13 Discontinued Girl Scout Cookies We Wish Would Make A Comeback
We all love Girl Scout cookies. We just can't get enough of them. But sometimes, those little kids peddling their sugary treats decide to play with our hearts and discontinue certain flavors. On those days, we mourn.
When commercially-made Girl Scout cookies arrived on the scene in 1951, they premiered three flavors: sandwich, shortbread, and chocolate mints. Shortbread and chocolate mint are still around today, as Trefoils and Thin Mints, but the sandwich cookie is no longer with us — more on that later. But after that fateful year, Girl Scout cookies expanded, adding more and more flavors. They have now been around for more than 70 years, and in that time, cookies have come and gone. Sure, not all of them can be hits, but there are some we still remember today and wish would make an appearance again.
To make matters even more confusing, Girl Scouts has licenses with two different bakery operations, Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers, and while they make their own version of many classic flavors, the complete lineup from each is slightly different. This means that, depending on your area, you may or may not be able to get your favorite cookie. Plus, there may even be some cookies now discontinued you never had the opportunity to try, and that is just sad.
Golden Nut Clusters/Juliettes
The Golden Nut Cluster was known for being nutty and delicious. It was around in the early '90s and featured caramel and chopped pecans with a lightly flavored maple topping. They were chewy, sweet, and nutty, really hitting just about every box.
Sadly, they were discontinued in 1993 but then had a possibly even more perfect rebirth when, in the same year, the Juliettes premiered. This is not to be confused with the cookie of the same name, which was a shortbread cookie that came in two different sleeves, each of which contained cookies with different flavored coatings on the back; Juliettes existed from 1984-1985. These Juliettes were caramel and pecans coated in chocolate, giving them a chocolatey, crunchy, and chewy flavor that was delightful. Sadly, those too were discontinued in 1996.
Between these two cookies, we feel the Girl Scouts must have been onto something. Perhaps if they had given them a few more years, the sales would have picked up enough to keep them. Unfortunately, they have not been seen on any order forms since the 1990s.
Thanks-A-Lot/All abouts/Animal treasures/Medallions
Girl Scout cookies love playing on the same theme, but we are not angry about it. Chocolate-dipped shortbread is a simple, but effective, flavor well-loved worldwide. Maybe that is why they have tried to make it happen multiple times over the years; sadly, at this point, there are no more chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies available on the menu.
From 1983-1984 Little Brownie Bakers made Medallions, which were shortbread cookies shaped like medallions to commemorate the Girl Scouts' 50th anniversary. There were two sleeves in the package, one of which was coated in chocolate. 1999 saw the ABC bakery release of Animal Treasures, which were square shortbread cookies embossed with a picture of an animal and covered in chocolate on the back. They have since been discontinued.
In 2001, a version of the cookie returned to Little Brownie Bakers as All Abouts. They were long, oval shortbread cookies with a chocolate bottom, and each one had a Girl Scout value — friendship, leadership, sharing, and caring — engraved. They were discontinued in 2008.
The last to go was ABC Bakeries' Thanks-A-Lot, discontinued in 2020 after a 15-year run. They featured a shortbread cookie with a fudge coating and were embossed with "Thank You" in different languages. These cookies may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten. A Change.org petition exists in an attempt to bring the Thanks-A-Lot version of these cookies back into production. We do not care what they call them. We just want to see them back.
Scot-teas
Scot-teas were available ever so briefly in 1968. At the time, there was not the same plethora of Girl Scout cookies as we have today, but one thing that carried through is that Girl Scouts always have shortbread available. In 1968 though, this shortbread was a little different.
Instead of being just a plain and admittedly somewhat boring cookie, the Scot-teas were topped with sugar. This added sweetness and texture still made for a delightful, and approachable, cookie. Sadly, Scot-teas are no longer available, which may be in part due to the fact that in 1989, ABC Bakery bought out the original bakery company, Burry's, and took over as the Girl Scout Cookie producer.
While these cookies have been gone for a while, people still remember them fondly, with commenters on a Care2 Petition stating that they actually preferred these cookies to the current shortbread option, Trefoils. Maybe someday, ABC Bakery will hear the fans and bring back this shortbread classic, but likely not in time to sit down for biscuits with the boss from "Ted Lasso."
Savannah Smiles/Lemon Coolers
Once again, we are pairing cookies that seem eerily similar together. Because clearly, if you tried it more than once, there must have been something that kept people coming back for more.
The first cookie is the Lemon Cooler, which premiered in 2003 as one of the company's "reduced fat" options, ever so popular in the '90s and early 2000s. Lemon Coolers were vanilla cookies containing lemon chips and covered in powdered sugar. They were sweet and cool and had a crescent shape that mimicked a lemon slice. These were on the market until 2006.
Then entered the Savannah Smile. This premiered in 2011 as an homage to the Girl Scouts' home in Savannah, Georgia. They are lemon-flavored cookies covered in powdered sugar and shaped like a smile. Which, as it turns out, is the exact same shape as a lemon wedge. This cookie was discontinued in 2019.
Think these two sound similar? You are not the only one. Huffington Post noticed a resemblance as well and got in touch with Girl Scout Headquarters. A spokesperson confirmed that while not entirely identical, they are "based on the same concept cookie and essentially taste the same." With just a few years separating the last production and now, maybe there is still hope to bring this cookie back.
Praline Royals
Information on this cookie is scarce, but that does not make it any less deserving of a comeback. Given that it is not listed on the Little Brownie website, we can assume this was an ABC Bakery product. Praline Royal cookies were another short-lived flavor, appearing for just a few years in the 1990s. As with Golden Nut Clusters and Juliettes, the Girl Scouts seemed bent on making sweet nut flavors happen. This one was a vanilla cookie featuring a praline center with pecans and coconut and topped with chocolate icing. It really seemed to have something for everyone in it.
But sadly, this cookie was also discontinued. However, it is remembered fondly. One Redditor commented that they were able to get them for one year before they discontinued them. Nevertheless, they are still haunted by the ghost of this cookie and wish that it would make another appearance on the Girl Scout cookie order form.
Apple Cinnamon
Chocolate and shortbread cookies seem to be a standard for Girl Scouts, but every so often, they branch out and bring us a new and interesting flavor. That is what we got in 1997 when Little Brownie Bakers premiered the Apple Cinnamon. As the name implies, this was an apple and cinnamon-flavored cookie, cleverly shaped like an apple and topped with cinnamon sugar. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in 2001.
First, we love the dedication to the theme with the apple-shaped cookie. Second, we know that a unique flavor such as this was more niche, but as they say, "What is more American than apple pie?" This is the delightful flavor of an apple pie in a crunchy cookie, and we are sure that these would be a hit if they made a comeback.
The original cookie was one of the "reduced fat" options that Girl Scouts offered at the time to keep up with food trends, but we see no reason for that to be a requirement now. So bring them back, and let us enjoy some cinnamon apple goodness.
Upside-Downs
In the 1990s, ABC Bakers had a delicious cookie called Upside-Downs. They were functionally the Girl Scout cookie version of an Oatmeal Cream Pie, only done in a very Girl Scout style. Instead of being soft and chewy, like the traditional one, this was a crisp oatmeal cookie decorated in a lacy design top and filled with icing.
Why they are not still around, we do not know. A poll conducted by Mashed found that they were the most missed retired Girl Scout cookie, with over 20% of respondents noting that they wanted to see Upside-Downs make it back on the roster. They also got multiple shoutouts from Redditors as the cookie they most missed. It is sad that Girl Scouts chose to discontinue this cookie when there is so much fanfare around it. Maybe with the resurgence of '90s and 2000s culture, there will be a push for Girl Scouts to bring back some of the classic flavors from those time periods.
Cinna-Spins
Okay, we think we know where Girl Scouts went wrong with these. Because they should have been a major hit and had a strong opening year of sales. You see, Cinna-Spins arrived on the scene in 2008 as part of ABC Bakeries' new and short-lived venture of offering "100-calorie" packs of Girl Scout cookies. Cinna-Spins are cinnamon swirl-based cookies that look like cinnamon buns. They were created specifically for sale as part of this initiative.
Upon their release, a spokesperson for Girl Scouts told the New York Post, "It was never our intention for cookies to be eaten by the box." This really seems like more of a "them" problem than an "us" problem, especially when a large portion of respondents on a Mashed survey said that they wished this cookie would come back.
It is no secret that the 2000s had a problem with toxic diet culture. However, we should not have to suffer because they did not want to sell these cookies in the size and quantities we wanted. So, we move that they bring back this cookie, ditch the tiny packaging, and allow us to eat them at our own pace and pleasure.
Vanilla and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies/Van'Chos/Echo
Once again, we see Girl Scouts knowing they have a good thing going, and yet deprive modern eaters of experiencing the joy of some of their classic cookies. Remember when we said we would be back for the sandwich cookies? Well, we have arrived. Sandwiches are one of the original Girl Scout cookies to arrive on the scene in 1951; just five years later, they offered both vanilla and chocolate. Think of them as Oreos, but with an additional vanilla option.
At some point in the intervening years, those were discontinued, only to be brought back by Little Brownie Bakers in 1974 as Van'Chos. These were basically the same sandwich cookies, but instead of being sold separately, you got one sleeve each of chocolate and vanilla cream-filled cookies in the same box. This lasted until 1983.
Just a few years later, in 1987, Girl Scouts brought back the embossed cream-filled cookie in just chocolate and called it Echo. The name and new design cemented its resemblance to Oreos. This lasted two more years and was discontinued in 1989.
Were they an Oreo ripoff? Maybe. But Oreos are delicious, and with that Girl Scout flavor, why wouldn't we want to see these again?
Kookaburras
Were Kookaburras more of a candy bar than a cookie? Yes. Does that make any difference to us? Absolutely not. We still want to see the return of Kookaburras. They were around in the 1980s, which was, admittedly, kind of a weird time for Girl Scout cookies, as they also began offering triangle-shaped cheese crackers known as Golden Yangles. However, we are not here for the crackers; we are here for the self-titled "cookie bar."
They were chewy rice cookies filled with caramel and coated in chocolate. Think of it as somewhere between a Rice Krispie treat and a Snickers bar. Honestly, if that does not make your mouth water, we do not know what will.
Sadly, Kookaburras were discontinued by ABC Bakeries in favor of Caramel DeLites (also called Samoas by Little Brownie Bakers). We do not see why they had to be discontinued, though. The two cookies only vaguely resemble each other, and we all know we would have been happy to just buy both.
Aloha Chip
Next to a chocolate chip cookie, a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie is a classic and common type to find in any grocery store bakery. That is why it is so surprising that Girl Scouts has neither. Well, once upon a time, they did.
From 2000-2004 Little Brownie Bakers made the Aloha Chip, a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie that they described as "crunchy and exotic." It must have been pretty good because nearly 20 years after its discontinuation, it still shows up on Mashed polls as the most missed Girl Scout cookie, with over 15% of respondents noting it as deeply missed.
We are not saying that Aloha Chip cookies were groundbreaking in any way, but they were a comfortable classic, and sometimes that is just what we want. We hope Girl Scouts decide to bring them out of retirement at some point so we can bask in their sugary delights.
Le'Chip
There is one classic cookie flavor that stands out above the rest: chocolate chip. Girl Scouts actually has offered chocolate chip cookies in the past. From 1979-1981 Little Brownie Bakeries made a Chocolate Chunk cookie, which is exactly what it sounds like. It even came with recommendations to warm it up in the microwave to melt the chocolate, giving a "baked at home" feel. However, this is not the cookie we are focusing on. Instead, we are looking at the 1996-1997 Le'Chip.
This was a chocolate chip cookie filled with chopped hazelnuts and built on a chocolate bottom. It was heavenly; it elicited a Nutella feel. Yet, sadly, it was not the selling hit that the company was looking for, and it was ultimately replaced by the Aloha Chip. We do not see why the Girl Scouts need to keep pitting these cookies against each other. There is room in our stomachs for all of them.
Double Dutch
Le'Chip was not the end for chocolate chip cookies in the Girl Scouts. From 1997-1999 Little Brownie Bakers made Striped Chocolate Chip and Pecan cookies, which are pretty self-explanatory. And for a hot minute in 2009, the company made a sugar-free chocolate chip cookie. But, unfortunately, it did not last more than one year.
Then, in 2004, the Girl Scouts seemed to figure out the problem. People wanted more chocolate. When is the solution to something not more chocolate? So, they began offering the Double Dutch cookie. This cookie was packed bursting with chocolatey flavor. It had semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, all held together by a chocolate cookie base that tasted like a brownie. The crispy edges gave the cookie an edge brownie vibe. It was a clever way to play up the classic chocolate chip cookie but make it better. Sadly, this, too, only lasted a few years and was discontinued in 2005. Maybe someday, we will see the return of this ultra-chocolate delight.