- Nutrition experts say healthy eating is about making good choices most of the time, but treats like cookies can be eaten in moderation.
- Total calories, saturated fat, and added sugars can be used to compare which foods are relatively healthier.
- It’s also important to savor and enjoy what you’re eating so you don’t feel deprived.
Cookies aren’t generally considered a “healthy” food, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a few treats occasionally.
According to Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, a registered dietitian and an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Rhode Island, healthy eating is about making good choices most of the time.
Occasional treats, such as cookies, are best enjoyed in moderation, Vadiveloo said.
If you do decide to indulge in Girl Scout Cookies this season, we’ve compiled a list of the relevant nutritional information for each variety of cookie, ranked from healthiest to unhealthiest.
Our rankings are based on nutritional information per cookie rather than per serving to make more accurate comparisons.
Based on Vadiveloo’s advice, we considered such factors as total calories, added sugars, and saturated fat when ranking the cookies.
For some cookies, you may see two different names listed, each with slightly different nutritional information. This is because some Girl Scout Cookies are made by two different bakers, each using a different recipe.
We’ve also ranked similar cookies together when possible, and availability may vary depending on your region.
Shortbread (ABC Bakers)
Serving size: 4 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 120 calories, 4.5 grams total fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 110 milligrams sodium, 19 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 6 grams sugar, 5 grams added sugar, 2 grams protein, 0.8 milligrams iron
Trefoils (Little Brownie Bakers)
Serving size: 5 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 160 calories, 7 g total fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 7 g sugars, 6 g added sugars, 2 g protein, 1 mg iron
Why we ranked this cookie as we did
Shortbread and Trefoils were the clear winners among all of the Girl Scout Cookies. Compared to other varieties, they had the lowest calories per cookie (30 and 32 calories, respectively). They were also the lowest in saturated fat and added sugars.
Thin Mints (ABC Bakers)
Serving size: 4 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 160 calories, 7 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 11 g total sugars, 11 g added sugars, 1 g protein, 1.4 mg iron
Thin Mints (Little Brownie Bakers)
Serving size: 4 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 160 calories, 7 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, <1 g fiber, 10 g total sugars, 9 g added sugars, 2 g protein, 1.2 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
Thin Mints actually stack up pretty well against most other Girl Scout Cookies. At only 40 calories per cookie and only slightly more saturated fat and added sugars than our No. 1 pick, they earn the honor of being our second-healthiest cookie on this list.
Do-si-dos (Little Brownie Bakers)
Serving size: 3 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 160 calories, 7 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 11 g sugars, 10 g added sugars, 3 g protein, 0.8 mg iron
Peanut Butter Sandwich (ABC Bakers)
Serving size: 3 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 170 calories, 7 g total fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 85 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 9 g total sugars, 8 g added sugars, 3 g protein, 0.8 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
While these two peanut butter sandwich cookies were slightly lower in saturated fat than Thin Mints, their higher added sugars and calories per cookie (53 and 57 calories, respectively) led us to rank them No. 3 on our list.
Serving size: 3 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 160 calories, 7 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 95 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 9 g total sugars, 9 g added sugars, 3 g protein, 1.4 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
At 53 calories per cookie, ABC Baker’s Caramel Chocolate Chip tied with the Do-si-dos on calories, but the Caramel Chocolate Chip’s higher amounts of saturated fat pushed them to No. 4.
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 140 calories, 6 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 7 g total sugars, 7 g added sugars, 1 g protein, 0.7 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
Lemon-Ups were only slightly lower in saturated fat and added sugars but higher in calories than Caramel Chocolate Chip (70 versus 53), leading them to earn the No. 5 slot.
Peanut Butter Patties (ABC Bakers)
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 130 calories, 7 g total fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 8 g total sugars, 8 g added sugars, 2 g protein, 1 mg iron
Tagalongs (Little Brownie Bakers)
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 140 calories, 8 g total fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 80 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 8 g total sugars, 7 g added sugars, 3 g protein, 0.7 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
With higher calories per cookie (65 and 70 calories, respectively) than any of the previous cookies, Peanut Butter Patties and Tagalongs ranked No. 6 in our lineup.
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 140 calories, 7 g total fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 7 g total sugars, 7 g added sugars, <1 g protein, 0.1 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
While Toffee-tastic was virtually identical to Tagalongs in our chosen criteria, we ranked Toffee-tastic at No. 7 in order to keep the two versions of the previous cookie (Peanut Butter Patties and Tagalongs) together on this list.
ABC Bakers
Serving size: 3 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 180 calories, 7 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 140 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, <1 g fiber, 14 g total sugars, 14 g added sugars, 1 g protein, 1 mg iron
Little Brownie Bakers
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 130 calories, 5 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 8 g total sugars, 8 g added sugars, 1 g protein, 1.3 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
Little Brownie Baker’s Exploremores had a similar amount of calories and saturated fat to Toffee-tastic, but their higher added sugars made them rank as less healthy.
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 150 calories, 7 g total fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 65 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 9 g total sugars, 9 g added sugars, 1 g protein, 0.6 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
While they had a bit less added sugar, Lemonades came in higher in calories and saturated fat than Toast-yay, making them our choice for the No. 10 slot.
Adventurefuls (ABC Bakers)
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 130 calories, 6 g total fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 11 g total sugars, 11 g added sugars, <1 g protein, 0.6 mg iron
Adventurefuls (Little Brownie Bakers)
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 120 calories, 6 g total fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 80 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 9 g total sugars, 9 g added sugars, 1 g protein, 1.2 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
While these may appear better at first glance due to their lower calories per serving, they’re actually among the highest in sugar and fairly high in saturated fat.
Caramel deLites (ABC Bakers)
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 140 calories, 7 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, <1 g fiber, 12 g total sugars, 9 g added sugars, <1 g protein, 0.7 mg iron
Samoas (Little Brownie Bakers)
Serving size: 2 cookies
Nutritional information per serving: 150 calories, 8 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 60 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 11 g total sugars, 10 g added sugars, 1 g protein, 0.6 mg iron
How we ranked this cookie
With a whopping 12 g of sugar per 2-cookie serving (for the ABC Bakers version), these cookies edged out Adventurefuls to claim the dubious honor of being the unhealthiest Girl Scout cookies.
Reading nutritional information is important, but there are other strategies to help balance your Girl Scout Cookie intake.
Focus on eating an overall healthy diet
Experts recommend adhering to a healthy, balanced diet. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 can be a helpful roadmap.
The Mediterranean diet, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and the
Avoid labeling foods as ‘bad’
Referring to foods as “bad” or “off-limits” can often backfire, leading to cravings and overeating, Vadiveloo said.
Practice mindful eating
Vadiveloo said eating cookies when you aren’t ravenously hungry, allowing you to savor the experience. This will allow you to eat fewer cookies and feel more satisfied.
Buy only your favorite cookies
While certain cookies have a better nutritional profile than others, Vadiveloo said it can sometimes be a better choice to buy the cookies you truly like.
Eating a cookie you don’t enjoy can leave you feeling deprived and resentful, ultimately leading to overeating.
Keep an eye on portion sizes
It’s important to note that suggested serving sizes are usually only a few cookies rather than the entire box.
Gluten-free isn’t always ‘healthier’
While they’re better for those who genuinely need to avoid gluten, gluten-free cookies are nutritionally no better than their gluten-containing counterparts.
Buy less
Purchase fewer boxes to reduce temptation and avoid eating more than you intended.
Make a donation
If you want to support your local Girl Scouts but don’t want the temptation of having cookies in your home, you can donate cookies to U.S. military members serving overseas.
You pay for the cookies, and the Girl Scouts do the rest. You can also make a monetary donation to the Girl Scouts.
Monitor your calorie intake
Cut back elsewhere in your diet or increase your exercise to compensate for the additional calories.