We Tried The New Girl Scouts Sparkables Cookie

I never did Girl Scouts, or team sports, or pretty much any organized, ranked activity not required by state law. However, I have eaten almost every type of cookie that the Girl Scouts organization has ever created. So if there’s a cookie badge, I’d have one. Maybe two. 

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I was lucky enough to get my hands on a just-released, “first-of-its-kind” addition to the Girl Scout cookie line―a joyful looking pink box of Sparkables. Co-released with the Girl Scouts first-ever dog treat, Patch Pals, Sparkables are genuinely an awesome addition to the world of cookies because they’re specifically made, in expert conjunction with Partake Foods, for “families navigating certain food allergies.” That’s a very big deal―and one the Girl Scouts are proud to announce on the (genuinely happy-looking) pink box: “Allergy-friendly, gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan.” Now the only question: are they tasty enough to earn a badge?

Our Thoughts

Pros: The cookies, which are a bit small are built on a sweet, crispy-but-tender oat-ish backbone (with some added help and tenderness from cassava and rice flour). Really, you wouldn’t notice they’re gluten-free (in the unpleasant textural way GF products sometimes, er, announce themselves). They’re crisp but a bit chewy and delicately cinnamony, like a classic oatmeal (or oatmeal raisin) cookie, sometimes interrupted by a welcome chocolate chip..) 

Cons: I already feel guilty writing any “cons” about a box of sprinkled, inclusive, allergy-friendly cookies with a bunch of happy kids on the box, so I’ll keep it as delicate as possible. (Though, to be fair, we have already ranked all the Girl Scout cookies before.) I’m a relative giant compared to the tiny adventurers on the box, but these very fun and cute cookies are a bit small, even for kids. The texture is absolutely great, but they’re dry enough that I coughed a few times―not out of greed or speed of eating (my usual) but just due to the oat factor. Which brings me to another, teensy con: maybe because the cookies are a bit small, there’s room for about one to three (tops) chocolate chips, if that. And maybe if there were a couple more creamy, melty chocolate chips, the cookie wouldn’t chew as dry and crumbly.

Our Final Verdict 

Okay, maybe if the kids weren’t smiling so adorably I’d stop at a 7, but then, even for a slightly undersized cookie (it definitely looks like it’s been hit by the shrinkflation ray gun), it does manage some crisp/chewy textural contrast. I just wish there were more chips, and a bit more cookie, so that crispy/chewy contrast wasn’t so dry. Definitely redeemed a bit by the spot-on sweetness level and that nostalgic hint of cinnamon. And while the sprinkles don’t do much for the flavor, but they’re cute as heck. Just, maybe a bit too cute.