So, Girl Scout season is over now, right?
They’ve come in a flurry of colorful boxes and charming chants and leave fat, sugar-coma’d people in their wake.
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I tell you, those girls are on some kind of agenda.
Anywaaaaays. I was good and didn’t buy one box this year! However, that doesn’t speak anything in the way of my willpower (as in, I’m woefully willpower-less) because I still crave them on the daily.
Samoas? Yeah, they’re probably on my mind a good 17% of the day. I don’t really want to know what that says about me as a person.
So I decided since I had Samoas and Thin Mints on lock, it was time to tag myself onto the Tagalong bandwagon. Even a sweet reader named Ashlee C. thought so and asked me if I had a recipe, which led me to make this one. Who would guess they’d be 5 ingredients and ridiculously simple to make? Not I. (And FYI, this easiness is both a good and a dangerous thing, so don’t say you weren’t warned, Ashlee).
Now EAT!
- About 15 Ritz crackers
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- About ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ pkg (about 6 squares) chocolate bark -- I like Candiquik
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place the Ritz crackers face-up on the baking sheet and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat together with peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until blended and creamy. Gently spoon the peanut butter mixture into a piping bag attached with an open circle tip (I used Atecco 807). You could also spoon the peanut butter into a resealable plastic bag, seal out the air, and snip off a corner of the bag.
- Pipe a generous swirl of peanut butter on top of each cracker. Freeze the crackers briefly (about 15 minutes) just to set the PB.
- Melt the chocolate bark according to package directions until smooth. Dip the Tagalongs into the chocolate with a fork, allowing excess to drip off. Return them to the cookie sheet. Allow the chocolate to set before serving. Store them airtight, at room temperature or in the freezer -- they taste great both room temp and frozen!
Now, most Tagalong recipes on the interwebs require baking a cookie base, which, I get it– Tagalongs ARE cookies. However, I am A) lazy, and B) lazy, so I wanted something that would easily mimic that crunchy cookie base without actually baking anything. I love that Ritz crackers are SO adaptable that way. It’s easy to only think of them as a cheese and salami kinda vessel, but they’re super versatile and don’t taste cracker-y inside the Tagalong. AKA, they’re the perfect faux-cookie base — these copycats would fool the Girl Scouts themselves. Maybe then they’d show me their agenda…
Have a great Saturday!
xo, Hayley
Sam M. | Atkinson Drive says
These look delicious! I would love for you to add them, and any of your other projects, to the Pinworthy Projects link party! http://www.atkinsondrive.com/pinworthy-projects-party-week-14/
Tanya Schroeder says
Those darn Girl Scouts and their over priced, small boxed cookies! Yours are way better Hayley! I could eat as many of these as I wanted if I just made my own.
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
I can’t believe how easy these are! Yummers!
PapaChef says
Girl scouts… I look at girl scouts the same way I look at politicians and used car salesman. You nailed it on the head, they totally have hidden agendas with their facade of innocence and crack laced cookies.
That said, I was able to withstand their hypnotic ways for the most part, with only one box bought this year. Of course that one box stripped me of my dignity when I paid mostly in loose change that I found under my car seats and a borrowed dollar from a fellow customer since I wasn’t expecting them to be so bloody expensive. I looked like an addict shaking and scratching, hoping that his dealer would find it in his heart to give me a break on my next hit. Did I get a break? No. I had to lower myself and give someone puppy eyes for a dollar. “My kid really loves samoas, and my wife is pregnant, I swear I never asked for money before..” Ugh, they’re messengers of the devil.
I’m sorry.. I really digressed there, didn’t I? Sorry sorry, it’s a sore subject for me.
Your Tagalongs look amazing and sound so ridiculously easy. I’ve been making peanut butter ritz sandwiches since I could walk, so I can only imagine what the added chocolate and sugar would do. I’ll definitely try these when I… need a fix.
The Domestic Rebel says
Seriously though. They ARE hypnotic and totally crack-laden. I would totally revolt against them if it weren’t for their cute little toothless smiles and the fact that they wear cookie costumes now, but I suspect that’s all part of their facade. 🙂
Kelly @ Hidden Fruits and Veggies says
I limit myself to “only 2” boxes of tagalongs… from every girl scout I encounter. They’re so crazy delicious and somehow the store brands just wont cut it. I kind of super love the idea of using Ritz crackers in here — I’ll definitely have to make these when the craving strikes (and I’ve depleted my 30 box reserves)
cookingactress says
AHHHH so good!!!
crazyforcrust says
Triple love Hayley!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Why do you got to do this to me?! I was just weaning myself off Girl Scout Cookies. Now I have a homemade version at my finger tips.
Regina says
Oh yes, I am all for easy, few ingredient recipes. And frozen treats are the best!
Prosperity Planet says
I’m even lazier than you:) I just use the Keebler peanut butter crackers that are delish! Just dip those in the chocolate candi quick. Sorry, I’m not trying to show you up or anything:) but, after 40 years in the kitchen, I’ve learned a few tricks of my own.
The Domestic Rebel says
TOTALLY. GENIUS.
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl says
This is such dangerous information for me to have. I mean, I made it through the entirety of Girl Scout season without buying a single box, but now you’re telling me I can make these myself–with ingredients I have in my pantry as I speak??!?! OMG, I can feel my pants getting tighter already.
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says
HAYLEY WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO MEEE – I’ve been doing SO well not thinking about Girl Scout Cookies – then you go and post these bad boys. Ugh. I don’t know whether to shout for joy or frustration at my own lack of control when it comes to delicious cookies.
noyomoco says
Holy cow, I need one of these right now!! I adore your simple, yet totally genius, recipes like this one! 🙂
rebacox says
YUMMY!!!
Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake says
I love love tagalongs and this homemade version looks amazing!!
jellybeeney says
Holy moly, I cannot believe how much these taste like the real thing!
Kim says
These are amazing. I pinned them on pinterest weeks ago and finally made them today because I had all the ingredients in the house already. Oh. My. Goodness! Heavenly! Thanks SO much for this! (Though my thighs and waist are not as thankful…)
mistakesweremade says
These look amazing and worth a try! I would like to address the Girl Scout question, though: Just so you know, the Girl Scout who is selling the cookies sends $3.60 to the Girl Scouts and only 40¢ to her troop. So, when you see a Girl Scout selling cookies at a cookie booth or door to door, feel free to decline and if you donate 50¢ to her troop, you will actually be doing more to help them reach their goals than you would by buying a box. I am very pro Girl Scouts and happen to think that their core curriculum, especially the media literacy part, is pretty great, and I am happy to support them. I also get that cookies are problematic, not just because 40¢ a box is questionably low, but also because not everyone wants / can afford / can eat their cookies…