The Wildly Popular Girl Scout Cookie We're Not Getting Back In 2024
Not since the name was changed from Samoas to Caramel deLites have we been talking about Girl Scout cookies so much in the off-season. After beginning in 1912, the organization has evolved over the years, retiring some beloved cookies, rebranding a few, and adding new ones to the lineup.
For the 2024 cookie season, Girl Scouts of the USA announced that its newest cookie — the highly popular Raspberry Rally introduced in 2023 — will not be returning. "Sister" to the best-selling Thin Mints, Raspberry Rallys were raspberry-flavored cookies covered in chocolate. The cookies were part of the organization's first online-only sale with direct-to-consumer shipping. One month after launching, online demand for Raspberry Rally cookies surged, allowing some dubious characters to take advantage of the annual Girl Scout cookie fever. Boxes of Girl Scout cookies, which traditionally retailed between $4 and $5, were selling on eBay at significantly marked-up prices as high as $200.
As reported by The New York Times, the Girl Scouts organization responded to the unauthorized resales by saying, "We're saddened that the platforms and the sellers are disregarding the core mission of the cookie program and are looking to make a profit off of the name without supporting our mission and the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program in the world." Despite greedy resellers influencing the organization's decision to not bring back the cookie in 2024, it may not be gone forever.
Will they bring back Raspberry Rally cookies?
Raspberry Rallies joined other Girl Scout cookies like Savannah Smiles and Thanks-A-Lots as retired flavors, but the organization hasn't closed the door on any of them permanently. The Girl Scouts maintain that any of the discontinued flavors could feasibly return at some point in the future, leaving a glimmer of hope for all of the consumers willing to pay $200 per box. Still, if you can't wait for that day to come, the internet is full of copycat Raspberry Rally cookie recipes that you can bake using freeze-dried raspberries and shortbread cookie dough.
Although the organization will continue to offer online cookie sales beginning February 16, 2024 using its new Digital Cookie platform, the Girl Scouts caution consumers against purchasing cookies online from third-party sellers, which includes listings on trusted sites like eBay and Amazon. Alongside the ethical issues, there are also quality-control concerns since unauthorized resales often involve boxes that are past their expiration dates. In response, eBay encouraged consumers to support their local Girl Scout troops but defended the cookie resales on their platform as being above board.
At the risk of delivering more disappointing news, consumers should expect a price increase from the brand, with boxes now retailing for $6. Girl Scout cookies are not immune to inflation, so even the O.G. cookies, like Thin Mints, Adventurefuls, and Lemonades are getting more expensive in certain regions.