The newest addition to the roster of Girl Scout Cookies is basically an all-chocolate Oreo — just not quite as good.
It’s fitting, considering the Girl Scouts seem to be adopting the Oreo playbook of rolling out new flavors to keep people interested year after year.
Exploremores join the 2026 Girl Scout Cookie lineup alongside mainstays like Samoas and Thin Mints. However, they come at the expense of two of the better flavors that have come out in recent years: Girl Scout S’mores and Toast-Yays! (I’m not shouting. That’s just how it’s spelled.)
This is a betrayal of the highest order. I loved those cookies. Now they’re gone and now I’m sitting here with a box of Trefoils that I don’t particularly like, but I know I’m going to eat because they’re cookies.
Girl Scout Cookies Exploremores | Review
Exploremores are the Girl Scouts’ latest experiment with sandwich cookie technology.
Do-Si-Dos/Peanut Butter Sandwiches have been around for ages. The now-defunct S’mores went a similar route.
Those cookies were Oreo-adjacent in their design. Exploremores are a far more brazen ripoff in terms of size and shape. The disc of chocolate creme in the center is virtually identical to what you get in an all-chocolate Oreo.
This isn’t a criticism. Honestly, it’s about time the Girl Scouts did this. Grocery stores have been making knock-off Oreos for years. If the Girl Scouts are claiming to promote business savvy in young girls, what better way than to ride the wave of the biggest name in cookies?
What do they taste like?
Exploremores are marketed as being inspired by Rocky Road ice cream, touting “toasted almond-flavored creme and marshmallow filling.”
I didn’t realize that was the flavor they were going for until I read the description. I just tasted chocolate creme and a pair of crunchy chocolate cookies.
It’s a good idea in theory. But the whole “Rocky Road” element is lost in cookie practice. Overall, it just tastes like basic chocolate. If you pay close attention (or eat the creme by itself), you can taste a mellow non-chocolate sweetness. But it’s not so novel that it stands out as a full, separate flavor.
That’s perfectly fine. But I’m confused as to why the Girl Scouts are trying to make it fancier than it really is. It’s like when a brewery tells me their lager has notes of “bubblegum, lemon blossom and dry hay.”
Hey man, it tastes like beer. Maybe it’s kind of bready and fruity.
This cookie? It tastes like chocolate. Is there some almond and marshmallow in there? Maybe. I dunno. I ate 12 of them. I won’t judge you if you don’t judge me.
So are they any good?
Yup, I rank these in the upper echelon of Girl Scout Cookies. They’re not quite up there with Samoas and Thin Mints. But I put them well above Tagalongs/Peanut Patties and Do-Si-Dos/Peanut Butter Sandwiches.
The final word
Here’s the full Girl Scout Cookie lineup for 2026, including Exploremores:
- Thin Mints
- Caramel deLites/Samoas
- Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs
- Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do-Si-Dos
- Trefoils
- Adventurefuls
- Lemonades (Little Brownie Bakers only)
- Lemon-Ups (ABC Bakers only)
- Toffee-tastic (Little Brownie Bakers only)
- Caramel Chocolate Chip (ABC Bakers only)
As you can see from the list, there’s some variation on what type of cookies you get from the Girl Scouts.
The Girl Scouts have two different bakeries, Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers. Each one has a couple of exclusive cookies. They also have slightly different recipes and names.
For example, Little Brownie Bakers makes Tagalongs and Samoas while ABC Bakers makes Peanut Butter Patties and Caramel deLites. They’re basically the same cookie, but with different names.
The type of cookies you get will depend on which Girl Scout Council you buy from. The Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts use Little Brownie Bakers. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts use ABC Bakers.
You can determine which cookies are sold in your area by entering your zip code on the Girl Scouts Website.
Still confused? Me too. Fortunately, there’s more info on the Girl Scouts website.
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“I ate it so you don’t have to” is a regular food column about off-beat eats, both good and bad. I picked the name years ago and now we’re sort of stuck with it.
You can send any praise/food suggestions to nomalley@masslive.com. Please send all criticisms and complaints about how complicated Girl Scout Cookies are to tlavery@masslive.com. You can check out the rest of the series here.
