Girl Scout Slayer

Published on Tuesday, March 2, 2010, by James Norton / Edit Post

Back to Nature Fudge Mint Cookies

Back to Nature Fudge Mint Cookies

I Paid: $4.99 for a 6.4-ounce box (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 5 stars

Marketing: 4 stars

Could anybody possibly compete with the legendary Girl Scouts Thin Mint? Why would anyone bother? The crispy, chocolaty, truly inhale-able stalwart of seasonal binge eating is an American confectionary legend, enthroned as a classic, unassailable as Charlemagne or Jay-Z. And yet—with its Fudge Mint Cookies, natural foods company Back to Nature has made a credible run at it, right down to the green box.

Before we cut to the chase, a bit about this “nature” business. First, the good news: The cookies claim no hydrogenated oils, no high-fructose corn syrup, and no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. The bad news: “Palm kernel and/or palm oil” is right up top of the ingredient list, bringing with it the delicious taste and texture of saturated fat, as well as a residue of deforestation, species damage, and increased greenhouse gas emissions.

So, search your conscience and diet accordingly. In fact: Why not heed your conscience and diet and just never, ever put one of these cookies into your mouth? That’s the smart move, because they are—no qualification here—better than Thin Mints. Better. Hands down. No argument. All fronts. Thin Mints are a bit mintier and grainier, and have a harsher finish. Back to Nature Fudge Mint Cookies are smoother, more deeply chocolaty, crunchier, more balanced, and, incredibly, more addictive. Each box has about 900 calories, and that’s the figure you really need to get your head around—once the damn thing is open, you’d better have a spouse or children or roommates fighting you for the cookies, or all 900 calories’ worth will be sucked down over the course of an evening.

In conclusion, if you value your self-respect, do not let a box of these horrifically good cookies into your house. They will mess you up. (And now the chefs in CHOW.com’s test kitchen have created a version of the Thin Mint that’s even better!)

James Norton edits the Upper Midwestern food journal Heavy Table. He's also the coauthor of a book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers. For his Supertaster column, he samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. You can follow him on Twitter and fan him on Facebook. His wife, Becca Dilley, takes the photographs for Supertaster. She specializes in weddings and food photography, and is the coauthor of and photographer for the book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers.

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POST A COMMENT |14 Comments

COMMENT

  • All girl scout cookies taste terrible to me. Pure fat, little flavor and whatever the flavor they are too sweet and taste fake. Fake lemon, fake mint, fake chocolate, fake butter.
    I was a girl scout for years and I didnt appreciate being pressured into selling these cookies.

  • Purchasing these was a mistake. Should have headed your warning.

  • when are they gonna bring back the old oreo style girl scout cookies i cant stand the mint ones. I find the mint to strong in them..

  • keep in mind that the girl scout cookies have the same palm oil, the same deforestation in them. boo girl scout cookies

  • Seems how the best bargain for the $ is the thin mints the girl scouts sell. However, due to an ethical situation concerning their leadership, I have stopped purchasing GS cookies. The individual GS troops do not get a good return on their investment.

  • The Harry London Mint Cookie Joys are the best chocolate-mint crunchy cookie -- they're not flat like Thin Mints, but other than that the taste is similar (just much better, with real chocolate).

  • If the monies from the fundraising went to the scouts, thats one thing. But it seems to be going to pay the high salaried corporate charities executives instead -- not good too excessive.

  • Oh, fer gawd's sake, just buy a box of cookies from the Girl Scouts. The idea is to help them raise money for their trips, activities, etc. Everyone knows that GS cookies are mass-produced in factories, with an eye toward lower costs--they're a FUNDRAISING ITEM! Save the Fudge Mints (or even better, bake your own cookies--recipes on the web) after the GS fundraiser is finished.

  • Am I the only one who finds the title of this story disturbing and offensive? "Girl Scout Cookie Slayer" OK. "Girl Scout Slayer" FAIL.

  • *eeeerrrr... "given the quantity", nor price.

  • They do seem pricey and extremely fattening given the price. That being said, caloric intake is of no concern to me (indeed, I'm trying to gain weight, so no complaints from me here). I wonder if they'll be available in Canada.

  • I have no doubt these cookies are very good - even bad chocolate/mint cookies are good. But $5 for 6.4 ounces? Wow. The price would keep my away.

  • i LOVE these cookies. they are amazing. it is very hard not to eat the whole box. i have similar issues with the Newman-Os. But these are even better.

  • Yum, these sound great. I'll never forget the sickening feeling of reading the Thin Mints box and realizing how many (partially-?)hydrogenated oils they contained. Not to mention preservatives. Ew.