It’s Girl Scout Cookie time once again. If you didn’t get a chance to snatch up some of those colorful boxes, you’d better hurry! Every year, millions of people stock up on their favorite cookies, including the ubiquitous Thin Mints.

For years, the Thin Mint was my favorite of all time. They were like little gold coins, really. They were expensive, and only came around once, maybe twice a year. So you really had to savor each and every cookie, and try not to eat too many at once so that you could stretch them out as long as possible.

And then one year, as I was in the cookie aisle at my local grocer, and I put 2 and 2 together, and made the earth-shattering discovery: Keebler’s Grasshoppers are just like Thin Mints!

A little poking on the internet, and I’ve learned that Thin Mints actually outsell Grasshoppers 5 to 1! In fact, a lot of (crazy) people out there prefer the Thin Mint. So I’m going to pit the Thin Mint against the Grasshopper right now, and settle the score once and for all!

Taste:
(This is the point that is probably up to the most debate…so lets tackle it first.)
Thin Mints: Very delicious indeed. But I got to tell you, the chocolate and the mine, while yummy, can be a bit anemic.

Grasshoppers: The chocolate/fudge flavor is fantastic. The elves really have perfected the fudge thing, and the mint flavor in the Grasshoppers is a tad stronger than the Thin Mint.

Advantage: Grasshoppers

Availability:
Thin Mints: Only available once or twice a year. And then you have to track down a Girl Scout.

Grasshoppers: Available 24/7/365 at millions of retailers across the country.

Advantage: Grasshoppers

Price:
Thin Mints: $2.50-$4.00, depending on your area.

Grasshoppers: Usually always less than $2.50

Advantage: Grasshoppers

Package Size:
Thin Mints: 261g
Grasshoppers: 290g

Advantage: Grasshoppers

Nutrition (or lack thereof):
Thin Mints: 140 calories, 7g fat / serving
Grasshoppers: 140 calories, 7g fat / serving

Advantage: Draw

Made by:
Thin Mints: Cute prepubecent girls.
Grasshoppers: Industrious elves.

Advantage: Thin Mints

Money goes to:
Thin Mints: Organization that teaches young girls strong values, skills, and beliefs.
Grasshoppers: Gigantic and cold corporation.

Advantage: Thin Mints

So with a final score of Grasshoppers: 4, Thin Mints: 2, it’s quite easy to see who the overall victor is. But I would say, go ahead and buy a box or two of the Thin Mints. The money goes to a good cause. But otherwise, load up on those oh-so savory Grasshoppers!
 
 
 
 
(Hey Keebler…where’s my check??)