The Girl Scout Cookie Comparison Test

Note: This post is in no way sponsored, acknowledged by, endorsed, or even known about by the Girl Scouts of America. There aren’t even any affiliate links in this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I also bought these cookies myself. (So you’re welcome Girl Scouts?)

This post started out in the most ridiculous way possible (and took me too long to write after mentioning it last week). When I was looking at food news (as one does), I saw that the Girl Scouts would be coming out with a new cookie flavor this year, Toast-Yays! I love things that are French toast flavored, so I knew instantly that I would want to try it. Since I also knew that you could get Girl Scout Cookies on GrubHub this year, it was a pretty easy assumption that I would be ordering Girl Scout cookies this year.

But when I was getting ready to place my order, I realized something pretty important. The Toast-Yays weren’t available! That’s when I remembered something. Girl Scout cookies are made and sold out of two different bakeries: The ABC Bakers and the Little Brownie Bakers. And each of those bakeries only works with certain parts of the country. So my precious Toast-Yay! and any other cookie special to the ABC Bakers wasn’t going to be made available to me.

That’s when I started wondering….if both of those bakeries have cookies special to just them, do the overlap cookies taste the same? Or do they taste different? That’s where I got my idea to do a whole blog post about the Girl Scout Cookie Comparison test.

The Girl Scout Cookie Comparison Test

For the Girl Scout Cookie Comparison, I ordered a cookies from both the ABC Bakers and the Little Brownie Bakers. I didn’t order EVERY single flavor of cookie because first, I’m not made of money, and second, I didn’t really want to try flavors I have no interest in. So sorry to all those who love caramel deLites/samoas.

Also, if you’re curious how I ordered from both Bakeries, here’s how. Once I figured out that DC went through the Little Brownie Bakers, I searched to figure out which locations went to ABC Bakers. Luckily, they were being sold in my hometown! I got in contact with someone who was selling and bought through her link.

But now on to the Girl Scout Cookie comparisons!

Tagalongs vs Peanut Butter Patties

I went over to a friend’s house and we went out to her backyard so we could do a covid-safe test tasting. We started with the Tagalongs (Little Brownie Bakers) and Peanut Butter Patties (ABC Bakers) expecting really no difference. Our minds were blown, to say the least.

Peanut Butter Patties (ABC Bakers)

So it’s hard to tell in this picture because of the shade, but right off of the bat, we noticed that the Peanut Butter Patties were made with a darker chocolate. I think it made it a little less sweet, but in a way that contrasted well with the chocolate. Inside, there was a crunchy cookie, with a dollup of peanut butter in the middle. The cookie also had divots in it, which was nice because it allowed the peanut butter to really go into the cookie. Overall, it was a solid cookie.

Tagalongs (Little Brownie Bakers)

Holy peanut butter explosion. So where the patties were a good chocolate and peanut butter cookie, Tagalongs are the cookies for peanut butter lovers. The crunchy cookie on the inside is coated in peanut butter. There’s peanut butter on top of the cookie, below it, on the sides, just all over the place. The cookie even looks like it’s thinner to make room for more peanut butter.

Verdict: Both cookies are good, but if you love peanut butter, go for the Tagalongs.

Lemon-Ups (Little Brownie Bakers) vs Lemonades (ABC Bakers)

Note: These are not the same exact cookie like above or with the thin mints, but the equivalence of each bakery having a lemon cookie.

Lemon-Ups (Little Brownie Bakers)

When I first bit into this cookie, all I could thing about was it’s tangy burst of lemon flavor. If you told me that they put an entire lemon into each cookie, I would believe you. Not to say it wasn’t sweet, but it was the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. I could have eaten this cookie all afternoon. I also loved how it looked like there was only a little icing on the bottom, but there was actually a thin layer of icing all over the cookie. It was a perfect addition.

Lemonades (ABC Bakers)

While Lemon-Ups were like a real lemon, this cookie was like having lemonade, but not in a refreshing way. The shortbread cookie was disappointing. The lemon-icing didn’t have enough flavor to overpower or even balance against the shortbread and it just fell flat. My friend described it perfectly as “the disappointing, bad cookie on a tray at a baby shower.”

Verdict: No contest. Lemon-Ups all the way.

S’mores Sandwich (Little Brownie Bakers) vs S’mores (ABC Bakers)

S’mores Sandwich (Little Brownie Bakers)

It’s S’mores, how could it fail, right? Well, it can fail hard and fast, which means this description will be short. The cookie did not taste graham cracker like at all. Also, they just used frosting on the inside. I don’t even know if the frosting was flavored, it just tasted like frosting.

S’mores (ABC Bakers)

After the first fail, we hoped the second would be a home run. Lol, no. It really just tasted like a random cookie dipped in chocolate with icing. The cookie didn’t taste like graham cracker. Sigh.

Verdict: Icing is not marshmallow and cookies are not graham crackers. People need to learn that before attempting any sort of S’mores cookie.

Thin Mints (Left – Little Brownie Bakers) vs Thin Mints ( Right – ABC Bakers)

Thin Mints ( Right – ABC Bakers)

Oh Thin Mints. The favorite child of Girl Scout cookies. My friend and I have both had these before so we weren’t expecting any surprises. Though we weren’t expecting such a different in the shape and top of the cookies from the different bakeries. But anyway, we tried the cookie and it was just how we remembered.

Thin Mints (Left – Little Brownie Bakers)

Then we went to the other cookie….and it was like we had just gone to see the touring cast of a Broadway show and now we were seeing the original Broadway cast. This section cookie was light and airy and had this amazing light crunch to it we were never expecting. I didn’t know Thin Mints could be this good. My friend described it best: “If I had only had the first one ever, I would think that one was great. But now that I know this one exists, I don’t know if I can go back.”

Verdict: Little Brownie Bakers is taking this one home.

Caramel Chocolate Chip – Gluten Free (ABC Bakers)

Out of curiosity, I decided to order the gluten free cookie from the ABC Bakers. I mean, caramel chocolate chip, with sprinkles of sea salt? Drooling. In case you’re curious, it’s counterpart at Little Brownie Bakers is Toffee-Tastics. I’m just not a toffee person though, so I couldn’t bring myself to buy it.

Caramel Chocolate Chip – Gluten Free (ABC Bakers)

Just looking at this bag, I won’t lie, I had low expectations. No one ever expects much from a gluten free cookie (I’m sorry) and everyone always tends to lean towards crunchy cookies.

Well, I was wrong (and I’m so happy about it). What I got was the softest, thick, delicious chocolate chip cookie with caramel bits. And just went you weren’t expecting it, you got the perfect little taste of salt. It was just perfect.

Verdict: I would eat this cookie year round if I could. This cookie might be one of Girl Scouts’ best cookies. Find a girl scout you can buy it from stat.

Toast-Yays (ABC Bakers)

The cookie that started everything. My friend and I saved this cookie for last and we were VERY jaded by the time we got to this cookie. Especially after the S’mores failure, I think we may have both been expecting to spit this cookie out.

The good news? We got a crunchy cookie that tasted just like French Toast Crunch cereal. It was actually really good. The hints of cinnamon were perfect and the frosting wasn’t overwhelming or annoying. The frosting added a perfect touch to it.

Verdict: Pleasantly surprised.

That ended our Girl Scout Cookie Comparison. I now know more about Girl Scout cookies than I ever expected to, but I think it’ll pay off one day. Maybe. If not, at least I know what cookies not to buy.

P.S. If you want to do Something Good, you can order your Girl Scout Cookies through Troop #6000: a program specifically for girls who are part of New York City’s homeless Shelter.