GIRL SCOUTS THIN MINTS — NOT WHAT THEY USED TO BE

Information updated May 2024

GIRL SCOUTS COOKIES: Girl Scouts Thin Mints are classic American, packaged, mass-produced cookies, right up there with Oreos. Thin Mints were my favorite when I was a kid!

The sale of the cookies was once associated with allowing more girls to go camping:

Today, whenever I see Moms selling Girl Scout Cookies, it makes me wonder what they're made from and if Girl Scouts of America has changed their ingredients over the years. 

HOMEMADE RECIPE: If we were making Chocolate Mint cookies at home, our ingredients might look something like this:

Let's see how Girls Scouts Thin Mints compare to homemade, and then we can identify a brand of Chocolate Mint cookies which is Closest To Homemade.

GIRL SCOUTS USES TWO COMMERCIAL SUPPLIERS FOR THEIR COOKIES: Girl Scouts of America uses two suppliers for their Thin Mints cookies: ABC Bakers and Ferrero-owned Little Brownie Bakers.

Let’s look at what’s in the two Thin Mints from these bakers. (Source: Girl Scouts ABC Bakers Web site 5/24; Girl Scouts Ferrero Little Brownie Bakers Web site 5/24)

Girl Scouts Thin Mints made by ABC Bakers contain Vegetable Oil Shortening (palm and palm kernel oils), Caramel Color, Invert Sugar, Natural Flavor and Artificial Flavor. These cookies are banned at Whole Foods. (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 5/24)

CARAMEL COLOR IS NOT MADE FROM CARAMEL.

CHOCOLATY = NOT REAL CHOCOLATE: When you see the word “chocolaty”, it’s because it’s not real chocolate, otherwise it would say “chocolate”.  Girl Scouts Thin Mints made by Little Brownie Bakers contain vegetable oil (palm kernel, palm and soybean oils), Caramel Color, Sorbitran Tristearate, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors and Artificial Flavors.

HERE'S A COMPARISON OF WHAT GIRL SCOUTS “COOKY-MINTS” CONTAINED YEARS AGO VS. GIRL SCOUTS THIN MINTS COOKIES NOW:

Let's look at what's in Barilla-owned Back to Nature Fudge Mint Cookies which are Non-GMO Project Verified and certified Kosher and Vegan. These cookies have real Peppermint Oil, Cane Sugar and no ingredients which are banned at Whole Foods Market. (Source: Barilla Back to Nature Web site 5/24)

The good news: there are some chocolate mint cookies with no added Chemical Preservatives, Colors, Flavors, Hydrogenated Oils, Corn Syrup, Soybean Oil or Soy Lecithin with real Peppermint. (Sources: Brand Web sites 5/24)

Discover food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

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