It Turns Out Girl Scout Cookies Are Not All The Same

There is a vicious and long-standing fight between people who think the caramel, coconut and chocolate Girl Scout cookie should be called either a Samoa or a Caramel deLite. Well, it turns out everyone is right— because they’re actually two different cookies.

And to add insult to injury, there are two different kinds of Thin Mints as well. Have the Girl Scouts been lying to us all along?

Evidently, Girl Scout cookies come from two different bakeries in the U.S. Each bakery has its own proprietary recipe for each of the famous cookies. And in some cases, the cookies differ notably. For example, Girl Scout troops that use Little Brownie Bakers (based out of Louisville, Kentucky) sell Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, Trefoils and Savannah Smiles. Troops that use ABC Bakers (in Richmond, Virginia) sell Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Shortbreads and Lemonades.

We can pause right here so you can go look at your Girl Scout cookie stash to see where yours are from. I personally ONLY buy Samoas, so I know mine come from the ‘Ville. Please enjoy your inferior Caramel deLites (just kidding!).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRjoMlQjozM/?tagged=samoas

So what about Thin Mints? How and why—and why oh why—are they different? While both bakeries produce the cookies, the Thin Mints from ABC Bakers are crunchier and have a stronger mint flavor, and the ones from Little Brownie have a smoother chocolate coating.

We know this is a lot to digest (heh). And so we’re sorry to report that there’s even more news coming down the pipeline: Samoas, which are made by Little Brown Bakery, have more calories per serving than the Caramel deLites, and a stronger coconut taste. Caramel deLites from ABC bakery, meanwhile, look almost exactly the same, but are sweeter and less coconutty. They also have slightly more sugar per serving.

Samoas and Caramel deLites aside, Thin Mints are ultimately the most popular Girl Scout cookies around, no matter where they come from.

Here’s to 100 more years of Girl Scout cookies, whatever the recipe.

[h/t CNN]