Girl Scout cookies in D-FW: Where to find them, when to pair them with beer and more delicious tips

Just in time for you to ditch your healthy-eating New Year's resolution, the Girl Scouts of America begin selling their cookies on Jan. 13. Don't pretend like that's a coincidence.

The Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas are a spirited bunch. They convinced the Omni Dallas hotel to display the message "Cookie Time" in green on Friday, Jan. 13. The neon square in One Arts Plaza and the Bank of America Plaza will also glow green in honor of the Girls.

Here are a few fast facts about Girl Scout cookies in Dallas-Fort Worth:

When Girl Scout cookie season begins and ends

First things first, there is absolutely a season for Girl Scout cookies. In North Texas, they are available Jan. 13 through Feb. 26.

Protip: Girl Scout season is in January and February of each year, but if you toss some Thin Mints in the back of the freezer and forget about them, you'll feel like a genius when it's 100 degrees in July and you want some crushed Thin Mints on top of your ice cream. You're welcome.

Where can I find cookies?

Girl Scouts sell their sweets door to door in addition to selling near businesses in North Texas. So no, you can't avoid them when you leave the grocery store. And don't try that "I don't have any cash" thing; some Girl Scouts take credit cards now. Yeah, really.

If you're jonesing for cookies and don't have any pint-sized neighbors ringing your doorbell, use this cookie locator. There's also an app for that: Download it on Android or iPhone.

You won't get the same Girl Scout cookies in Dallas and Fort Worth

Say what now? That's right: There are two Girl Scout cookie distributors, and they call their cookies by different names. In Dallas, the oatmeal-peanut-butter cookies are called Do-si-dos. In Fort Worth, they're Peanut Butter Sandwiches. According to GuideLive's Brentney Hamilton, the cookies even have slightly different recipes: Do-si-dos are buttery; Peanut Butter Sandwiches aren't as peanutty.

Don't get upset. Peanut Butter Patties and Tagalongs are largely the same. Ditto Caramel deLites and Samoas. Just know that your beloved cookie might go by a new name.

A few of the names don't differ from area to area, it's worth noting. Thin Mints are Thin Mints everywhere. Fun fact: TV chef Gordon Ramsay, who had never tasted a Girl Scout cookie before, told Jimmy Kimmel he thought Thin Mints tasted like "a cheap, half-rate dinner mint." He is wrong.

There's a new cookie this year

S'Mores is a new graham cracker cookie with cream icing and chocolate. Basically, "you get all the flavor of this fireside favorite without the sticky mess," says ABC Bakers' website. Whether the cookie comes chocolate coated or not depends on where you buy it.

How much? 

In the Dallas area, it's $4 a box for every kind of cookie except for S'Mores and gluten-free cookie Toffee-Tastic: Those are $5 each.

In Tarrant County, all cookies are $4 a box except for the gluten-free Trios, which are $5. (So, note, if you love the S'Mores, you'll save $1 per box by buying them in the western part of the North Texas area.)

You can -- and should -- pair Girl Scout cookies with beer

Dallas restaurant LUCK had the genius idea to host Girl Scout cookie and beer pairing flights. The dates are Jan. 29, 30 and 31 and Feb. 1, 2 and 3. Thin Mints, so say these beer drinkers, pair nicely with Armadillo Ale Works' Quakertown Stout. This $12 pairing is worth every penny. What's more, you'll help make a little girl's year, as LUCK usually ends up buying hundreds of boxes from the same scout.

Please, pair your cookies responsibly.

Calorie counts are available for all of these cookies.

Yeah, you can look. But why would you do that? Don't do that.

For more delicious news, check out
guidelive.com/food-and-drink.