How To Make Your Favorite Girl Scout Cookies At Home Gallery

For many of us, Girl Scout cookies are a treat that we look forward to all year. Whether you love their sweet and salty peanut butter sandwich cookies (Do-si-dos) or the chocolate-drizzled cookies topped with toasted coconut and gooey caramel (Samoas), everyone has a favorite that they stock up on when the Girl Scouts start taking orders. But what do you do when you've eaten your last Thin Mint and there's nothing but crumbs left in the package? Why not make your own?

These delicious cookies, available just six short weeks out of the year, debuted in 1917 when the Girl Scouts baked one flavor of cookies in their own homes to be sold door-to-door. (The recipe for the original cookie can still be found on the Girl Scouts website.) The concept behind the cookies was to teach members about business and entrepreneurship while simultaneously raising funds for their troop activities. The cookies were incredibly popular, and in 1936 their production was outsourced.

Throughout the years, many different flavors have come and gone (does anyone remember the Lemon Chalet Cremes or chocolate-covered, caramel-filled Juliettes?) but a few remain as staples: Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, and shortbread Trefoils are the best-selling varieties. The Girl Scouts continue to add new flavors, including whole-grain Cranberry Citrus Crisps and gluten-free Trios (a chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal cookie made with gluten-free oats).

If you're crazy about these delicious cookies and aren't sure if you can wait another year to order more, read on: we've rounded up some recipes that come pretty close to the originals.

These crispy little sandwich cookies have a creamy peanut butter filling. In our book, two cookies equals two times the happiness. 
Click here to see the Do-si-dos Recipe

Sweet, crumbly shortbread and a tangy lemon icing — what's not to love?
Click here to see the Lemonades Recipe

Anyone who says Samoas aren't their favorite Girl Scout cookie has to be lying! These gooey caramel and toasted coconut rings are drizzled in dark chocolate before being packed up and delivered to your door.
Click here to see the Samoas Recipe

There's a reason why these lemony, sugar-dusted cookies are called "smiles"; take one bite and you'll be grinning from ear to ear.
Click here to see the Savannah Smiles Recipe

Peanut butter and chocolate are a classic (and delicious) duo. It's no surprise that they're perfectly paired in this rich, creamy, chocolate-covered cookie.
Click here to see the Tagalongs Recipe

There's no better way to show your gratitude than with a buttery shortbread cookie dipped in fudge. 
Click here to see the Thanks-a-Lots Recipe

These chocolate cookies are big on cool, minty flavor, and they're surprisingly easy to make at home.
Click here to see the Thin Mints Recipe

Perhaps the most iconic of all the Girl Scout cookies, these vanilla shortbread treats are shaped just like the organization's logo. Even though your homemade version won't look the same, they'll be just as delicious. And if, for some bizarre reason, you find yourself with any leftovers—rejoice! Now you have the perfect excuse to make one of these delicious recipes to use up leftover Girl Scout cookies.
Click here to see the Trefoils Recipe