Homemade Girl Scout Cookie recipes
- January 4, 2009
- Baking, Featured, Sweet Stuff
- 75 comments
Girl Scout cookie season is just around the corner. As usual, I’m not really planning to buy any of the Girl Scouts’ offerings – although I am happy to support local troops in other ways – because I know that I can make cookies that are as good or better at home. Girl Scout cookies still contain partially hydrogenated oils, even if they have decreased the amount to come in under the FDA’s definition of “zero trans fats per serving” (no more than .5g per serving). Homemade cookies are made with real ingredients – butter, sugar, flour, chocolate – and really do have zero trans fats. They’re still indulgent treats, but treats you can feel good about eating!
You can find recipes for four of the Scouts’ best sellers here, including an easy to make version of Thin Mints that you don’t need a cookie cutter to shape:
- Homemade Thin Mints – minty chocolate wafer cookies dipped in chocolate
- Homemade Samoas – shortbread topped with coconut-laden caramel and drizzled with chocolate
- Homemade Do-Si-Dos – crispy peanut butter sandwich cookies with a peanut butter filling
- Homemade Tagalongs – peanut butter cup-like cookies with a shortbread base
- Homemade Lemon Coolers – light, lemony cookies that were retired a few years ago
If you prefer your cookies gluten free, I’ve got that covered, too:
- Homemade Gluten Free Thin Mints – chocolate-covered chocolate mint wafer cookies made without flour
And if you’ve had enough of the cookies on their own, try using them in another way:
- Samoas Bars – samoas flavors in an easy to make bar cookie variation
- No-Bake Vanilla Cheesecake with Thin Mint Crust
- Samoas Scones – a breakfast version of your favorite cookie
- Samoas Ice Cream
75 Comments
Yum! I love girl scout cookies. Thin mints and Samoas are my favorite. A friend of mine made homemade Somoas once and they were delicious. Can’t wait to try these recipes out. Thanks for sharing!
This post made me excited! Who doesn’t love Girl Scout Cookies!!!
Ooo thanks! I didn’t know you had a tagalongs recipe!
I was never a scout, girl or boy, but these looks delicious anyway!
These look better than the original!
I had no idea the girl scout cookies still have hydrogenated oils. I’m going to follow your lead — donate cash without buying cookies, until the cookies are made with a healthier formulation. meanwhile, I’m bookmarking your recipe for thin mints — they were always my favorites!
I still have your recipes bookmarked from when you first posted them. I made the samoas and am tempted to make thin mints this week. Thanks for posting these recipes! Not only are they made with real ingredients, it costs a lot less.
l like ıt so much,your photo wonderful..
Oh YUM – these all sound fabulous!!
I heart thin mints, but hating waiting for them!!1 Thanks for the recipe!
Nicole, you are a genius. I never new homemade Girl Scout cookies could look so authentic. I would love to feature your Blog in my next online course for Home-based bakers. Did you take the photo, this is really awesome….not to mention these are my favorites, honest they’re still sitting on my hips!
The best part of these recipe? The fact that you call them by their old school names!
thanks for posting this. I made the samoas last night and they turned out really well. I agree, they are better than the girl scout version!
Wow…those thin mints look great!
you had me a samoa…
Thanks for posting these all together. I’ve never made any of the GS knock offs. Someday I might try these, especially the Samoas. My kids love the Samoas and I don’t get it. To me they taste of chemicals. Love the Thin Mints!!!
This year I’m planning on donating money to the local Girl Scout troop instead of buying cookies. I hope the girls earn points for my donation like they do if I buy the cookies. I would be sad to learn that some kid didn’t get to go to camp because I didn’t buy cookies.
I found you through Be Different…Act Normal’s blog. I am so excited about your homemade Girl Scout Cookies. I am going to give you a shout out on my blog and link back to your blog. I hope that is ok. I am just so excited about these and want everyone to know.
Thanks so much!
Jen
Wow…those cookies look amazing! I found you through my friends blog tatertotsandjello! I’m so excited! I will be posting you on my blog too!
I can’t wait to try them out!
Chrissy
This goes directly to bookmarks! Thank you for sharing with us!
I just found your great website whilst looking for recipes. I have never seen this site before and think it’s excellent. I have bookmarked it and intend to try out your cooky recipes.
That is kind of lame that you just copy Girl Scouts and post it online. You are taking money away from Girl Scouts. That’s great that you think you are so creative, but there is no need to post it online, taking sales away from Girl Scouts and probably violating copyright laws. LAME!
So what I said before was harsh. I think making things with girl scout cookies is great and so is making your own recipies, but if you support girl scouts it is kind of odd to post competitive recipies online. Why not at least name the “knock offs” something else unrelated to girl scouts? Be creative!
I would love to try these. I also would rather donate $$ because they (GS) don’t get all the $$ you spend. I would love to see recipes for the lemon ones and the new one for this year.
I definitely support the idea of baking at home, but if you don’t want to eat the packaged cookies and are actually serious about supporting Girl Scouts, I recommend calling your local council and asking about their Gift of Caring program. This program allows you to donate cookies via the council to food shelves or to our men and women overseas. Still, over 70% of the purchase price stays with your local scouts (try to find another fundraiser that does that), your purchase will count towards a scout’s box total (which she can use towards camp, troop events, or membership dues), and donations through the council’s program are tax-deductible.
Thanks for sharing! The cookies looks so yummy in the photo. Keep up the good work!
Nothing is better than the REAL Girl Scout cookies ! You are taking sales away from the Girl Scouts. I know times are tough, but, Girl Scouts have to rely on donations & sales to keep it going.
Every girl is excepted in Girl Scouts. No girl is ever turned down b/c of their abilty to not to pay to be in Girl Scouts. That is one of the reasons they rely on their sales of cookies. Please, remember that.
You should not be posting these recipes.
Thank you for these…my kids have severe food allergies and we can NOT safely serve Girl Scout Cookies to them. With your recipes I can make “safe” versions since I know how to substitute where necessary (starting with sunbutter made from sunflower seeds since one of the kids is very allergic to peanuts). I see this as a great opportunity for us. Thanks again!
Yum! I linked from my blog. I hope you do not mind. I am loving having these recipes right at my fingertips when I am craving some thin mints!
I’m so glad I started checking around on your site of receipe’s. I’ve always loved girl scout cookies & it would be so nice to make these awesome cookies for my family. Especially as gifts! I’ve been in Az for almost 2 yrs & fell in love with your station, and especially your AM show. Thank you for being such a great show and station to watch!
I made these yesterday and they were absolutely delicious! My nieces loved them. I must say that I think they are better than the Samoa cookies because you get a lot more caramel and chocolate. Thanks for the great recipe.
Oh, how I wish to be a kid again and eat all these cookies.
Your girl Mary
Lovely and tasty…wow
cookies look great. I would like eating as free from calories until satisfied.
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thanks so much…any chance you could post a lemon coolers recipe? I think the GS even stopped making them.
I think these are a great idea. My fiancee’ has nut allergies and so we are not able to buy the cookies from the scouts. This forces me to make many things from scratch, which I do not mind. She has been wanting scout cookies and I stumbled across this website. I look forward to trying these cookies out .
I have also enjoyed your website. There are some really good recipes on and I look forward to trying many of them out. This site is quickly becoming my go to for recipes.
Thank you
another great post! the photos are great! now…i’m a little bit hungry….
I wish they still made the aloha chips cookies.. I would settle for a really good homemade recipe though
The thin mints have always been my #1.
I’ve been scouring the internet to try and find a recipe or someone who makes a Girl Scout cookie from the 70′s in IL. I think they were made by the Salerno company. They were a cookie that had a layer of fudge on them and the entire thing was dipped in chocolate. They may have been called Fudge Royals? I’m not sure of the name. They were to die for! They were similar to the Tagalong cookie but fudge instead of peanut butter. Yummy!
Thank you so much for sharing these recipes. The Girl Scout cookies seem to get smaller, as well as the package yet the prices go up.
AHHH!!! Making thee too!!!!!!!
If the GS sell Thin Mints and peanut butter tagalongs, why can’t they sell the mint cookies with the white filling? They are just like the peanut butter tagalongs, except with a mint filling and chocolate cover? They’ve become more difficult to find in the grocery stores.
FYI – This year you can donate money to the Girl Scouts to buy cookies for troops. A few of you mentioned you weren’t interested in the cookies, so that would be a great alternative! Ask your local troop!
THIS IS AWSOME TO BE ABLE TO GET GURLL SCOUT COOKIEEESSSSS RECIPIESS OFFLINEEEE!!!:)
I am so excited to try your Girl Scout cookie recipes. I also added you to my blog roll so others can enjoy some of your wonderful recipes.
Girl Scout cookies at your fingertips? Who can resist! Sugar cookies are my speciality, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try these at home to feed my hungry boys!
Awesome recipes and site. I can’t wait to try these! I hope you don’t mind me sharing your site link to these on my personal food blog..I will def be back here..totally great!
Thank you for sharing these recipes. I too love Girl Scout Cookies, but the price is too steep and the boxes have gotten much smaller. As for the complainers, no one cares if we share a Jamba Juice or a PF Chang recipe. Let’s face it, it is all about the money, if you provide a good product at a reasonable price, you don’t have to worry about copy cat recipes. Thank you Nicole for sharing your amazing skills!
Oh my goodness, people are protective of their girl scouts cookie sales. My daughter is a GS and I’d like to say thank you for posting these great recipes and giving those with allergies an opportunity to still have the treats they love. This will by no means take away from the sales of GS cookies. “…taking money away from girl scouts…….violating copyright laws…” People are just being silly. Keep those amazing recipes coming!