Welcome to the 4th edition of The Cookie Press where each week we pass along program updates and share just in time reminders for the Cookie Season.  Catch up on previous editions on Cookie Central.

For Troop Leaders and Troop Cookie Managers:

For Community/Area Product Leaders

This year all troops who place an initial cookie order will receive the 2026 Exploremores patch for each girl selling (see image below). The initial order is how over 60% of our cookies get into the hands of troops so they are ready for in-person sales on Go Day.  The River Valleys Cookie Calculator makes it easy by recommending how many packages of each variety to start with.

If your troop sold cookies last year, recommendations are based on your 2025 Per Girl Average (PGA).

New this year? Your recommendations will match the average for your Girl Scout grade level instead.

💡Remember: the calculator gives package counts, but Smart Cookies orders are placed in cases (12 packages per case). 

Did your troop place a gluten-free cookie pre-order for the Caramel Chocolate Chip cookies? Check out your order here.

Your Community Product Leader will soon reach out with training options available in your Community/Area. River Valleys is also hosting virtual training sessions. All troop volunteers are welcome to attend these sessions along with completing local training sessions. Register using the links below:

 Returning Troop Training: Tuesday January 6, 7PM-8:30PM  

 New Troop Training: Saturday January 10,  9AM-10:30AM 

Sessions will be recorded and available in gsLearn. New Troop Cookie Managers should complete the 477 Troop Cookie Basics training in gsLearn prior to attending a training session. 

Smart Cookies registration emails have been sent to the Troop Cookie Manager and Troop Leader. Need to add more users? Contact us to make that request. All contacts/users in Smart Cookies will be added as a troop volunteer in Digital Cookie.

New for 2026: GSUSA will officially launch the national Girl Scout Cookie season on January 6. Beginning that day, the Girl Scout Cookie Finder will be live for customers searching by ZIP code for nearby cookie booths or a local troop to support through a shipped cookie purchase. With this early national launch, we want local customers who are searching for cookies the ability to support a local troop for a shipped purchase. 

Troops may choose to activate their ship-only troop link in Digital Cookie so they are included in the national  Cookie Finder  for shipped orders. Digital Cookie registration emails for troop volunteers will be sent on January 5, allowing time for site setup. Once your troop’s site is complete, it will be added to the rotation of active troop links within your ZIP code. Girl Scout Digital Cookie access and the rest of the troop functionality will not be active until February 11, when online and pre-sales begin. The ship-only troop links should not be shared broadly—consider it a soft launch of the season, especially with interest in the new Exploremores, to benefit our local troops.

Setting up your troop site is easy, check out our video instructions or the Site Set Up Tip Sheet. 

Any sales from the troop ship-only link will be credited to Girl Scouts in Smart Cookies. We recommend waiting until the end of the season to distribute these sales.

Troop cookie materials will be shipping to Communities the week of December 29. Your Community Product Leader will be in touch to coordinate picking up your troop materials.  

Last call for Cookie Rally cookie orders. Cookie packages are $2.65 each (cost includes shipping) and will be ACH’d from your Community or Troop account. 

Order deadline: December 21. No late orders can be accepted. 

Place your order using the Cookie Rally Order Form and explore our Cookie Rally Guide for ideas to make your event unforgettable. Orders ship the week of January 19.

Now that Community Product Leaders have access to Smart Cookies, please take a moment to verify your community’s information. New this year, rewards shipments will be sent to the alternate community contact if the Community has two or more contacts. To verify the info, go My Service Unit>Service Unit info:

If your community has only one contact, no action is needed, the shipment will go to the primary contact. If you have two or more contacts, please confirm who the alternate contact should be and contact us if any updates are required.

Have a question? Don't be shy!
Contact us for more information.