I have always found it rather puzzling that the Girl Scouts do not sell their famous baked goods in the late fall. The holidays are so synonymous with cookies that you'd think they would make a killing by providing Samoas, Tagalongs and their other varieties to hungry but lazy consumers. Never fear. If you long to include some Girl Scout confections on your Christmas cookie platter, here are five knockoff versions available in your supermarket.
5. Mother's Iced Lemonade Cookies (Savannah Smiles). One of the newest additions to the Girl Scouts' line, Savannah Smiles are moon-shaped lemon cookies dusted with powdered sugar. Though they're not identical, you can enjoy similar sugary, tangy flavors with Mother's Iced Lemonade cookies.
4. Safeway Fudge Mints (Thin Mints). Other than the fact that "fudge mints" appear in rectangular rather than circular form, there's little to distinguish these cookies from the Girl Scouts' famous Thin Mints. I guarantee you will just as easily be able to eat an entire package between 9 and 10 p.m. on a weeknight.
3. Keebler Pitter Patters (Do-si-dos). Given that Keebler actually produces some of the Girl Scouts' supply of cookies, it's not terribly surprising (nor illegal) that they offer their own line of extreme copycats. The latest knockoff closely imitates the nutty Do-si-do sandwich cookie.
2. Safeway Lemon Sandwich Crème Cookies (Lemonades). It's not entirely clear why the Hemlock Council decided to name one of its cookies after a beverage (additionally confusing is how they got a registered trademark on "lemonades"), but these citrus cream cookies bear a strong resemblance to Safeway's lemon crèmes sans the sandwich hat.
1. Keebler Coconut Dreams (Samoas). Oh, Samoas. I couldn't even quit you if I wanted to because you're always available, even if you insist on masquerading as "Coconut Dreams" at H-E-B. And you're frequently 50 cents to a dollar cheaper. The Girl Scouts' version just can't compete.
