channels for direct shipment only, enhancing Girl Scouts’ e-commerce sales and entrepreneurial skills. Be sure to find a Girl Scout you know to place your order.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is all about teaching entrepreneurship. When searching for new opportunities for Girl Scouts, we considered simplicity, new skills, and building overall excitement for everyone. This approach enables girls to learn entrepreneurship through their own online businesses by building relevant omni-channel selling skills, pitching to customers online, and providing convenience to purchasers.
Girl Scouts of the USA debuted Raspberry Rally™ this year as a limited-availability cookie sold exclusively on GSUSA approved digital platforms for direct shipping to the customer’s door. Given that Raspberry Rally is only available online, some Girl Scouts may not be able to easily sell the new cookie. The rest of the Girl Scout Cookie varieties will continue to be available in person or at cookie booths. For our members with limited access to in-person cookie selling options like booths and/or neighbors, which we witnessed during the pandemic, online digital selling platforms allow them to participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program.
Product Ingredients
This information is clearly listed on both the cookie package and the cookie order form. You can also find the information on the Meet the Cookies page of our website or on the Cookie Finder app.
With special regard for allergen concerns, our bakers bake Girl Scout Cookies in state-of-the-art facilities, and consumers can be assured that every required safety protocol is adhered to in order to prevent cross-contact of ingredients. Consumers with additional questions can find out more by visiting the baker websites: ABC Bakers or Little Brownie Bakers. To find out which licensed baker supplies your council with cookies, contact your local Girl Scout council. Ingredients may differ slightly by baker so refer to the printed packaging for this information.
All packaged goods in the U.S., including Girl Scout Cookies, are required to include a mandatory allergen disclosure identifying any of the top nine food allergens present as ingredients either in the ingredients list or through a "Contains" statement. A precautionary allergen disclosure (“Made in shared facility with”) was added to all Girl Scout Cookie packaging labels last season to ensure transparency about any allergens that may be present in the bakery where Girl Scout Cookies are made. If you have concerns as to whether a product is right for you, please check with your healthcare provider.
Yes. All Girl Scout Cookies are halal certified. For more information about cookie ingredients, check out Meet the Cookies or visit our bakers’ websites: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers.
Yes. For more information about cookie ingredients, check out Meet the Cookies or visit our bakers’ websites: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers .
No, Girl Scout Cookies do not contain high-fructose corn syrup. For a list of specific cookie ingredients, see Meet the Cookies or visit our bakers’ websites: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers .
Red 40 is an artificial additive used to add color to food, drugs, and cosmetics. It is one of nine color additives approved by the Food and Drug Administration for human consumption.
Palm oil is an ingredient found in the majority of baked snacks sold in the United States and is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world. Per GSUSA's licensed bakers, it is necessary to use palm oil in our cookies because of its unique ability to provide volume and texture in baked goods, usually without adding trans fats. Additionally, growing palm oil requires less land in comparison to other vegetable oils and supports the livelihoods of more than 4 million farmers globally. Although we continue to explore alternatives, currently, there are no viable or readily available alternatives for use in the production of Girl Scout Cookies.
The world's food supply is intricately tied to the use of palm oil, so we believe promoting sustainable manufacturing principles is the most responsible approach for Girl Scouts and Girl Scout Cookie development. At Girl Scouts, we have an opportunity to use our strong voice to bring about positive change on this important issue, and our bakers have made the following commitments:
GSUSA and our licensed bakers are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a non-profit organization of growers, buyers, manufacturers, conservationists, and other interested parties striving to develop and follow best practices to ensure an ethical supply chain.
Our licensed bakers are committed to Sustainable Palm Oil in Girl Scout Cookies. Girl Scout Cookies baked by both ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers use Mass Balance RSPO certified palm oil and include the RSPO Mass Balance logo on their packaging (i.e., RSPO “Mixed” certification label)
Both bakers’ future goal is to achieve 100% RSPO-segregated certified palm oil products for all Girl Scout Cookies they produce. They continue to work with their suppliers to explore strategies and timelines to achieve this goal.
To read more about our bakers’ positions on palm oil, visit their websites: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers.
Thanks to the encouragement of and partnership with Girl Scout members, GSUSA and our bakers have realized the power of the Girl Scout brand to make a positive difference in the move towards sustainably produced and ethically sourced palm oil.
Girl Scout Cookies are produced once a year, making the production of specialty cookies difficult. In addition, the demand has not been great enough to make it economically feasible. We trust our licensed bakers, who are industry leaders, to produce the best-tasting and highest-quality cookies while simultaneously addressing industry trends; scientific trends; and, of course, consumer needs including dietary restrictions and preferences. Don’t forget to check the labels, you may find a variety that fits your dietary restrictions or goals.
Yes. For more information, visit the Meet
the Cookies
page of our website.
Yes. Responding to an important consumer trend, Girl Scouts in select areas will be selling either the gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip or Toffee-tastic® Girl Scout Cookies. Please contact your local Girl Scout council about availability. For more information, visit the Meet the Cookies page of our website.
Toffee-tastic cookies baked by Little Brownie Bakers have been Certified Gluten-Free by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), a third-party organization that verifies through testing of the production line and the finished product that the cookies meet FDA guidelines for labeling them gluten-free. Toffee-tastic cookies are baked on a production line that is cleaned between production runs and tested to make sure the line is free of gluten. The NSF Gluten-Free Certification seal appears on the side of the Toffee-tastic package. For more information, visit the NSF website.
Social Responsibility
Sustainability refers to environmental, social, and governance (ESG)
factors that an organization addresses to provide value not only to
consumers but also to the world. GSUSA is also working with its bakers
toward sustainable and ethical sourcing of Girl Scout Cookie
ingredients, including sustainably sourced palm oil. GSUSA is also
working with its bakers to improve the environmental footprint of its
cookie packaging, as we recognize the need to reduce emissions and
the number of materials used as much as possible. Furthermore, Girl
Scouts can choose to use their troop cookie earnings on environmental
stewardship and conservation projects.
GSUSA is committed to providing cookie customers with the highest-quality products available. We understand that customers have questions about the foods they choose to eat, and GSUSA works alongside its trusted bakers to develop recipes using ingredients that will produce the best-tasting and highest-quality cookies.
Currently, Girl Scout Cookies contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Girl Scouts recognizes that many people have concerns about GMO ingredients, and we monitor member and consumer opinion on this matter while simultaneously addressing industry trends; scientific trends; and, of course, consumer preference.
It is important to note that there is worldwide scientific support for the safety of currently commercialized ingredients derived from GMO agricultural crops. The World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the American Medical Association all share this assessment. It is also important to note that in the future, GMO ingredients may offer new, cost-effective alternatives to feeding the world’s growing population.
RSPO stands for Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a global association established in 2004 with the objective of promoting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil products through credible global standards and engagement of stakeholders. The RSPO “Mixed” certification label signifies that our bakers have “contributed to the production of certified sustainable palm oil.” In order to use the logo, our bakers were audited by the RSPO to ensure its compliance with the RSPO criteria. Visit https://www.rspo.org/ to learn more about RSPO.
Recycling is community dependent. Girl Scout Cookie packages may or may not be accepted by your local recycling service depending on the types of materials it processes.
The box packaging for many of our cookies is made from paper and is recyclable. It contains 100% recycled content, so it may have been recycled numerous times already!
Several Girl Scout Cookie varieties are produced in soft-pack packaging only, without a carton. The film overwrap is like the protective wrapping found inside the packages of all cookie varieties and is recyclable in certain markets. While the shift to film overwrap has eliminated thousands of pounds of paperboard from the waste stream and the reduction in packaging weight has saved thousands of gallons of diesel fuel, the material may not be accepted by some local recycling services.
Some Girl Scout Cookie varieties come with a plastic tray inside either the box or soft pack and is used to protect the cookies during transport. The material may not be accepted by some local recycling services.
We continue to work with our bakers to evaluate ways to maximize the recyclability of the package, while maintaining quality, freshness, and shelf life.
Selling Girl Scout Cookies
All registered Girl Scouts may participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Although parents and Girl Scout adults may assist, Girl Scouts are the entrepreneurs by making sales, setting goals, tracking inventory, and learning the five essential skills of the cookie program.
Participation in the Girl Scout Cookie Program is voluntary and requires written permission from a parent or guardian. The experience helps Girl Scouts learn essential life skills while powering amazing adventures for Girl Scouts and troops year-round.
Only registered Girl Scouts can sell Girl Scout Cookies. We caution against purchasing Girl Scout Cookies online through auction sites, community list sites, or on websites like eBay and Amazon. Girl Scouts of the USA, your local Girl Scout council, and our licensed cookie bakers cannot guarantee the freshness or integrity of cookies bought through unauthorized sites. In many instances, these cookies are expired, or the sellers are using Girl Scouts’ intellectual property without authorization. Purchasing cookies in this way does not support Girl Scouts participating in the cookie program.
Yes! To do so, registered Girl Scouts must abide by guidelines published by GSUSA and their local Girl Scout council and be supervised by a council-trained adult. For more information about how Girl Scouts in your area can participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, contact your local Girl Scout council.
Each Girl Scout council determines its precise method of helping Girl Scouts sell cookies to customers. Cookies can generally be purchased via the following means, or some combination thereof:
Preorder. Girl Scout councils provide participating girls with an order card and, for some, access to a mobile app to collect orders from potential customers. Girl Scouts turn in their order cards, the council orders the cookies, and then Girl Scouts go back to the customer to deliver the cookies a few weeks later.
Direct sale. Participating Girl Scouts sell packages of cookies directly to customers, bypassing the order-card process.
Booth sales. Participating Girl Scouts sell cookies at booths authorized by councils and set up inside and outside various retail establishments. To find a cookie booth near you or learn when cookies go on sale, simply enter your zip code in the Find Cookies! search box.
Online and mobile sales. Girl Scouts can sell online and through mobile devices by using the Digital Cookie® or ABC Smart Cookies® platforms to develop personalized cookie websites. Many Girl Scouts enjoy marketing their online sale by inviting customers to visit their personalized cookie websites via an email or social media link. Other Girl Scouts take in-person orders using a mobile app designed specifically for Girl Scouts.
Girl Scouts participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program may only sell cookies according to their council’s policies and procedures and within the council’s published sale dates.
The safety, health and wellbeing of our girls and volunteers is and must be our priority. All Girl Scouts should comply with local and federal social distancing guidance during COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to work with our councils and monitor the pandemic in accordance with guidelines from the CDC and local regulations.
Girl Scouts may earn official Cookie Business, Financial Literacy, and Entrepreneurship badges at every level of Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts earn badges based on completing established program activities that allow them to build new skills year after year. Girl Scouts may also earn the Cookie Entrepreneur Family pin with support from their families.
In 2021, GSUSA released new Cookie Business badges that help Girl Scouts think like entrepreneurs as they run their own cookie businesses and incorporate online sales via the Digital Cookie® or ABC Smart Cookies® platforms. The Cookie Business badges include goal-setting, effective in-person and online sales pitches, using market research, creating business plans, and implementing digital marketing campaigns.
In 2022, GSUSA released new Financial Literacy badges that help Girl Scouts develop healthy money habits as they learn about budgeting, investing, financial planning, and how to use money to achieve goals and make the world a better place.
Additionally, Girl Scouts can earn rewards based on their sales activity, such as recognition items and program credits. Contact your local Girl Scout council to learn more about the rewards established for Girl Scouts in your community.
Yes! Girl Scouts participate in a council-approved "Gift of Caring" or “Cookie Share” program that allows girls to collect donations of cookies. Contact your local council for more details.
To ensure freshness, Girl Scouts only sell cookies produced for the current season. Therefore, if a council or troop has cookies left at the end of the sale, GSUSA encourages them to work with local food pantries and other charitable organizations to distribute cookies as a special treat for people seeking food relief services. GSUSA works with our licensed bakers to ensure that they also have an annual plan for responsibly managing leftover cookie inventory.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program has never been about individual sales results but rather the program outcomes, through which Girl Scouts learn important entrepreneurial and life skills and invest their earnings in powering troop activities year-round. GSUSA does not currently track the top seller(s) of Girl Scout Cookies on a national level. There are many impressive cookie entrepreneurs throughout the United States, and the Girl Scout Movement will continue to recognize those individuals as top sellers. However, GSUSA does not currently identify a specific Girl Scout as the number one or “record-breaking” national cookie seller, because doing so does not highlight the essence of the Girl Scout Cookie Program.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program strives to offer girls important experiences in entrepreneurship, leadership, business, and finance from an early age, as well as provide girls and Girl Scout councils with the funding necessary for activities and programs throughout the troop year. Our 111 councils handle their own sales tracking and may track their top sellers to showcase the skills Girl Scouts learn and the incredible ways in which girls are investing their cookie earnings to create positive change in their communities.
Cookie Revenue
When you buy delicious Girl Scout Cookies, you’re helping power new, unique, and amazing experiences for Girl Scouts that broaden their worlds, teach them essential life skills, and prepare them for a lifetime of leadership.
The net proceeds from Girl Scout Cookie sales stay local with the originating council and troop to fund activities for girls year-round as well as impactful girl-led community projects. Each council determines its own revenue structure depending on how much it costs the council to buy cookies, the local retail price to sell cookies, and the amount of revenue shared with participating troops.
Cookie program revenue is a critical source of funding for Girl Scout councils to deliver essential programming to troops and is often what makes it possible to reach girls in underserved areas and maintain camps and properties.
Girl Scouts pool their money as a troop and use it to fuel their Girl Scout adventures throughout the year, including in STEM, outdoor experiences, travel, and community projects. Girl Scouts may not earn proceeds as individuals. However, Girl Scout councils offer a wide variety of recognition items, program and store-related credits, and travel experiences that girls are eligible to earn individually based on their sales. All troop proceeds and group rewards earned through participation in the Girl Scout Cookie Program must be used to enhance all girls in the group’s Girl Scout experience.
No. All Girl Scout Cookie sale proceeds stay local. GSUSA is paid a royalty by its licensed bakers to use Girl Scout trademarks based on gross annual sales. Girl Scout councils do not provide any portion of their cookie revenue to GSUSA, and no other revenue from cookie sales goes to GSUSA.
If you buy Girl Scout Cookies and take the cookies home (to consume them), you've purchased a product at a fair market value. For this reason, Girl Scout Cookies used in this way are not tax-deductible.
Many Girl Scouts ask customers to pay for one or more packages of cookies for use in community projects or as part of a council-approved Gift of Caring or Cookie Share program. If you would like an acknowledgement of your donation for tax-deductible purposes, contact your local Girl Scout council.
After paying the bakers, the net proceeds from Girl Scout Cookie sales are retained by the originating council and troop to power amazing experiences for girls and impactful girl-led community projects. Girl Scout troops set goals for how to spend their proceeds on program-related activities, such as paying their own way to a community event or museum. Girl Scout troops may also choose to use proceeds to purchase materials for a project to benefit the community.
A restaurant or small business may use Girl Scout Cookies in its desserts, provided it buys the Girl Scout Cookies from a Girl Scout, but it cannot use the Girl Scout name or trademarks to brand and market the products. Prohibited uses are “Thin Mint Shake,” “Girl Scouts Cupcake,” “Thin Mint Cake,” and similar constructions. GSUSA has contractual relationships with select companies to include Girl Scout Cookies and cookie-inspired flavors in their products and to use the Girl Scout name and trademarks in conjunction with those products. These rights are granted under national licensing agreements, and GSUSA is the only entity that may enter into such an agreement. For more on rules and regulations pertaining to the Girl Scout brand, or to inquire about becoming a licensee, email permissions@girlscouts.org .
