The Best Girl Scout Cookies Ever, Ranking

If there's one thing that the Girl Scouts of the USA are most known for, it's their cookies. Sure, these organizations build character and confidence in young woman nationwide, but the average Joe knows that they build pantries full of delicious treats. Girl Scout cookies have a storied history with over 50 cookies previously and presently available. For every iconic, longstanding cookie like the Thin Mint and the Do-Si-Do, there've been plenty of flash-in-the-pan, forgotten, and weirdly trendy cookies.

It's impossible to actually rank all of them, because some were so short-lived, so unmemorable that they're left to the history books. So we took some of the most popular, most confounding, and most modern cookies and matched them up against one another. Remember 2013's Mango Crèmes With Nutrifusion? How about the adorable Mango Crèmes? Golden Yangles? Kookaburra? No, well, you're going to remember them with our definitive ranking of all the best, worst, and wackiest Girl Scout cookies, ever.

Technically called Mango Crèmes With Nutrifusion, this short-lived cookie was available just during the 2013 Girl Scout season. While the mango flavor with hints of vanilla and coconut sounds fine enough, the confounding "Nutrifusion" included mushrooms and various fruit extracts to add vitamins to the cookie. But it was still, you know, a cookie, and not a superfood.

Sold in the '80s, this Girl Scout Cookie wasn't even a cookie at all — it was a Cheddar cheese cracker. It's nice to have a savory option for consumers, but come on, Girl Scouts sell cookies, not crackers.

Girl Scouts of America has jumped on many diet fads throughout its cookie-selling history, and in the '90s, it was all about low-fat foods. The best thing about these cookies? They were shaped like apples. But the flavor was lacking and they were far too crispy.

Another diet trend: Low calorie, of course. In 2008, Cinna-Spins, a crispy cinnamon swirl cookie, were introduced. Instead of coming in a sleeve, the box contained five 100-calorie snack packs. Lame, right? The shape soon changed into the Girl Scout-approved daisy, but that cookie too fizzled out after just a few years.

In the modern era, Girl Scouts have started to offer gluten-free cookies: The buttery Toffee-tastic and the peanut butter oatmeal cookie Trios. While great for those who suffer from celiac disease, like many gluten-free baked goods, these cookies are dense and crumbly. And despite what some may tell you, being gluten-free isn't always the healthiest choice.

Peanut Butter Sandwiches (ABC)/Do-si-dos (Little Brownies) are one of the three required cookies that all Girl Scout markets must sell (along with Thin Mints and Trefoils). But these are pretty lame and tame. For peanut butter lovers, sure, they're a delight. But for the rest of us, pass.

What are Girl Scouts known for almost as much as their cookies? Going camping, of course! The Girl Scout S'more is an ode to the campfire. Depending on your cookie distributor, this graham cracker cookie is either dipped in crème icing with a chocolate coat or is a sandwich with chocolate and marshmallow filling. Either way, it's an expected and pleasant combination and has proven popular since it launched in 2017.

During their six-year run from 2009 to 2014, the Dulce de Leche, a crunchy, caramel chip cookie was truly scrumptious. Caramel is one of the most beloved sweet flavors, so it's a wonder why these were discontinued, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles...

Throughout its history, Girl Scouts have made eight different lemon cookies. Today, they offer Lemonades and Savannah Smiles. The Lemonade, a fruity crisp cookie with a touch of lemon icing on one side, is light, refreshing, and not too sweet. Oh, and surprise! These cookies are vegan!

ABC Bakers make Lemonades, so if you're in a Little Brownies Bakers market, your modern lemon cookie is the Savannah Smile. Unlike its ABC equivalent, this cookie is not vegan, but it is dusted in powdered sugar. And that's always a win in our book.

Sure, there's something to be said about a classic, simple cookie, and that's what the Shortbread (ABC)/Trefoil (Little Brownies) is. But, admit it, this is the cookie you buy because it's iconic and then you leave in the back of the cupboard while the superior cookies disappear in a matter of days.

Introduced in the 1950s, this shortbread cookie was almost exactly like the melt-in-your-mouth Trefoil, but it had one major improvement: It was coated in sprinkled sugar. That simple innovation would be a welcome improvement to the modern shortbread offering, but this cookie is very much lost to Girl Scout history.

Named after the Girl Scouts' founder, Juliette Low, this cookie tasted more like a chocolate turtle than a cookie. Featuring caramel, pecans, and milk chocolates, throughout the '80s and early '90s, these were a favorite cookie. Why did they disappear? We'll never know, but they're dearly missed.

While today's lemony Girl Scout cookies are pretty delicious, they don't hold a candle to the Lemon Chalet Creme. Born in the '90s and discontinued for the Savannah Smile, this cookie was all lemon. Lemon cookie, tons of lemon icing. It tasted like summertime and happiness.

Chocolate sandwich cookie? Vanilla sandwich cookie? With Van'chos, you could have both. This assorted box was sold from 1974 to 1983 and was a true throwback cookie. The Girl Scouts have made numerous crème-based cookies throughout the years, but few are missed as dearly as this old-school treat.

Crispy rice, marshmallows, caramel, and chocolate? It may sound like a dream, but at one time it was a Girl Scout cookie, the Kookaburra. The cookie was a fan favorite, despite only being available briefly in the 1980s. However, one fan made a copycat recipe, so you can try this treat at home for yourself.

The shortbread cookie is so, so much better when it has an accompaniment along with it. These days, Girl Scouts offer up the vegan-friendly Thanks-A-Lot with a layer of chocolate on the bottom. It's simple, not too sweet, and truly scrumptious. There's not much else to say about this cookie except "Thank you" to the Girl Scouts for having an alternative to the beloved but boring Trefoil.

Tagalongs (Little Brownies)/Peanut Butter Patties (ABC) have been around since the 1960s, and it's because they have two star ingredients young and old alike both love: Chocolate and peanut butter. This magical combination always works (look at the Reese's), and it proves it again and again with this cookie.

Crispy, chocolaty, and full of fresh minty flavor, Thin Mints are Girl Scouts' most popular cookie (and one of the three they are required to sell nationwide). Some may call this the adult's Girl Scout cookie, but most just call it a true icon of the baking world. Often imitated and never replicated, true Thin Mint fans know the only way to keep these cookies around for more than 5 seconds is to store them in the freezer.

Thin Mints may be the most popular Girl Scout cookie, but the Caramel deLite (ABC)/Samoa (Little Brownies) is the best. This cookie has everything: a crisp vanilla cookie, a caramel coat, coconut, and chocolate? Literally what more could you want? This cookie is perfection and easily the best Girl Scout cookie of all time. And if you can't get a box of these from a true Girl Scout, consider making them (and other favorites) at home with these recipes.

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