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Girl Scout Cookies FAQ

For a history of the Girl Scout cookie sale, see Girl Scouts of the USA.

Q: What kinds of cookies do you sell?

Girl Scout Cookies come in eight varieties and are baked by ABC Bakers. For more information about the cookies and complete nutritional information, visit www.girlscoutcookiesabc.com. Cookies cost $4 per box.

The 2007 cookie varieties are:

• Thin Mints
• Caramel deLites
• Peanut Butter Sandwiches
• Peanut Butter Patties
• Shortbread Cookies
• Thanks a lot
• Lemonades
• Cartwheels

Stock up on cookies--they freeze well.  You can also use them in these yummy recipes from ABC Bakers.

Q: What is the top selling Girl Scout Cookie?

The Thin Mint, which accounts for over 25% of the total sale.

Q: How big is the Girl Scout Cookie Sale?

Five of the top ten cookies in the U.S. are Girl Scout Cookies. In fact, more Girl Scout Cookies are sold in the 3-month sale than any other top-selling brand that sells year round (including Oreo and Chips Ahoy).

Q: Why are your cookie varieties/names of cookies/prices different from the ones my neighbor is selling?

There are two companies licensed to bake Girl Scout cookies. While certain varieties of cookies are common to all three, other varieties are made by only one of these bakers. Also, while the bakers all make certain varieties, they do not necessarily call them by the same names. So, you may know Caramel deLites by the name another baker calls them, Samoas.

Each of the more than 300 Girl Scout councils in the U.S. contracts independently with a baker. Girl Scouts, Patriots' Trail Council currently works with ABC. Each council also sets its own per-box prices, depending on the council's financial picture and other factors.

Q: Why didn't a Girl Scout come to my door?

There could be any number of reasons--the world is a big place, and even the 2.5 million Girl Scouts in America can't knock on every door!

Many girls and parents choose not to sell door-to-door. Some neighborhoods don't have any resident Girl Scouts. Multi-dweller buildings are often difficult for girls to get into for door-to-door sales. Additionally, it's possible that a Girl Scout knocked on your door while you were not at home.

Because so many people who love Girl Scout cookies don't get an opportunity to buy during the door-to-door portion of the sale, we've set up several other ways for you to get your cookie fix!

Q: How do the proceeds of the cookie sale help girls?

The Girl Scout cookie sale has a dual purpose: to provide an educational experience for girls and to raise funds to provide Girl Scout activities. Selling cookies gives girls an opportunity to develop business skills, take on new and greater responsibilities, and learn how to work more effectively as members of a team. They learn basic money management and explore sales and marketing techniques.

All registered Girl Scouts (except Daisy Girl Scouts) may, with parental permission, participate in the cookie sale.

Of the $4.00 Patriots' Trail charges for each box of Girl Scout cookies, only $1.00 goes to pay the baker; the remaining $3.00 supports Girl Scouting in Patriots' Trail Girl Scout Council (Boston and 65 surrounding cities and towns, roughly the area inside Route 495). A portion of the proceeds go directly to the troop of the girl selling the cookies. Troops plan activities and set their sales goals accordingly. With money earned from the cookie sale, troops go camping, travel abroad, purchase equipment for service projects and crafts, and many other things.

The cookie sale accounts for 40-45% of the council's annual income. Cookies subsidize virtually all local Girl Scout activities, including camp property maintenance, liability insurance, special programs, training and support for volunteers, financial aid and camperships for girls of limited means, and many other activities.

For additional information about the council's finances, please see our annual report. (PDF)

Q: Are Girl Scout Cookies all made with tropical oils?

Five of the eight varieties are made with domestic oils. Three contain tropical oils which promote the stability in cookies with chocolate coating. Girl Scout bakers continue to experiment in an effort to replace tropical oils. Each box of cookies and each order card contains full details of the ingredients of and nutritional profile.

Q: Why can't I buy cookies online?

(January 2001)  After five years of successful online cookie sales, Patriots' Trail must abide by Girl Scouts of the USA policy and discontinue taking orders via the Web.

Q: Are Girl Scout Cookies kosher approved?

Yes, all Girl Scout cookies from bakers carry the Kosher approval seal.

Q: What is the difference between booth and commercial sales?

Booth and Commercial sales are both sales where cookies are sold directly to the public and not through order taking. The difference between them lies in troop profit. For a booth sale the troop decides to process the sale through the regular troop paperwork, have it count toward their recognitions (e.g., T-shirts and stuffed animal) and earn the standard 60 cents per box. Many troops (especially older girls) do not wish to earn recognition items and decide to conduct a Commercial sale and earn an additional 5 cents per box.

Q: Where can I buy cookies?

There are a number of ways to order Girl Scout Cookies (During the cookie sale, January - April).

We encourage you to purchase cookies from your local Girl Scout whenever possible. If you don't live in the Patriots' Trail jurisdiction (Boston and surrounding area), you can find your local council by looking under "Girl Scouts" in the white pages or by calling National Headquarters at 1-800-223-0624.