Girl Scout Cookies FAQ

Buying Girl Scout Cookies

How can I buy Girl Scout Cookies?
Purchase Girl Scout Cookies from local Girl Scouts. To locate them, contact Girl Scouts of Utah by:

Selling Girl Scout Cookies is an important component of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Each Girl Scout council develops the procedures and guidelines for its cookie activities, including the dates when you can order or purchase cookies and the price per box. A council conducts only one cookie sale per year. The Girl Scouts of Utah Cookie Program takes place between January and March.

Can I buy Girl Scout Cookies online?
Girl Scouts of the USA does not currently allow online sales, but its cookie site, www.GirlScoutCookies.org, can help you locate girls selling in your community.

Selling Girl Scout Cookies

Who can sell Girl Scout Cookies?
All registered girl members at the Girl Scout Daisy age level or higher whose guardians have given their written permission are eligible to participate. Adult members participate only in supporting the direct involvement of girls; it is the girl who closes the sale, sets sales goals, and learns the leadership skills that are part of the program.

What are the requirements for participation in the Cookie Program?
All girls who want to participate must be registered for the current membership year, have a permission card signed by a parent/guardian, and must have paid in full all previous years' cookie accounts.

Can girls earn any awards from participating in cookie activities?
As part of their experience, Girl Scouts can earn these age-appropriate awards:

Girls can also earn the Girl Scout Cookie Activity Pin 2009–2010. See Girl Scout Cookie Program Activities for this year's activities for Girl Scout Daisies through Ambassadors to clarify the award earned.

How do you ensure the safety of Girl Scouts who sell cookies?
The safety and security of our members is always our main concern. We have strict guidelines for safety. Girl Scouts, depending on their age, must be accompanied or supervised by an adult when selling Girl Scout cookies and always use the buddy system.

Girls participating in online marketing (not online sales) read and discuss the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge. Girls print out the pledge and ask their parents or guardians, to read and sign the pledge together. Additionally, Girl Scouts offers the Let Me Know safety sites for adults and girls for general help on staying safe online.

Does a Girl Scout troop have to sell cookies if it doesn't want to?
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is not just about cookies. This annual program offers many opportunities for hands-on entrepreneurial activities in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. We find that most girls in Girl Scouting thoroughly enjoy this program and look forward to it each year. Participation in this activity is voluntary and requires written permission by a parent or guardian. Girl Scout product activities are a way for girls to finance their Girl Scout activities and special projects, as well as contribute to assuring that all girls have opportunities through Girl Scouting in their community.

Can Girl Scouts who are not in troops participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program?
Yes! Individually-registered girls (IRGs)/Juliettes have two options in which to participate in the Cookie Program. They may sell as a “group” with the other IRGs in their Service Unit, providing they are supervised by a council trained adult, or they may sell with a troop within their area. To participate in either option, registered Girl Scouts must abide by guidelines published by Girl Scouts of the USA and Girl Scouts of Utah. For more information about how IRGs/Juliettes can participate in this activity, please contact Girl Scouts of Utah.

Can Girl Scouts donate cookies to military personnel serving overseas?
Girls may participate in a council-approved Gift of Caring program that allows girls to collect donations of cookies for military personnel serving overseas. In revised Safety-Wise checkpoints, "any gifts in quantity to military overseas should be coordinated through military or related personnel at the place of origin and the place of receipt. Large shipments should have a council agreement with the third party to assure that the cookies arrive where intended. Gifts should not be sent to U.S. bases or bases overseas where there are Girl Scouts involved in product activity sales. Girl Scouts should observe council jurisdiction when selling or marketing product for a gifting program."

Cookie Proceeds

When I buy Girl Scout Cookies, where does the money go and how does it benefit girls?
Approximately 70% of every purchase stays in Utah to support Girl Scouting, including a portion that goes directly to the group selling the cookies. GSU uses their cookie proceeds to supply essential services to troops, groups, and individual girls, such as providing program resources and communication support, training adult volunteers, and conducting special events. The balance goes directly to the baker to pay for the cookies.

What portion of the cookie proceeds is shared with the group selling cookies?
Troops receive $0.40 of the purchase price for each box sold. The troop holds the money earned in its treasury, and its girl members vote on how to use that money.

Is the purchase of Girl Scout Cookies tax-deductible?

Does any part of the cookie proceeds go to support organizations other than Girl Scouts?
A: No. Absolutely none of the money from the Girl Scouts of Utah Cookie Program is given to any other group. All of the proceeds from the sale of Girl Scout Cookies go to support Girl Scouts of Utah, including a portion that goes directly to the troop selling cookies. Girls may choose, however, to use money earned through the Cookie Program to purchase materials for a community action leadership project to benefit the community.

Does any of the money from cookie sales go to Girl Scouts of the USA (the national Girl Scouts organization)?
Girl Scouts of Utah decides how all money from the Cookie Program (except the money going to the baker that produced the cookies) is divided up. The bakers pay a royalty out of their share to Girl Scouts of the USA for use of the licensed trademarks. No other proceeds from the Cookie Program go to Girl Scouts of the USA. Girl Scouts of the USA provides contractual services and approves all educational materials developed by the bakers, as well as provides coordination and training for national media, safety standards, leadership programs, and sale guidelines.

Product Information

Who bakes Girl Scout Cookies?
Two commercial bakers are licensed by the national Girl Scout organization, Girl Scouts of the USA, to produce Girl Scout Cookies: ABC/Interbake Foods and Little Brownie Bakers.

Who selects the cookie varieties?
Licensed bakers can offer up to eight varieties of Girl Scout Cookies; only three types are mandatory: Thin Mints, Do-si-dos® and Trefoils. The national Girl Scout organization reviews and approves all varieties proposed by the bakers. Any of the five optional cookies can be changed every year. Each bakery names its own cookies, so Girl Scout Cookies that are quite similar may have different names.

To see a listing of GSU’s current varieties of Girl Scout Cookies, along with pictures and descriptions, click here.

What are the sizes, quantities, and prices of Girl Scout Cookies?
Girl Scout Cookies are sold by weight, not by size or number. The number and size of cookies may vary by variety. The national Girl Scout organization, Girl Scouts of the USA, monitors the weights of the cookies, which are set by contract.

Girl Scout Cookies sell for different prices in different areas of the country. Each Girl Scout council has the right to set its own price based on its needs and knowledge of the local market. GSU's current price, $3.50 per box, reflects both the current cost of cookies and the realities of providing Girl Scout activities in an ever-changing economic environment.

Are all Girl Scout Cookies kosher?
Yes, all Girl Scout Cookies are kosher.

What are the best-selling Little Brownie Baker Girl Scout Cookies?
The best sellers are:

The other varieties combined account for the remaining 18%.

Where can I find recipes using Girl Scout Cookies?
Check out Little Brownie Bakers' web site.

What if I'm not satisfied with my cookies?
Contact Girl Scouts of Utah if for any reason you are not satisfied with a box of Girl Scout Cookies you purchased. Council staff will be glad to help you.

Who are the girls on the Girl Scout Cookie boxes?
All of the girls pictured on the boxes are registered Girl Scouts. Every box shows Girl Scouts—in action—having fun and growing strong.

How do I find out the ingredients, nutritional value, and allergen information for one or more of the Girl Scout Cookie varieties?
So that consumers can make an informed choice, the ingredients and nutritional profile of each variety are clearly listed on both the cookie box and the cookie order form. Additionally, the bakers licensed by Girl Scouts of the USA to produce Girl Scout Cookies list specific product information in the "Cookies" section of their respective web sites. Click here for the Little Brownie Bakers information.

Are any preservatives used in Girl Scout Cookies?
No. Girl Scout Cookies do not contain preservatives. They are all made with pure vegetable shortening, are kosher, and freeze well to extend their shelf life.

Are there any partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) in Girl Scout Cookies?
For several decades, it was thought that partially hydrogenated oils—sometimes referred to as trans fats—were a healthier food choice compared with saturated fats. In recent years, data has emerged suggesting that, in fact, trans fats are not a healthier choice than saturated fats. Girl Scouts of the USA is proud that all Girl Scout Cookies are "zero trans fat per serving" with the same great taste that has made them one of America's favorite treats over the years. All varieties contain less than 0.5 grams trans fat per serving, which meets or exceeds the FDA guidelines for the "zero trans fat" designation.

Girl Scouts of the USA has worked diligently with our bakers over the past several years to address the issue of trans fats. We began listing the amount of trans fats one full year before FDA requirements went into effect. It is important to remember that Girl Scout Cookies are a snack food and are meant to be consumed in limited quantities within the context of a balanced diet. So that consumers can make an informed choice, the ingredients and nutritional profile of each variety are clearly listed on both the cookie box and the cookie order form.

Don't Girl Scout Cookies contribute to the childhood obesity problem?
Starting with our youngest members, the Girl Scout organization promotes a healthy lifestyle for its girl members, which includes a well-balanced diet and plenty of exercise. Our health and fitness programs encourage girls to adopt healthy fitness and eating habits early in life and continue them into adulthood. Girls are also taught to consider ingredient contribution to their overall diet and portion size when choosing snacks.

Why don't you offer cookies that are whole-wheat, wheat-free, non-dairy, dairy-free, vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, organic, low-carbohydrate, low-calorie, low-fat, non-fat, fat-free, etc.?
The demand for specialty cookie formulations is simply not great enough to make it economically feasible to offer a variety of specialty types. Of all the different possible formulations, sugar-free seems to be the most popular, yet in the past, even the sugar-free Girl Scout Cookies that have been offered have had to be discontinued due to lack of demand. Our bakers continue to experiment with formulations that balance the best tasting cookies using the healthiest ingredients.