It’s that time of year again! Girl Scout Cookie season is upon us. Among the classic favorites like Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs, the girls will be offering a brand new cookie this year as part of the organization’s 100th anniversary.
A new lemon cookie called Savannah Smiles will be sold. The name is a nod to the hometown of the Girl Scout’s founder Juliette Gordon Low. The new cookie is designed to look like a smile shape. It is a hard cookie covered in powered sugar with a lemon flavor.
Taste testers haven’t been overly impressed by the Savannah Smiles, mentioning that the flavor lacks the uniqueness that many come to expect from a Girl Scout Cookie. Many Girl Scout flavors are attempted to be replicated and offered on the shelf all year round, but few succeed at really edging out the original. However, the review of the Smiles seem to indicate that many lemon cookie alternatives offer more flavor than the new Girl Scout version.
Taste aside, the cookie’s ingredients seem consistent for a shelf-stable, processed product. Since the cookies need to stay preserved and cannot be served fresh, preservatives are included in the ingredients. The Girl Scouts also include the controversial palm oil in their cookies. Supposedly this year, all boxes will contain the GreenPalm logo, which indicates that a portion of money will go toward sustainable palm oil producers.
The Savannah Smiles contain 140 calories per serving. A serving is considered 30 grams, or about 5 cookies. There are 5 grams of fat per serving and thankfully no trans fats. There are 23 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein. They are comparable to most cookies. No shocking amounts of sugar or fat, yet no attempt to push them above the curve and add whole grains or a natural sweetener.
If the reviews are any indication, the Savannah Smiles will doubtfully out sell the classics Girl Scout Cookies and may not see another season.
