Girl Scouts unveil gluten-free cookie but L.A. is shut out

Girl Scout cookie season begins in earnest next month, and the kids are packing a new, gluten-free treat -- a chocolate chip shortbread cookie -- in some select test markets.

The bad news? Los Angeles isn’t one of those test markets. But Orange County is.

“Millions of Americans have problems eating food with gluten -- so we’ve created a delicious cookie just for them!� explains the Girl Scouts’ website. The cookie is described as “chocolate chips nestled in a bite-size, gluten-free shortbread cookie.�

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The cookie is made of rice and tapioca flours, as well as “real chocolate chips and real butter� and cane sugars. “They contain no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no high fructose corn syrup, no palm oil, and no hydrogenated oils,� the website says. Four bite-sized cookies have 130 calories.

Here’s a look at other test markets.

Also, the hunt for Girl Scout cookies is getting a tech makeover. There’s a new Girl Scout Cookie Finder App. (You could also use the online Find Cookies search on the scouts’ website, using your ZIP Code.)

National Girl Scouts Cookie Weekend kicks off officially Feb. 7. The scouts’ cookie sales are billed as the world’s largest girl-run business, bringing in an estimated $790 million.

Are you eager to try the new gluten-free cookie? Do you think it will be a hit? Tweet me @renelynch

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