Review: Wendy's Thin Mints Frosty Checks All The Boxes, Even The French Fry Test

Wendy's has announced its latest collaboration — this time with Girl Scouts of the USA: Coming soon to menus nationwide will be Wendy's Thin Mints-inspired Frosty. The combination of these two beloved sweet treats "is all about celebrating Wendy's Frosty fanbase and Girl Scouts Cookie lovers in local communities across America," according to the fast food chain. The new dessert offering — as its name suggests —combines Wendy's signature Frosty with an iconic Thin Mints-inspired flavor in the form of a minty-chocolatey sauce with finely ground cookie pieces throughout. What's particularly notable about this new Thin Mints Frosty is that the mint-chocolate cookie swirl can be added to either a chocolate or vanilla Frosty, effectively giving fans a choice of four different flavors for (very likely) the first time ever — a big change for the company, which only had chocolate available for over 30 years.

I was on-location at a Wendy's in New York City Wednesday afternoon, prior to the new Frosty's official launch, where I learned about the restaurant chain's collaboration with Girl Scouts, taste-tested the new flavors, and received some behind-the-scenes intel from Emily Kessler, manager of culinary innovation at Wendy's (Kessler being the mastermind behind all things Frosty). Here's everything Frosty and Thin Mint fans need to know.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

The Thin Mints Frosty comes from, not surprisingly, a partnership between Wendy's and Girl Scouts, which will also see more than 70% of storefronts across the U.S. hosting Girl Scouts this and future weekends for "cookie-boothing," where you can purchase boxes of Thin Mints, as well as all of your favorite Girl Scouts cookies. Fun fact: Wendy Thomas herself was a Girl Scout, as was Emily Kessler, who said the new product is a "full-circle moment" for her, combining her past and present.

Given that Thin Mints are the No. 1 seller for Girl Scouts, Kessler said "it made total sense" to use this cookie as the debut flavor within this partnership. She added that it's not uncommon for Thin Mint fans to place their cookies in the fridge or freezer, so it was not a "big jump" to reach the conclusion that the cookie was already very well-suited to incorporate into the Frosty.

Each Thin Mints Frosty starts with an original chocolate or (fan-favorite but on-again, off-again) vanilla Frosty, which receives a swirl of thick minty-chocolatey sauce containing itty bitty pieces of cookie. The dessert is topped with a "W" swirl and — voila! — the Thin Mints Frosty is complete.

Wendy's Thin Mints-inspired Frosty will be available nationwide starting Friday, February 21, and will be on the menu for a limited time. Representatives for Wendy's were not able to confirm how long the item would be available, but they did not hint that it would be an extremely limited run. That said, I wouldn't wait too long to try one. The Wendy's team also did not share specifics on prices, but a Frosty ranges from 99 cents (jr. size) to $2.89 (large) in New York, so the Thin Mints Frosty would likely not cost much more than that.

I did also learn that the finely ground cookie pieces in the chocolate sauce are not actual Thin Mints. Using the Girl Scout-branded cookie would be a big challenge logistically, not to mention that the Thin Mints just didn't hold up in the sauce and frozen dessert as well as Wendy's wanted, Emily Kessler told me. That said, Wendy's would have had me fooled, as it tasted just like a Thin Mint cookie.

It's also good to know that this new Frosty innovation could lead to the fan-favorite vanilla Frosty staying on the menu in a more permanent manner, especially as Wendy's may continue to add new swirl flavors — including the likes of caramel, strawberry, or brownie batter.

Ahead of my taste test, I sampled an original chocolate and vanilla Frosty, as well as a Thin Mints cookie. Consider it research, preparation, and a palate cleanser. For me, while the chocolate Frosty is "the OG," as many of the Wendy's spokespeople referred to it, the vanilla Frosty is my favorite. (Don't hear what I'm not saying, though: I will gladly order either to accompany a side of fries.)  Since it builds on the original, however, I tried the Chocolate Thin Mints Frosty first, and — in the best way possible — it's exactly what I expected it to be.

It's nearly a 50-50 combination in flavor of chocolate Frosty and minty cookies. If you consider yourself a chocoholic, then this is the Frosty for you. The combination of the chocolate Frosty, the chocolate sauce, and the crumbles of minty-chocolatey cookie provides plenty of rich chocolatey flavor. The mint is still noticeable, though, which is very important. As for the cookie butter-esque swirl, I like that it brought a little texture to the party. It reminded me that there are actual cookies in the dessert and not just a couple pumps of mint syrup mixed in with the chocolate sauce.

As I mentioned, vanilla Frosty is the way to go in my opinion — and when you're considering the Thin Mints variety, it's even more the way to go. While you don't get that over-the-top chocolate flavor, you get a more even distribution of flavors, and the more subtle vanilla flavor really allows for the mint to shine.

In both Frosty flavors, the tastes were exactly what I was expecting (and, to be honest, hoping for). While the cookie pieces may not be actual Thin Mints, the mint-chocolate swirl might as well be a doppelgänger. (Remember how I sampled an actual Thin Mint cookie prior to my taste test?) I would also suggest, if you happen to be in a Wendy's where Girl Scouts are cookie-boothing, buying a box of Thin Mints and dip a cookie right into your Frosty — it really brings the dessert full circle.

I did not forget about the fry test. Although not initially available to the media in attendance, I checked with the Wendy's team, and they quickly brought out some piping-hot fries to try with the new items. The short answer: The Thin Mints Frosty flavors pair perfectly well with french fries — something Emily Kessler told me Wendy's specifically tests before launching new Frosty flavors. The longer answer: I actually liked the Chocolate Thin Mints Frosty with the french fries more than the vanilla version. Go figure.

During my tasting experience, it was obvious why both the Frosty and Thin Mint cookies have been mainstays for their respective companies for so long. They are classics — and they seem like they were made for each other. To me, the collaboration is a no-brainer. If you're a Frosty aficionado or Thin Mints lover, you will enjoy this dessert — on its own, at the conclusion of a meal, or alongside an order of fries and used as a dipping sauce. As for whether Wendy's may create a Tagalong or other Girl Scouts-inspired cookie-crossover Frosty, Emily Kessler said it's not on the immediate horizon.

What it does for Wendy's, however, is create a new form of Frosty that incorporates flavored swirls to play off its existing chocolate and vanilla flavors, giving storefronts the chance to offer more than two flavors at a time. (Currently, the machines — which have reportedly been the go-to for "years and years and years" — can only hold two flavors, which is why vanilla is often taken off the menu for other limited-time flavors.) These new options could let Wendy's Frosty compete with the likes of McDonald's McFlurry and Dairy Queen's Blizzard.