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Thin Mints Are Now Pareve

Go ahead, eat a Thin Mint after you’ve finished that helzel

by
Rose Kaplan
March 29, 2016
Flickr
Thin Mints. Flickr
Flickr
Thin Mints. Flickr

Thin Mints, typically the most popular Girl Scout cookies, are now certified kosher pareve by the Orthodox Union. You know, so you can enjoy them right after your gefilte fish and chicken soup with matzoh balls. This, from the Little Brownie Bakers website, which is one of two licensed baking companies that produces Girl Scout cookies (ABC Bakers’ Thin Mints are labeled U-D):

All Girl Scout cookies baked by Little Brownie Bakers are certified as kosher dairy; except Thin Mint cookies which are certified Kosher Pareve. There is a small supply of Thin Mints on the market that are vegan; but labeled kosher dairy. Thin Mint cookies are now labeled vegan as the dairy-based ingredients, which were the only animal derived ingredients, have been removed.

All Girl Scout cookies have certified kosher by the O.U. since 1995, part of a long tradition of support for Jews, and for kashrut, in the Girl Scouts organization, which was outlined by Tablet contributor Tal Trachtman Alroy last year in an article called “The Jewish History Behind the Girl Scouts.”

Still, until now, unless you were sitting down to a completely meat-free meal, Thin Mints, along with every other Girl Scout cookie, were off the table for kosher-keeping Jews. The Jewish Chronicle noted that Little Brownie Bakers made this happen by replacing the whey in their Thin Mints with a new, nondairy flavor. (Little Brownie Bakers writes, “The cookie taste and texture are unaffected,” so rest easy.)

“Girl Scouts recognizes that there are millions of people with dietary restrictions, and we wanted to ensure that all customers could enjoy our delicious treats,” a Girl Scouts of the USA spokesperson told the Chronicle. “Our bakers have produced a variety of cookies that take lifestyle changes and dietary restrictions into account, including gluten-free, vegan and kosher options.”

Thin Mints: a godsend for all the vegan kosher Jews out there looking for the perfect dessert for their Shabbat dinner.

My only qualm is: When are my favorite Girl Scout cookie, Caramel deLites, which are made with a healthy portion of sweetened condensed milk, going to follow suit? Hey, a girl can always hope.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article mischaracterized Thin Mints in the context of Passover. Though Thin Mints are pareve, they are not certified kosher for Passover.

Rose Kaplan is an intern at Tablet.