Girl Scout troops throughout West Virginia are gearing up for their annual cookie sale.

A new flavor — Dulce De Leche — has been added to the lineup. It is described as a sweet, indulgent cookie rich with milk caramel chips and caramel stripes and inspired by the classic confections of Latin America.

The scouts will also offer last year’s new flavors, Lemon Chalet Cremes and Sugar Free Chocolate Chips, as well as “the Famous Five” — Tagalongs, Samoas, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils and Thin Mints.

“We sell eight varieties of cookies per year,” Beckley Black Diamond Field Executive Andrea Bowman said.

Bowman says the Famous Five aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“Those five cookies are the ones that will be here forever. They’re the staple Girl Scout cookies.”

Not to mention that in the Beckley council Samoas are the most popular, while Thin Mints stand as the nationwide favorite, according to Bowman.

The proceeds of the cookie sales typically go toward the development of the local Girl Scout program, However, this year, Bowman says, things have changed a bit.

“This year, we’re doing the cookies for a change program. Our theme is, ‘Imagine If ... ’”

In the campaign, the girls will have the opportunity to make a “change” with the money they earn, Bowman said.

Each troop will have the opportunity to choose a service project where they can donate part of their cookie sale proceeds.

“Maybe they would decide with a portion of the money they raise they want to buy dog food for the animal shelter or buy food for a food pantry. Whatever they see is a need in their community,” she said.

Bowman says the girls are excited to begin selling.

Last year, 7,035 Girl Scouts in the region participated in the cookie sale, selling an average of 173 boxes of cookies per scout.

Local troops will be taking orders beginning Friday and continuing through Jan. 26. Booth sales will be held from March through May at various locations. The cost is $3.50 per box.

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Americans eat 8.3 million pounds of Girl Scout cookies each year.

According to the Black Diamond Council, five of the top 10 cookies sold in the United States are Girl Scout cookies. The council also asserts that more Girl Scout cookies are sold in the three-month sale period than any other brand that sells year-round — including Oreo and Chips Ahoy.

— E-mail: jayres@register-herald.com