There Are Actually 2 Versions Of The Girl Scouts' Viral Raspberry Cookie

The Girl Scouts' latest cookie, Raspberry Rally, is stunning cookie connoisseurs nationwide. The sweet treat, a raspberry-flavored cookie with a chocolate covering similar to its Girl Scout counterpart, Thin Mints, sold out within a day of its online debut and has been extremely hard to come by ever since.

New Girl Scout cookie flavors are almost always met with high sales, but Raspberry Rally's popularity has reached astronomical heights. Countless videos of taste tests are racking up views online, and the buzz surrounding the new cookie has transformed it from a mere baked good to a viral sensation. Add the scarcity of Raspberry Rally cookies to the mix, and you have a recipe for intrigue — but the most surprising part is that there are two versions of the Raspberry Rally cookie. Why not just one type of raspberry cookie? Is one version tastier than the other? The answer lies in how the Girl Scouts operates its cookie sales — and how the cookies are manufactured.

While it might not make sense to have two versions of the same cookie, it's precisely how the Girl Scouts has run its cookie enterprise for years. The Girl Scouts organization is contracted with not one but two bakeries that produce the iconic cookies.

The two bakeries, Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers, collectively produce all of the Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs you're probably munching on now. Each bakery can bake every type of Girl Scout cookie, but there are subtle differences between the cookies each produces. The formulas are slightly different at each company, and the names of some of the products vary as well. (For instance, Samoas are also called Caramel deLites. Caramel deLites have a higher cookie-to-caramel ratio, while Samoas have more coconut.) Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers each supply different regions of the country, too, so you might see a slightly different Thin Mint in New Hampshire than you would in South Carolina. The same goes for Raspberry Rally — ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers each have their own version of the new Girl Scout cookie. Does one taste better than the other, though?

Raspberry Rally's two versions might have the same name, but do they taste different? While taste is undoubtedly subjective, there might be an answer.

With so many people sharing their thoughts on Raspberry Rally's exciting new flavors online, plenty of opinions are swirling as to which Girl Scout bakery remains Raspberry Rally royalty. However, the main differences between the two are the cookie texture — ABC Bakers' version has more texture on the outside of the cookie than Little Brownie Bakers' cookie does — and the overall flavor of each. While it's been widely reported that the cookies smell like raspberries immediately upon opening the package, Little Brownie Bakers' version is known to have a stronger, clearer raspberry scent. 

Although both have a chocolate coating reminiscent of that classic Thin Mint chocolate layer, the Little Brownie Bakers Raspberry Rally cookie appears to have an edge with a thicker chocolate coating. The fruity notes are abundant in each cookie type, and the fruit and the chocolate marry together well. However, according to The Takeout, ABC Bakers' version of the cookie tastes more "mass-produced," a disappointment if you live in the part of the country they supply. With that said, these cookies have rave reviews for a good reason, so no matter which bakery made your cookies, Raspberry Rally is worth a try — if you can get your hands on a box.