We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post at no additional cost to you.
Is it off season for Girl Scout cookies and you need your thin mint fix? What is a chocolate mint cookie lover to do – namely one that doesn’t want to bake their own from the plethora of copycat baking recipes? Head to Kroger and grab a package of their own brand of Mint Fudge Enrobed Cookies and squash your craving fast.
While Girl Scout cookies are offered in several flavors (some are limited edition), there are some classic flavors that are the cornerstone of the line and thin mints are consistently at the top of the list of favorites.
Why do Girl Scouts only sell cookies once a year?
The organization of Girl Scouts uses different methods to enrich girls in several areas of life and selling Girl Scout cookies is a way to give hands on experience. It was never intended to be a cookie selling machine.
Since 1917 the cookies have been sold to help instill lessons like:
- Collecting payment and giving change helps money management skills
- Selling skills and goals are taught though a strategy a scout develops to market cookies, how many need to be sold to reach the dollar goal and how to interact with potential customers they don’t have a prior relationship with.
- Unpacking an order that fulfills multiple customer small orders teaches organizational skills
They are sold for a brief period each year and if you snooze, you lose. There is no fear of missing cookie season because the eager scouts will have tables set up at high traffic retail stores like outside of Kroger and other high traffic grocery stores, Walmart, Ace Hardware, some schools, etc. You can find walk-up- and-buy locations on the Girl Scouts website. Now, with online ordering available you may even get flyers in your door or mailbox from a scout in your neighborhood.
Where to find Girl Scout cookies off season?
Cookies are not for sale outside of the January sales cycle so options are to make your own with a copycat recipe online or look for copycat off brands of Girl Scout cookies. Kroger being one of them.
I discovered some of the flavors copied by Kroger and honestly, they are quite good. Currently they are less than half the price of a box of the scout cookies if you are budget conscious. In 2022 the package cost $2.49 and I paid $6 per box of Girl Scout cookies.
So, how do the Kroger versions stack up to the real deal? The copycat thin mints are quite a bit larger than original thin mints. The crisp cookie is square rather than round, a thin coat of white mint flavored coating is added before a final chocolate robe is applied.
I find the Kroger version to be marginally better. There is just a hint more salt to balance out the sweetness and I like the proportion of cookie to chocolate coating.
I give Kroger mint chocolate enrobed cookies a purple dot but I do encourage people to support their local Girl Scouts during cookie season. Off season, off brand Girl Scout cookies are fair game.
