THEY'RE BACK! YAY!

It's that time of year again and I've got to tell you that I'M EXCITED. I have been saving all year to buy new pants and now this gives me an excuse to finally get a size bigger!

Girl Scout cookies go on sale today
January 8, 2009 - 8:21 PM
BILL REED -->THE GAZETTE

Just when the cupboard is bare of Christmas cookies and the sweet tooth is kicking back in, Girl Scout cookies are showing up to save the day - or ruin your resolutions.

Girl Scout cookies go on sale starting today, so don't be surprised if a chipper girl in uniform shows up at your door or office to sell you a box of Americana at $3.25 a pop.

Booth sales at grocery stores and other locations begin Feb. 13.

"We are so excited," said local Girl Scout mother and leader Laura Clark. "Some people think the girls dread this time of year, but we love it." Her daughters, 10 and 6, concur; the older girl sold more than 1,000 boxes last year to earn the money for horse camp.

The Girl Scouts of Colorado raised $2 million in cookie sales in 2008, and with contributions down this year they're relying even more heavily on America's sweet tooth, Clark said.

The Girl Scouts of Colorado also sent 100,000 boxes of cookies to soldiers overseas and community organizations in 2008 - an option if you don't want to be tempted. Just buy the cookies from the girls; they take care of the shipping on your behalf.

For those who plan to indulge this year, there's something to know: There's a new baker in town.

After nearly a century on their own, the Girl Scouts of the Pikes Peak region were folded into the statewide organization this past year. The upshot for the hungry masses is that the cookies in Colorado Springs are now made by Little Brownie Bakers instead of ABC/Interbake Foods, the only two bakers authorized to create this national icon.

New flavors in this area will be Sugar Free Chocolate Chips, Lemon Chalet Cremes and Dulce de Leche, along with old faves that might be better known in the area under different names: Do-Si-Dos (aka Peanut Butter Sandwiches), Samoas (Caramel deLites), Trefoils (Shortbread) and Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties). And Thin Mints? They're still around too - as Thin Mints.


TASTE TEST: 2008 VS. 2009 THIN MINT

We put Little Brownie Bakers to the test, using the best-selling Thin Mints. We used a box of Thin Mints sealed in the freezer from 2008 for the matchup.

Appearance: The former cookies are lighter in color with a dimpled texture, while the new ones are darker and smoother.

Taste: The new cookie was also judged to be smoother - the old ones had a sharper mint flavor. But opinions varied on whether that change was for the better. One woman said the taste of the new ones is "flat," but others called it more "refined" or "mellow."

Still everyone could taste the difference between the two, and nine of our 10 tasters preferred the new cookies.