Best wines to pair with Girl Scout Cookies

It won’t earn you any merit badges, but you can add a sophisticated twist to Girl Scout Cookies by pairing them with wine.

A tradition for almost a century, the cookies were originally baked by Scouts (maybe with some help from Mom) in their home kitchens.

According to the organization’s website, “The sale of cookies as a way to finance troop activities began as early as 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouts in the United States, when the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria as a service project.”

These days, the cookies are produced by two different licensed commercial bakers, which explains why some have two different names. However, selling the cookies still offers Girl Scouts the chance to learn valuable life skills and provide financial support for local councils and troops.

Here are some pairings suggested by Arroyo Robles Winery, which offered a special Girl Scout Cookie pairing over Valentine’s Day weekend.

Shortbreads or Trefoils: Dating to 1935, these are the traditional buttery cookies emblazoned with the Girl Scout logo. Their flaky richness begs for a very dry sparkling wine — French Champagne, or Spanish cava.

Peanut Butter Patties or Tagalongs: With these chocolate-covered, crispy cookies, opt for a wine that has a good tannic, even briary, structure to hold up to the sweetness of the peanut butter inside. Going with one that’s also a bit jammy, like a zinfandel, “takes me right back to childhood PB&Js,” says Briana Shore of Arroyo Robles Winery, who offers the Girl Scout Cookies-wine pairings on several occasions through the year.

Thanks-A-Lots: These shortbread cookies are dipped in fudge and have “Thank You” imprinted in one of five different languages. Arroyo Robles pairs these with its 2009 La Roja red blend of tempranillo, grenache and mourvèdre. The dry tempranillo cuts the sweet shortbread component, and the earthy mourvèdre marries well with the chocolate.

Caramel deLites or Samoas: A classic tawny Port is a perfect match for the caramel, toasted coconut and chocolate in these crispy cookies.

Thin Mints: One of the most iconic of the Girl Scout Cookies, but tough to pair with wine. Stay away from sweet wines that will over amplify the mint, and go for dry reds, such as syrahs. Or, just skip the wine and enjoy them straight from the freezer!

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Best wines to pair with Girl Scout Cookies."