These homemade dark chocolate tagalong cookies are an elevated version of the classic Girl Scout Cookie! Made using Trefoil shortbread cookies, these are so easy to prepare, and you still get to support your local troop with a purchase. Just top the trefoil cookies with your favorite peanut butter, freeze them, then coat in chocolate!
I make these cookies with dark chocolate, and add a touch of flaky sea salt on top to make them a little more "grown-up", but you can use whatever kind of chocolate you prefer! Tagalongs were always my favorite Girl Scout cookie growing up, but now the milk chocolate is a little too sweet for me.
This recipe now has me looking forward to Girl Scout cookie season again! Trefoils are such a good base cookie, I might add some more ideas on how to use them in the future! My grandmother used to enjoy trefoils with her morning coffee, so I'm thinking of a recipe inspired by that.
FAQ
What are tagalongs?
Tagalongs are a classic girl scout cookie. They have a shortbread cookie base with a peanut butter filling and are coated in milk chocolate.
Tagalongs vs. Peanut Butter Patties?
Tagalongs and Peanut Butter Patties are functionally the same cookie with a different name. The name depends on which bakery the cookies are coming from, and both are still distributed through the Girl Scouts. Technically, their ingredients differ slightly, but this recipe is a copycat of both.
Key Tips - Homemade Tagalongs
Use baker's chocolate!
- I cannot stress this enough, baker's chocolate is so much easier to work with than melting down other types of chocolate like chocolate chips. Other kinds of chocolate may seize up and change texture, bakers chocolate will stay silky smooth when melted. It's worth it to pay a few extra dollars to save this headache!
- I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao bars for this (and all my dark chocolate coating). It melts so well and stays silky seemingly forever when melted. I stock up whenever my grocery store runs a sale on these!
Create a make-shift double boiler if needed.
- Melting chocolate in a double boiler is the most stress-free way to keep your chocolate nice and melted as you work through coating each piece. If you don't have a double boiler, you can make your own by placing a metal mixing bowl over a stockpot. Check out this article for some tips!
Store in the freezer!
- These tagalong cookies will stay fresh for months in the freezer, just let them warm up a little bit on the counter before serving.
- I store mine in freezer safe zip bags, between sheets of wax paper.
Make a double batch.
- This recipe makes about 18 cookies, using 1 sleeve from the package of trefoil cookies. You can easily double this recipe to use the whole box of trefoils all at once. It's very easy to scale this up, and these cookies store great in the freezer!
Dietary Restrictions - Homemade Tagalongs
This dish is naturally Vegetarian, Vegan, and Dairy-Free.
- Just make sure you're using chocolate that doesn't contain milk.
A Note On Serving Sizes
I've listed the serving size as one cookie, which is 95 calories.
Homemade Tagalongs (with Dark Chocolate)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ~18 trefoil shortbread cookies one sleeve, half a standard box
- ~⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 oz dark baker's chocolate I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao
- flaky sea salt optional, for topping
Instructions
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter on the top of each trefoil cookie. Try to make it smooth and even.
- Place the peanut- butter-topped cookies on a cookie sheet or plate lined with wax paper or parchment paper and set them in the freezer to chill for at least one hour before coating in chocolate.
- Once the cookies have chilled, prepare simmering water in the lower portion of a double boiler. Chop the chocolate up into pieces and place it in the top of the double boiler. Mix frequently with a small silicon spatula until fully melted.
- One by one, pull each cookie out of the freezer and coat it in the chocolate, then place it back on wax or parchment paper to cool.My recommended technique: Drop the cookie peanut-butter-side-down into the chocolate. Flip it, so the whole cookie is coated, then lift it out of the chocolate with a fork. Gently tap the fork on the side of the double boiler to encourage excess chocolate to drain off. Lightly scrape the bottom of the fork on the side of the double boiler as you remove the coated cookie. Place the coated cookie on the prepared baking sheet, then continue until all the cookies are coated.
- As the chocolate is just set, sprinkle with a little sea salt if desired. You'll have to do this as you go. If you do it right after coating it will dissolve in the hot chocolate. If you wait too long, it won't stick.
- Store finished cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for freezer. I like to store these in a zip bag in the freezer and serve directly from the freezer. Freeze them on a lined sheet or plate until fully frozen before transferring to a zip bag.
Notes
Nutrition
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If you like this recipe, you may also like my Date "Snickers, Homemade Take 5 Bars, Dark Chocolate Nutty Buddies, or Saltine Cracker Toffee.
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