Ultimate Homemade Tagalongs
The Girl Scout cookie recipe for Tagalongs marries the buttery shortbread cookie with basically a peanut butter ball - peanut butter mixture covered in chocolate. While the Girl Scout Tagalongs are good, these Ultimate Homemade Tagalongs are out of this world extraordinary!
Servings: 33 Ultimate Tagalongs
Calories: 257kcal
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8-ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (3-ounces) confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (10-ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Peanut Butter Mixture
- 1 cup (9.5-ounces) creamy peanut butter (See Tip 1)
- ¼ cup (2-ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (8-ounces) confectioners’ sugar
Chocolate Coating
- 3 cups (18-ounces) Chocolate melting wafers (See Tip 2)
Instructions
Shortbread Cookies
- Place butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat together on medium speed until the mixture is very smooth, about 1 minute. Do not beat until light and fluffy. (See Tip 3)
- Add the flour and mix on low speed only until the flour disappears into the dough, about 1 minute. Don't work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. (See Tip 4)
- Using the spoon or spatula, transfer the dough to a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Put the bag on a flat surface. Leaving the top open, roll the dough into a ¼-inch thick rectangle that completely fills the bag. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so that it doesn't cause creases. Seal the bag, and place in refrigerator or freezer for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Put the Ziploc bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough onto a parchment lined board or counter; discard the bag. Cut into round cookies using 2-inch cutter. Transfer the cookies to the baking sheets leaving 1-inch between cookies. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. (See Tip 5)
- Bake at 325° F for 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 33 cookies. (See Tip 6)
Peanut Butter Mixture
- Beat together the peanut butter and butter in a bowl on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add confectioners' sugar; beat on medium speed until well combined. If mixture is crumbly, knead with hands until the consistency of Play-Doh. Form into ½-ounce balls (about the size of a quarter) and place on cooked cookies. Flatten with hand. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. (See Tip 7)
Chocolate Coating
- Melt chocolate wafers in a double boiler over simmering water. Dip cookie into melted chocolate; turn to coat on all sides. Remove with a fork allowing excess chocolate to drip off; place on parchment paper to harden.
- Drizzle excess chocolate over cookies. Yield: 33 Ultimate Tagalongs.
Notes
- I used Jif Creamy Peanut Butter. While I generally use extra crunchy peanut butter when I make peanut butter balls, I don't think that extra crunchy would work here.
- I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers.
- The reason for not beating the butter/sugar mixture until light and fluffy is that the incorporated air will tend to make the cookies spread more than you would want them to.
- The reason that you don't want to over-beat the dough once the flour is added is that the gluten formation will tend to make the cookies tough.
- The cookies will spread just a bit when they cook, so be sure to leave around an inch between them.
- The cookies will be pale with just a hint of brown around the edges.
- If you have any peanut butter mixture leftover, use it to make peanut butter balls!
Nutrition
Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 48mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.7mg