Gluten-free Girl Scout Cookies to be introduced at Cranford cookie rally

Three new Girl Scout Cookies will be introduced this year, including two gluten-free options: Trios and Toffee-tastic.

Gluten-free cookies will be among offerings from Girl Scouts when their sweetest fundraiser begins in about a month.

Before then, area Girl Scout Cookie lovers can get a sneak preview of the three new 2015 cookies, two of which  are gluten-free, at a Girl Scout Cookie Rally this Saturday, Jan. 10 at Cranford Community Center, 220 Walnut Ave., Cranford.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 10, area Girl Scouts and members of the public will have a chance to taste the new cookies that will be added in the 2015 Girl Scout Cookie season, which we're told begins in about 25 days for Girl Scouts of Heart of New Jersey.

For the first time in Girl Scout history, gluten-free cookies will be available nationwide from most Girl Scout councils. The two new gluten-free offerings include buttery cookies with toffee bits dubbed Toffee-tastic, and Trios, a chocolate chip cookie made with peanut butter and whole grain oats. The third new cookie, Rah-Rah Raisins, is a whole-grain oatmeal-raisin cookie with Greek yogurt–flavored chunks.

And don't worry, the newcomers won't displace solid favorites like Thin Mints and Samoas (also known as Caramel deLites), the latter of which is being celebrated at the event for its 40-year anniversary.

In addition to cookie tasting, Saturday's free fun in Cranford will include making cookie-inspired desserts and taking photos that celebrate Samoas. There will be presentations on the important life skills that selling Girl Scout Cookies can teach.  The event also will demonstrate why being a Girl Scout is exciting.

Learn more about all the 2015 cookie varieties and find Girl Scouts selling cookies near you through  GirlScoutCookies.org, or use the newly enhanced Girl Scout Cookie Finder app, free for iOS or Android phones or mobile devices. The app's new features include cookie sale searches by start date, driving directions to nearby booths, an Instagram option for sharing, links to Girl Scout Cookie recipes and more.