Scout cookies are insanely addictive, hence why they prove to be wildly popular. There are several varieties yet they can be created as gluten-free, even dairy-free friendly, and vegetarian versions you can make at home.
One of the classically tasty variations on offer at the moment is Tagalongs which are essentially a peanut butter lover’s dream. That’s right, chocolate and peanut butter together, just as they are always meant to be.
In this guide, we will provide a Scouts edition of how to make gluten-free Tagalong Girls Scout cookies (for part 2 of this guide, read here).
This will include details on each component, the vanilla/peanut butter base, the peanut butter filling, the melted chocolate topping, and the peanut butter drizzle.
Introducing Tagalong Cookies
You may not know Tagalong cookies by that name but they are those crunchy peanut butter/vanilla Girls Scout cookies. On a peanut butter/vanilla base sits a layer of peanut butter which is then covered with melted chocolate.
There may even be a drizzle of peanut butter to finish it all off on the top. They may not be called Tagalongs or Tagalong cookies in certain regions, in others, they are called Peanut Butter Longbread.
Typically presented in a red Girl Scout box, you may want to hide a few simply to make the box last a bit longer. The box should also have litanies and pictures of Girl Scouts themselves.
On the back of that box should be three awards; the Gold Award, the Ambassador Good Credit Badge, and the Senior Traveler Badge.
The Recipe
To create a batch of 12 cookies, give yourself around 40 minutes as they only need a few minutes to bake but may take longer to get all the elements together.
There are four elements to a Tagalong cookie; the vanilla/peanut butter base, a peanut butter filling, the chocolate coating, and a peanut butter drizzle.
Creating The Vanilla/Peanut Butter Base
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grab a medium-sized mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.
Combine half a cup of smooth, creamy peanut butter with a third of a cup of almond flour, a quarter-teaspoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of cornstarch, three teaspoons of honey, half a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and an egg white.
Let the mixture come together and use a cookie scoop to place evenly sized pieces of cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the cookie dough with your hand until their diameters are around two inches.
They should be about a quarter inch thick in a batch of ten to 12 cookies. Bake them for around eight to ten minutes until they have begun to brown.
Creating The Peanut Butter Filling
In a small bowl, combine two tablespoons of honey with more of that smooth, creamy peanut butter, around half a cup of the stuff. Once fully mixed, scoop around half a tablespoon of the filling onto each of the baked cookies.
Make some room in the freezer and place the baking sheet in a drawer for around 15 to 20 minutes. The filling should keep in place and harden, ready to be covered with melted chocolate.
Creating The Melted Chocolate Topping
You can use a double boiler system of two pots to use the steam to melt 3oz of dark chocolate. Use Enjoy Life for a dairy-free recipe.
Alternatively, place the chocolate in a glass bowl and place it carefully over a pan of simmering water, you could use a colander to place it securely.
Stir it gradually and watch over it until all the chocolate has melted and then remove the glass bowl carefully.
Achieving The Best Peanut Butter Drizzle
The peanut butter drizzle may seem like an optional element yet it can seem crucial when it brings the entire creation together.
Plus, it is peanut butter and few can resist a drizzle of the good stuff, even if the filling and base contain it already.
The most sensible approach is to melt the peanut butter first in the microwave and then transfer it to a plastic bag.
Use scissors to remove a tiny corner of the plastic bag and then the peanut butter should pour out and you can control the drizzle.
Be careful with it as you do not want to squeeze the bag too hard and have the peanut butter drizzle fly out. Give the bag a gentle squeeze and slowly move the drizzle across the cookie by dragging your arm.
Final Thoughts
Girl Scout cookies may prove almost irresistible to resist and rightly so as they prove so indulgent.
Many variations have been discontinued yet one of the current offerings is Tagalongs which marry peanut butter and chocolate.
Producing gluten-free Tagalongs is relatively easy, as long as you have almond flour, cornstarch, honey, and, of course, peanut butter.
Even the melted chocolate topping can be straightforward if you have used steam before, just make sure you have enough room in your freezer first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Nutritional Information For A Single Tagalong Scouts Cookie?
Each Tagalong cookie should be seen as a treat as each one contains 270 calories. There should be around 20g of fat in each one (6g of saturated fat, 10g of unsaturated fat, and 0g of trans fat).
There is also a fair amount of carbohydrates in each cookie, around 18g, with 9g of sugar, 144mg of sodium, 3g of fiber, 8g of protein, and 0g of cholesterol.
Which Girls Scouts Cookies Have Been Discontinued?
While Tagalongs are the current favorites, there are many flavors and cookies that have been discontinued over the years. Remember Apple Cinnamons, Double Dutch cookies, Praline Royales, and Snaps?
They’ve all gone, as have Juliettes, Golden Nut Clusters, Van’Chos, Upside-Downs, Cinna-Spins, Golden Yangles, Mango Crèmes, Aloha Chips, Le Chips, and Lemon Chalet Crèmes.
Old Oles were a low-fat option which were discontinued in 2003 and then there were Kookaburras which were like a cross between a Kit-Kat and a Twix.
Hi, my name is Justin Roberts and I like to live by one major rule in life – health is wealth. And where does all health stem from? The food choices we make.
I grew up in a not-so-wealthy household that often struggled to get food on the table.
The food we did eat was cheap, holding no nutritional value at all. I’m talking frozen foods, carbs, fats, and very little fresh produce.
I am fortunate enough to have made a life for myself where the money for food is no longer an issue, and I have spent the majority of it looking into healthy foods and different diets to try.
The most notable is keto and paleo. I am also interested in only using whole foods wherever possible – call it trauma!
As a professional chef, I now create recipes surrounding these diets every day. My family are my tasters, and I strive to make my recipes as budget-friendly as possible.
I hope that you’ll find some inspiration for healthier meals from my website. I want to create a catalog of recipes that you can come back to time and time again. Enjoy!
