How to Make Peanut Butter Patties (aka Tagalongs)
Updated: May 23, 2023
Calling all peanut butter and chocolate lovers! You can make a delicious copycat of your favorite Girl Scout Cookies.
It goes without saying that Girl Scout Cookies are a staple in many households. Once cookie season rolls around, we’re all on the hunt for a few boxes, whether that’s reaching out to our favorite Girl Scout or heading online to order all-time favorites.
Girl Scout Cookies have included many of the same flavors for decades, with a few newcomers thrown into the mix from time to time. Sure, Thin Mints might officially be the best Girl Scout Cookie. But there is another flavor that steals the hearts of peanut butter and chocolate lovers year after year: Peanut Butter Patties, aka Tagalongs.
Tagalongs vs. Peanut Butter Patties
Depending on where you live, you’ll hear these cookies called two different names. Tagalongs and Peanut Butter Patties look pretty much the same, and they taste similar, too. Both are made with a crunchy cookie, peanut butter filling and chocolate coating. The regional difference comes from the fact that all Girl Scout Cookies are made at two different bakeries. In some parts of the U.S., you may receive Tagalongs, while in others, you’ll get Peanut Butter Patties. They have slightly different ingredients, but they’re essentially the same delicious cookie.
Use this map to find your state’s favorite Girl Scout Cookie.
Peanut Butter Patty Cookies Recipe
While ordering from your local troop will certainly help to support children and leaders in your community, there may be the need to make another batch or two once your favorite box is empty. This copycat recipe combines the flavor of chocolate and peanut butter in the most wonderful way. With a light, crunchy cookie as the base, it’s the ideal replica of Peanut Butter Patties.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 8 ounces good-quality baking chocolate
Editor’s Tip: See what brands of baking chocolate our Test Kitchen recommends.
Tools You’ll Need
Directions
Step 1: Make the cookie dough
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk the mixture until smooth.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. (It takes longer than you’d expect to cream butter and sugar!) Mix in the egg.
Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until the dough comes together. Once the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, use your hands to form it into a ball.
Step 2: Roll and chill the dough
Place the ball of cookie dough on a sheet of parchment paper. Flatten it into a disk with your hands and put another piece of parchment paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the flattened dough, with the parchment paper, onto a baking sheet and place it in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Cut and bake the cookies
Transfer the chilled dough to a countertop. Remove the parchment paper on top and reuse it to line the baking sheet. Cut disks out of the dough using a 2-inch circular cookie cutter. Once cut, transfer the disks to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring the parchment paper to a cooling rack to fully cool.
Step 4: Make the peanut butter filling
Combine the peanut butter and powdered sugar using a hand mixer or spoon. Pipe or spread the peanut butter mixture onto the cooled cookies. Place the cookies in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate coating.
Step 5: Dip the cookies
Set up a double boiler to prepare the chocolate coating. Chop the chocolate and put it into the bowl of the double boiler. Stir the chocolate until fully melted. (If you don’t have a double boiler, learn how to melt chocolate with another method.)
Dip each cookie into the melted chocolate. Using a slotted wooden spoon will make the process much simpler; you can carefully use a fork. Cover each cookie and tap the spoon gently against the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Transfer each chocolate-covered cookie to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Once all of the cookies are dipped, transfer them to the fridge to allow the chocolate to fully set for 20 minutes.
How to Store Homemade Peanut Butter Patties
Store your homemade Peanut Butter Patties in an airtight container. You can keep them out at room temperature for two to three days or store them in the fridge for one week. Want a supply that lasts even longer? Store them in the freezer for up to one month for best flavor. They’re delicious served at room temperature or straight from the fridge or freezer.
Next Up:Â Learn to bake your own Thin Mints!
Originally Published: February 16, 2022
