Guide

Cookies strains: Girl Scout Cookies and its family

Cookies strains are the cannabis family built around Girl Scout Cookies, widely reported as a cross of OG Kush and Durban Poison from the San Francisco Bay Area. Cuts like Thin Mints and Forum Cut, and descendants like Gelato, Sunset Sherbet and Wedding Cake, make up the family.

Cannabis buds beside a jar and chocolate chip cookies

5 min read · Updated November 3, 2026 · WeedDB editors

Cookies strains are the family of cannabis varieties descended from Girl Scout Cookies (GSC), a hybrid widely reported as a cross of OG Kush and Durban Poison from the San Francisco Bay Area. The family now covers dozens of cuts, crosses and dessert-style names. Here's where GSC came from, which famous strains grew out of it, what a cookies smell means, and the family in our database.

What are Cookies strains?

Cookies strains are cannabis varieties that trace back to Girl Scout Cookies, usually shortened to GSC. The name now works as a family label: a strain is called a Cookies strain when GSC, or one of its cuts, sits in its reported parentage.

Most of these lineages come from breeders and menus, not independent genetic testing, so they are best read as reported. For how the type labels on a menu are used, see our indica vs sativa guide.

Apples and Bananas strain — Popular Cookies strains

Lemon Cherry Gelato strain — Popular Cookies strains

Where did Girl Scout Cookies come from?

Girl Scout Cookies is widely reported as a cross of OG Kush and Durban Poison, developed by growers in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 2000s. Accounts agree on the region and the two parents and differ on small details, so we keep it at that.

That puts GSC on the Kush branch described in our what is kush guide, with a Durban Poison side that is a South African sativa. A Bay Area breeder collective built a brand around the strain, and the name spread through menus across North America. That is the only history we mention about the brand: it explains why the word Cookies became a family label, and nothing here is an endorsement.

One more point matters for reading menus. GSC was spread as clones, and clones from different sources are sometimes given different names. That is where cuts come from.

What are Thin Mints and Forum Cut?

Thin Mints and Forum Cookies are the best-known cuts of Girl Scout Cookies. A cut is a specific plant that has been kept and cloned, so a cut is a particular phenotype of the cross. Our phenotype guide explains why two plants from the same genetics can smell and look different.

Different sources describe these cuts a little differently, and some menus use the names loosely. Treat a cut name as a hint about lineage. The lab results on the package are the reliable part.

Which famous strains came from GSC?

Girl Scout Cookies became a parent to many of the dessert-style strains now common in Canada. The table lists the main ones with their reported parentage. Where a strain has a page in our database, the name links to it.

Gelato is the most influential: it is most often reported as a cross of Sunset Sherbet and a Thin Mint cut of GSC, and it went on to parent Runtz. That branch has its own guides, Gelato strains and Runtz strains. Sunset Sherbet is reported as GSC with Pink Panties.

Wedding Cake is often reported as Triangle Kush with Animal Mints, and Animal Cookies points to a GSC cross as well. Reported parents change from source to source, so these are starting points for reading a label, not settled facts.

Strain	Reported parentage	Role in the family
Girl Scout Cookies	OG Kush with Durban Poison	The family namesake
Thin Mints	A Girl Scout Cookies cut	Cut used in Gelato
Forum Cookies	A Girl Scout Cookies cut	Widely circulated cut
Sunset Sherbet	Girl Scout Cookies with Pink Panties	Parent of Gelato
Gelato	Sunset Sherbet with Thin Mint GSC	Parent of Runtz
Kush Mints	Reported Bubba Kush with Animal Mints	Mint-cookie dessert cross

Well-known Cookies-family strains and their widely reported parentage.

Cookies strains at a glance

The summary below is computed from our records, so it always matches the catalogue. It shows how many Cookies-family strains we track, how they split by type, and their typical THC. Because the family label is broad, the chart is only as tidy as the data behind it.

Cookies strains: 200
Indica-leaning: 97
Hybrid: 71
Sativa-leaning: 31
Typical THC: 23%

Strains in WeedDB named Cookies or bred from a documented Cookies parent. Typical THC is the median midpoint of their published ranges.

What does a Cookies strain smell like?

Cookies strains are usually described as sweet, earthy and doughy, sometimes with mint, citrus or a faint fuel edge. The Kush side of GSC adds a heavier, earthy base, and the dessert crosses push the sweetness forward. In terpene terms, that often points to caryophyllene, limonene and myrcene, though batches vary. Our guide to what weed smells like explains the link between terpenes and aroma.

The charts below come straight from our records. The first shows the spread of THC across Cookies-family strains, and the second shows which terpene leads most often. They are averages of reported values, so any single batch can fall outside them. To read the numbers on a package, see reading cannabis labels.

THC ranges for the most searched Cookies strains

Apples and Bananas20–30%
Lemon Cherry Gelato19–29%
Super Boof26–32%
GMO22–28%
Gelato18–26%
Do Si Dos16–30%
Cap Junky26–33%
MAC 120–27%
Girl Scout Cookies18–28%
Tropicana Cherry16–25%
Apple Fritter22–28%
Oreoz19–31%

Ranges from published lab results and listings, on a 0 to 40% scale. The label on your batch is what counts.

Which terpene leads in Cookies strains

Share of the 156 Cookies strains with a terpene profile where each terpene is reported first.

Are Cookies strains indica or sativa?

Most Cookies strains are listed as hybrids. GSC itself is a hybrid of a Kush parent and a Durban parent, and the dessert crosses mix it further.

The indica and sativa labels are a rough shorthand, and they do not predict what a given jar will do. The terpene list and the lab results tell you more. Our indica vs sativa guide covers why.

How to choose between Cookies cuts

When several Cookies-family jars sit side by side, skip the name and read the label. Compare Total THC first, then the terpene list, which is where cuts tend to differ most. Two jars sold as the same cut from different producers can still smell different, because growing conditions, drying and curing matter as much as the genetics.

Freshness matters too. Check the packaged date, since aroma fades with age. Our guides on whether weed expires and how long a high lasts cover storage and timing. If a strain is new to you, start with a small amount, particularly with high-THC flower.

Names on dessert strains often signal a flavour theme rather than a precise recipe. A strain with Cookies, Cake, Mints or Sherbet in the name may be a true descendant, a cross, or a marketing choice, so compare lab results and ask the retailer what the producer reports.

Cookies strains in Canada

In Canada, every strain, Cookies-family names included, must be sold through a provincially authorized retailer from a federally licensed producer under the Cannabis Act. Packages carry the same labelling and THC reporting as any other product, and adults can carry up to 30 g of dried cannabis in public.

For what that amount looks like, see our weed measurements guide.

Cookies strains in our database

Browse the most searched strains in the Cookies family below, with a search link for the rest. The list is generated from our records, so it updates on its own.

A name tells you about reported lineage. The lab results on the package tell you what is in the jar.

Sources: leafly.com, leafly.com, leafly.com, canada.ca, laws-lois.justice.gc.ca

Common questions

What are Cookies strains?

They are cannabis varieties descended from Girl Scout Cookies, a hybrid widely reported as a cross of OG Kush and Durban Poison from the San Francisco Bay Area. The name now works as a family label.

What is Girl Scout Cookies made from?

It is widely reported as OG Kush crossed with Durban Poison. The lineage comes from breeders and not from independent testing.

What is the difference between Thin Mints and Forum Cut?

Both are cuts of Girl Scout Cookies, meaning specific plants that were kept and cloned. They can differ in smell and look, and menus sometimes use the names loosely.

Is Gelato a Cookies strain?

Yes. Gelato is most often reported as a cross of Sunset Sherbet and a Thin Mint cut of Girl Scout Cookies, which places it in the family.

What does a Cookies strain smell like?

Most descriptions point to sweet, earthy and doughy notes, sometimes with mint or citrus. The exact smell depends on the batch.

Are Cookies strains indica or sativa?

They are generally listed as hybrids. The indica and sativa labels are only a rough guide, so check the terpene profile on the package.

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