You guyssss. It’s coming up on that time of year again. The time that we all look forward to, without wanting to admit we’re looking forward to it.
Girl Scout cookie time!!!!
Except this year I couldn’t wait.
And that’s how I made this dangerous discovery: That you can have homemade Girl Scout cookies year round.
I blame this on my friend Jacquey.
Jacquey brought these over a few weeks ago when we were watching The Bachelor. I assume she was doing the same thing I do when I bring treats into work – getting them out of her house so she wouldn’t eat them all. Maybe not. Jacquey is fabulous, has lots of self control, and would probably never eat a cookie with her breakfast just because it was there.
Anyway, it worked. I ate them all instead. Then I made several more batches, and ate those too. Thanks a lot, Jacquelyn.
These are like crack to me. They are just like tagalongs/peanut butter patties, but better. Better because they are bigger… they basically have twice as much of everything in one cookie.
Side note: Did you call these tagalongs or peanut butter patties growing up? They were definitely peanut butter patties in New England, but I’m now smack in the middle of tagalong country. That was pretty weird for me last year when I went to buy Girl Scout cookies here for the first time, but I think I’m OK with it now. A rose by any other name…
Well, whatever you call these, they have always been my faaaavorite Girl Scout cookie. Sure, I like thin mints. I might even make some of those soon. But the peanut butter patty, despite its unsexy name, just can’t be beat for me. Thinking back to my childhood Girl Scout cookie obsession, the only bummer was that there were so few peanut butter patties in a box. Remember that?! Thin mints came in sleeves of like 18, with multiple sleeves per box, and I’m pretty sure that each box of peanut butter patties only contained 12. Same price. So unfair. The thin mint was definitely the best bang for your buck.
Once again… enter the homemade peanut butter patty. No more feeling like you should have bought thin mints so you could get 3x as many cookies. Now you just need an extra jar of peanut butter and you are good. to. go.
These cookies, believe it or not, are super easy to make, and have only 3 ingredients (plus an optional garnish). But it’s worth saying a few words about the ingredients you use here:
Think like you were Brownie age again, instead of the incredible health-conscious home chef you are today. That means no homemade gluten-free crackers, no all-natural peanut butter, no high-quality dark chocolate. Straight up Ritz crackers, Skippy, and chocolate bark.
Embrace it. They are better this way, trust me.
I made two other versions of these, one with milk chocolate chips and one with dark chocolate. They didn’t even come close to the chocolate bark version. Chocolate bark doesn’t taste great when it’s melted (it’s very sweet), but once it’s hardened, it’s really what makes these taste like Girl Scout Cookies and not just chocolate peanut butter Ritz crackers.
If you’ve never heard of chocolate bark before (umm, I hadn’t), it is just a big chocolate slab that you can probably find in the baking aisle at your grocery store for $1.99. As far as I can tell, it’s just melted-down scraps from other chocolates. It also seems to have a pretty high fat content, because it stays nice and melty while you’re dipping these peanut butter Ritz sandwiches in it, which I found was not the case with chocolate chips. But if you’d rather use chocolate chips, dark chocolate, etc., I might suggest adding a bit of butter or coconut oil to it if you have trouble with the dipping.
Just look at that little tin of heaven… I really can’t emphasize enough how good these are. I thought I liked Girl Scout cookies… until I had these. I may never spend $4 on 12 peanut butter patties again.
Last but not least, I need to give a birthday shout-out to my little sister Alban, who is 19 today! Happy birthday sister! Hope you are having a wonderful start to your birthday, and that it includes real-life sweets :)
That’s all for today, folks! Happy Friday – have a great weekend!
Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties)
Makes 20 cookies
Ingredients:
4o Ritz crackers
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I used Skippy)
8 oz. chocolate bark
sprinkles, sea salt, chopped roasted peanuts, etc. for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
First, make peanut butter and Ritz sandwiches, using almost 2 tsp of peanut butter in each sandwich.
Melt chocolate bark in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each.
Dip each peanut butter Ritz sandwich in chocolate, coating completely. I like to use a fork to turn the sandwich over a few times and make sure it’s totally covered in chocolate before removing it.
Set chocolate-covered cookies on a baking sheet. (Unlined is fine.) If desired, garnish with sprinkles, sea salt, or crushed peanuts.
Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up. Once firm, store in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also keep them in the fridge, but bring to room temperature before serving. Will keep for several days.
Time:
30 minutes
You seriously just made my day. Like for serious. This is GENIUS!
I really can’t take credit for them, but they are seriously SO good!
These sure look good, and easy to make. With the big snowstorm coming to the Boston area I think I will make a tin of these tagalongs… and just hunker down.
I’m melting out of my chair! Ritz crackers! I forgot about Ritz crackers and how much I love them! They’re the perfect buttery crunchy little cracker and they definitely should sandwich peanut butter and be covered in chocolate. Your friend Jacquie is a real genius and I could really use a tin of heaven right now with my breakfast! I hope you have an excellent weekend…I need to go whip up a batch of crack…errr…..tagalongs right now.. ;) !!
I’m not sure if i’m really excited or realllllly upset now that I know how to make these! Tagalongs are my second favorite GS cookie (samoas, FTW) and the only things keeping me from eating a billion of them is that there’s so few in a box and they only come around once a year. Now I have no excuses!
Oh dear. These look way to easy to make. I think I could successfully make and then take down an entire batch in a matter of hours.
These look super easy but super yummy! Love those kinds of recipes.
No way. Shuuuut up. The first picture makes me drool and I CANNOT believe it’s just Ritz crackers sandwiched with peanut butter and covered in chocolate. That is so awesome!
Okay, I need to comment on your sense of quantity in Girl Scout peanut butter patties. Although therese have been way fewer cookies, think how many more CALORIES there are in a box of peanut butter patties than a box of thin mints! Does THAT male you feel better?
Also, your sense that there were so fee cookies in a box just might have been influenced by whatever I ate before showing you the box….
I am so making these- thank you (kind of!!)
What?! Ritz crackers?! This is amazing. They look so good.
So they have always been called Tagalongs in California, but 2 years ago they changed the name to Peanut Butter Patties (and Trefoils were changed to Shortbread something something, and Samoas was no longer a politically correct name)…though I’m pretty sure they all changed back to their original [to us] names this year! Sorry, big Girl Scout Cookie nerd over here hahaha.
shush up…seriously…these are my fav girl scout cookies…of course next to thin mints…but i don’t like buying sinc you barely get any…which really i wouldn’t need that many more BUT that is just how I think…so to make my own at home is daannnngerous!
It’s really dangerous. But still highly recommended.
I am a sucker for girl scout cookies. This combination is genius! I want to eat that whole try right now :)
They are definitely Tagalongs ;) AND I have a box of “real” ones in my fridge right now. I’ve discovered that I only like them at room temp so if they are cold, I will be less likely to consume the entire package. I’m going to have to buy a larger pair of jeans (or just continue to wear my sweats!) now that I have this recipe – YUM!!!!!!
I think somewhere along the way Girl Scouts changed the names of their cookies…they never used to be called Tagalongs or Samoas, which by the way are my two favorite kinds. Followed by thin mints! These look mouth wateringly delicious.
no way…what a great way to make a cookie…I love girl scouts, but I didnt buy any because I knew I would be tempted!
Wow! This is bad news right here since Tagalongs/peanut butter patties are my favorite. As I was buying approx. 40 boxes of cookies this year, I finally asked my local GS troup why the apparent discrepancy in cookie names. Apparently (and this is confirmed by the GS website) it just depends on which of 2 licensed bakers the local GS council chooses to buy their cookies from so it can vary a lot even in a given region of the country. I just thought that was interesting. Thanks for the recipe!
great recipe, wait till i have a go at making them, see its the easy recipes that are the most tempting and fattening. :D
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Am dedicating my dinner tonight to Dave and Kathy who had the good sense to 1. Have a genius like Erica, and 2. Introduce me to her blog! Meyer lemon pesto portobellos and these outrageous cookies. It is snowing here……what better way to enjoy the view and still be productive! Thanks, all.
These look so delicious! I love how simple and easy they are to make!
Thank you so much for this recipe! As an old Girl Scout, Girl Scout leader and licensed Girl Scout Camper/trainer, I have always supported the Girl Scouts by being involved, and buying lots and lots of boxes of cookies. This year, my Girl Scout grandkids are all off at college, and I could only find Girl Scouts selling cookies at the grocery store – my, how things have changed, from door-to-door orders.
Since my husband has been sick, I’ve not been shopping regularly and only caught the girls selling on their last day, with only one box of peanut butter patties (his favorites) left!
Thank goodness I thought to look for a recipe on-line – we were both looking forward to having these yummy cookies. Thank goodness for your recipe – I don’t have to feel guilty for eating a bunch of them before he finishes with chemotherapy/radiation – now I can always make more! Bless you for sharing, and ((HugeHugs))!!!!!
Oh my goodness Gail, that is so touching. Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad you found this recipe! Huge hugs to you and your husband!
I wonder how this would taste with Graham crackers in the middle in place of Ritz crackers? I will have to try both ways and see which works better. Sounds super yummy!!