Girl Scout cookie season is just around the corner. As usual, I’m not really planning to buy any of the Girl Scouts’ offerings – although I am happy to support local troops in other ways – because I know that I can make cookies that are as good or better at home. Girl Scout cookies still contain partially hydrogenated oils, even if they have decreased the amount to come in under the FDA’s definition of “zero trans fats per serving” (no more than .5g per serving). Homemade cookies are made with real ingredients – butter, sugar, flour, chocolate – and really do have zero trans fats. They’re still indulgent treats, but treats you can feel good about eating!

You can find recipes for four of the Scouts’ best sellers here, including an easy to make version of Thin Mints that you don’t need a cookie cutter to shape:

Homemade Thin Mints – minty chocolate wafer cookies dipped in chocolate

– minty chocolate wafer cookies dipped in chocolate Homemade Samoas – shortbread topped with coconut-laden caramel and drizzled with chocolate

– shortbread topped with coconut-laden caramel and drizzled with chocolate Homemade Do-Si-Dos – crispy peanut butter sandwich cookies with a peanut butter filling

– crispy peanut butter sandwich cookies with a peanut butter filling Homemade Tagalongs – peanut butter cup-like cookies with a shortbread base

– peanut butter cup-like cookies with a shortbread base Homemade Lemon Coolers – light, lemony cookies that were retired a few years ago

If you prefer your cookies gluten free, I’ve got that covered, too:

Homemade Gluten Free Thin Mints – chocolate-covered chocolate mint wafer cookies made without flour

And if you’ve had enough of the cookies on their own, try using them in another way: