Those who love rocky road ice cream will be pleased to know that it was the inspiration for the new Girl Scout Cookie for the 2026 season, called Exploremores. According to the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP), Exploremores are chocolate sandwich cookies filled with a creamy blend of marshmallow and toasted almond-flavored creme. The new variety replaces S'mores and Toast-Yay!

So far, the new cookies have gotten some positive reviews. "The new cookie is my favorite. It tastes like ice cream," said Addison Austin, who recently offered cookies for sale at the Morgantown Walmart along with her sister, Avery, and her mother Elizabeth. Addison is a member of Troop 1527, and Avery is a member of Troop 1400. Elizabeth is the leader of Troop 1527 and assistant leader of Troop 1400.

Also offering cookies for sale at Walmart were Riley and Scarlett, members of Daisy Troop 1400, who said they also enjoyed the new cookie variety. "It is similar to an Oreo but with chocolate creme on the inside," Riley said.

In addition to Walmart, located at 100 Crossings Blvd., Elverson, cookie booths are open on weekends at Boyer's Food Market, 200 W. First St., Birdsboro; AnnaMarie's on Main, 339 W. Main St., Birdsboro; and Island Pizza, 3060 Limekiln Pike, Birdsboro. For a complete list of booth locations, visit http://www.gsep.org, choose "Cookies" and then enter a ZIP code at "Find Cookies!"

In addition to Exploremores, cookie varieties include Adventurefuls, which are brownie-like cookies with a caramel-flavored cream; Trefoils, which are shortbread cookies; Lemonades, which are shortbread cookies with a lemon-flavored icing; and Caramel deLites, which are crispy cookies coated with caramel and coconut and drizzled with chocolate stripes. Peanut butter varieties are Peanut Butter Patties dipped in chocolate and the Peanut Butter Sandwich, which is an oatmeal cookie with a peanut butter filling.

A percentage of sales is used by the troop for various activities. "We are working on some new badges, and they want to go on field trip to the Philadelphia Zoo or the Camden Aquarium," noted Elizabeth.

Those who visit the local booths also have an opportunity to donate cookies to Hometown Heroes, a program adopted in 2019 by GSEP. "We give cookies to the local fire department and police station and Mary's Shelter in Reading," noted Elizabeth.

The goal of the cookie sales, according to GSEP, is to teach Girl Scouts five essential skills - goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. "This was our first year selling cookies, and they learned so much like the counting of money, since we don't handle money very often," Elizabeth said. "There is also math involved. It's a little trickier this year because cookies are $6, and it was easier for them to (make change) when cookies were $5. They also learn about customer service."

"I like how (people) are always very kind," Addison added. "If they say no to buying cookies, we still smile and say, 'Thank you.'"

While they do not write notes to those who visit the cookie booths, troop members do handwrite personal thank you notes to people they know. "If our friends and families buy cookies, they write thank you notes," said Elizabeth. "It helps them practice skills that are so important."

According to GSEP, the Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led business in the world. Girl Scout Cookie sales will continue through the end of March. For more information, visit the aforementioned website.