There’s no wrong way to enjoy your Thin Mints or Samoas, but attempting to pair wine with Girl Scout Cookies presents certain challenges. Like many desserts, the amount of sugar in cookies can overpower wines’ fruity flavors, making an otherwise balanced bottle taste flabby or overly tannic.
“Sweets and wine are notoriously difficult to pair,” says Alexander Peartree, Tasting Director of Wine Enthusiast. “You often want the wine to match or exceed the sweetness of the pairing which is why pours like Port and Sauternes work so well. But, if that’s not possible, look for wines that deliver lots of fruity intensity, with mild to no tannins.”
And Girl Scout Cookies deserve careful consideration. For more than 100 years, scouts have sold cookies to learn leadership and entrepreneurial skills, according to Girl Scouts of the USA.
“Girl Scout Cookies have been a long-standing tradition since 1917 and have become an icon of American culture since then,” a brand representative told Wine Enthusiast. “Supporters have always looked forward to purchasing their favorite flavors every season, and still continue to do so today.”
No scouts at your doorstep or in your social circle? Consider buying your cookies from Troop 6000, a Girl Scouts program for children in the New York City shelter system.
Once you’ve got your cookies, you’re ready to start pouring. Learn how to create perfect wine pairings with Girl Scout Cookies with this guide!
Make It Charcuterie Style
Perfect for every entertaining occasion, our 7-piece acacia wood serving set lets guests easily enjoy their glass of wine and the tasty appetizers you put out while they mix and mingle.
Thin Mints with Zinfandel
The combination of mint and chocolate makes this one of the more challenging cookies to pair with wine. A full-bodied, jammy red wine like Zinfandel is your best bet to stand up to this cookies’ flavors. Here are some of our favorite California Zinfandels to try.
Peanut Butter Patties / Tagalongs with Tawny Port
Known by two names in different geographic markets, these crunchy cookies are topped with creamy peanut butter and coated in milk chocolate. Tawny Port has nutty flavors to balance the sweetness of the chocolate and complement the peanut butter. Read about some of our favorite tawny Ports here.
Caramel deLites / Samoas with Sauternes
Another cookie with two monikers, this is a crowd-pleasing combination of coconut, caramel, chocolate and a Twix-like crunch. These cookies are a good match for Sauternes, the legendary French dessert wine. Learn more about recently reviewed bottles of Sauternes here.
Do-Si-Dos / Peanut Butter Sandwich with Prosecco
These oatmeal sandwich cookies are buttery and crunchy. The flavors and textures are a great match for fruity and fizzy Prosecco, the Italian sparkling wine with notes of green apples and other orchard fruits. Here, eight of our top-rated Proseccos.
Adventurefuls with Oloroso Sherry
Introduced in 2022, the newest Girl Scouts cookie is crisp and chocolatey with a salted caramel center. Match those flavors with the fruity, nutty notes of Oloroso Sherry. Learn more about Sherry here.
Shortbread / Trefoils with Off-Dry Riesling
These simple, unadorned shortbread cookies are shaped like the Girl Scouts logo. Crisp off-dry Riesling has enough acidity to cut through the buttery richness and provide complementary fruit flavors. Check out some of our favorite bottles of off-dry Riesling here.
Published: February 14, 2022
