Red alert, everyone: Girl Scout Cookie season is upon us. This is not a drill. And while in your excitement to celebrate this special time of year you may be ready to inhale sleeves of cookies while mindlessly channel surfing (guilty), we think there's an easy way to elevate your annual cookie binge: pair your Girl Scout Cookies with wine!
No matter what kind of cookie you crave, the folks over at Girl Scout HQ have figured out a way to make your snack-related desires a reality. We look forward to these brightly colored boxes all year because in our humble opinion, Girl Scout Cookies are kind of the perfect treat. They’re sweet, they’re nostalgic, and the money goes to a good cause. Seriously, did you know that all the proceeds stay local?
Cookies may typically fall under the “guilty pleasure” category, but giving money to help young girls do community projects and explore the outdoors is something to feel good about. Plus, can you even feel guilty about something that’s so small? These bite-sized delights make a great afternoon pick-me-up or late night snack – please tell us that we’re not the only ones who keep a box of Thin Mints in the freezer? But once you're ready to pop open those frozen goodies, how do you choose which wine to enjoy them with? Behold, a pairing guide for wine and Girl Scout Cookies.
First, a word of advice on pairing wine and cookies: When you’re enjoying a sweet treat, the general rule of thumb is to pour a wine that’s sweeter than the treat. Otherwise, the wine can end up tasting weirdly bitter in comparison. This is especially the case when it comes to our dear friend chocolate. While it may seem counterintuitive, you can’t just pick your favorite chocolate and favorite wine without considering how they’ll go together. Sure, pairing dark chocolate and red wine sounds great on paper, but a tannic, dry red can end up tasting chalky next to chocolate. You might not love sweet wine on its own, but a sweeter red alongside dark chocolate? Insert chef’s kiss emoji. Now, on to the pairings:
Caramel DeLites
Caramel DeLites are shaped like a crown because they’re fit for a queen/king. These indulgent cookies are covered in caramel and toasted coconut and drizzled in chocolate – couldn’t you die? They pair well with a cold glass of sweet white wine. We recommend our Dreamlet Gewürxtraminer - a white wine with notes of ripe peach and tropical lychee. Sauternes would also be a great pairing for Caramel DeLites. It's a sweet white wine with notes of marmalade and honeyed apricot. Oak aging brings out flavors of butterscotch, caramel, and coconut in Sauternes, which complements the coconut flakes in the cookie.
Lemon-Ups
If you’re looking for a cookie with a bit of a bite, Lemon-Ups have a crisp wake-you-right-up lemon flavor. They go beautifully with a Sauvignon Blanc or sweet Riesling. Tropical fruit flavors like Meyer lemon and juicy nectarine make a nice match for these similarly citrusy cookies. We recommend our Forever Fleeting Sauvignon Blanc - a fresh and fruity Sauv Blanc with citrus notes.
Tagalongs & Do-Si-Dos
Peanut butter lovers, rejoice. The only difference between these two crowd-pleasers, as you probably already know, is that Do-si-do’s are peanut butter sandwich cookies, and Tagalongs are covered in chocolate – because let’s face it, more is more. Both of these go well with the nutty, toffee flavors in Tawny Port, a sweet dessert wine, as well as Madeira, a sweet fortified wine. Alternatively, you can go for a jammy Zinfandel to achieve a peanut butter and jelly-style pairing. We recommend our Apostate Nouveau Zinfandel. The notes of ripe strawberry and vanilla bean pair well with peanut buttery Tagalongs.
Trefoils
Rich and buttery shortbread Trefoils are a classic. You can match them with a sweet Champagne with ripe fruit flavors and notes of buttered toast. We recommend our Stigma Private Reserve Aromica. This sparkling’s notes of bread and toasted almonds will perfectly complement Trefoils. Alternatively, you can opt for sweet and fizzy Moscato d’Asti. The light acidity of this sparkling wine contrasts nicely with a buttery cookie, which is why in Italy, Moscato d’Asti is a classic pairing with biscotti.
Thin Mints
Finally, the belle of the ball. The favorite of many. The classic Thin Mint. Whether enjoyed at room temperature or ice cold (#lifehack), Thin Mints are the perfect combination of crisp chocolate cookie and cool mint flavor. Now, we have to be honest. The combination of dark chocolate and mint makes for a challenging pairing situation. While some might advise going with a bold red, as we mentioned earlier, tannic reds can taste weird with chocolate. With chocolate and mint, you can end up with a sort of toothpaste flavor. This is, as the experts say, no bueno. Instead, you’ll want to go with a sweet fortified wine like Sherry or Banyuls, a Grenache-based red. You could also keep your eye out for a low-tannin red blend that’s made to go with chocolate. If you stumble upon a winning combination, we’d love to hear about it. We'd also recommend our Cabin 5 Barbera - there ripe fruit notes and warm brown baking spices will bring out the best in Thin Mints. Alternatively, Thin Mints pair surprisingly well with coffee. You can sip a cup of joe with these most dunkable of cookies, and save your glass of vino for after you finish snacking.
