If you grew up loving Girl Scout cookies, you may be wondering how to make it through cookie season unscathed. They can be a huge temptation for people on a low carb diet. That’s why I am working overtime to bring you healthier choices that taste just as good as the real deal.
These Keto Tagalong Cookies have everything you love about the original: crisp keto shortbread cookies topped with creamy peanut butter and enrobed in a smooth chocolate coating. The texture is spot-on, the flavor is deeply satisfying, and no one will guess they’re sugar-free.
You know how much I love chocolate and peanut butter together, so making these cookies was an absolute joy. They do take a little time to put together, as you have to freeze them after adding the filling. But they are very much worth the effort, if you miss the sugary Tagalongs.
And rest assured, whatever kind of Girl Scout cookie you love best, there’s a homemade keto version to satisfy your cravings! You may also enjoy Keto Thin Mints or Keto Samoa Bars.
Reader’s Thoughts
“These are incredible! Great work Carolyn! Your recipes are always so good and this one is definitely better than the Girl Scout version! My husband and kids loved them too!!” — Heather
Why You Will Love These Cookies
- Classic flavor: They taste just like the Tagalong cookies you used to love!
- Spot on texture: They have a crisp cookie, a creamy filling, and a smooth chocolate coating.
- Make ahead recipe: These store beautifully in the fridge or freezer, perfect for easy treats or emergency chocolate cravings.
- All the nostalgia, none of the sugar: You get to feel like a kid again, indulging in your favorite Girl Scout cookies!
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: For a nut-free option, use sunflower seed flour. It’s about a 1:1 ratio, although you may need a touch more. If your dough is very soft, work in another tablespoon or so.
- Sweetener: You will need an erythritol sweetener for the crust, and a powdered sweetener for the filling. See the Tips for Success for more information on sweetener options.
- Creamy peanut butter: Chose an all-natural brand without added sugar. If your brand is very thin and oily, you may want to skip the butter.
- Sugar-free chocolate: As long as your favorite brand melts well, you can use it. Some of them get a little gloppy and seize easily.
- Cocoa butter: This helps the chocolate melt more smoothly while also allowing it to set firmly. You can use 1 tablespoon of coconut oil instead but it will be much meltier at room temperature.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, salt, and vanilla extract.
How to Make Keto Tagalong Cookies
- Prepare the cookie dough: Beat the butter with the sweetener and vanilla extract, then beat in the dry ingredients until the dough comes together.
- Cut out circles: Gather the dough in a ball, place on a prepared work surface and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut as many 2-inch circles as possible and place on the prepared pan.
- Bake the cookies: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and remove for 10 minutes. Place the cookies back in the warm oven, but keep a close eye on them.
- Prepare the filling: Combine the peanut butter and the butter and microwave until melted and smooth. Stir in the powdered sweetener until smooth. Use about 1 teaspoon of the filling at a time and spread over the top of each cookie. Freeze until firm.
- Melt the chocolate: In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and cocoa butter together, stirring until smooth.
- Dip the cookies: Place the cookies in the melted chocolate and toss with two forks to coat. Refrigerate to set the chocolate.
Tips for Success
Dust your work surface: The cookie dough can stick a bit so dusting the surface with additional almond flour can help. It also helps to use a small offset spatula to wiggle under the cookies to loosen them from the work surface.
Roll the dough out evenly: It’s very important to make the cookies the same thickness (I recommend 1/4 inch) so that they bake evenly.
Freeze the cookies: Once you’ve added the peanut butter filling onto the cookies, you want to freeze them until solid. This will make it much easier to coat them in chocolate.
Sweetener Options
It’s very important to use an erythritol-based sweetener for the cookie, to make it crisp. Any amount of allulose or xylitol will prevent it from crisping up.
For the filling, you want a powdered sweetener to avoid grittiness. But it can be erythritol or allulose.
More Keto Cookies to Love
Keto Tagalong Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/3 cup granular sweetener, erythritol recommended.
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cup almond flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum, (optional)
- 1/8 tsp salt
Peanut Butter Filling
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup powdered sweetener
Chocolate Coating
- 4 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 ounce cocoa butter
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF and line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Prepare a work surface by spreading out another silicone mat and dusting lightly with almond flour.
- Beat the butter with the sweetener on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- All at once, add the almond flour, xanthan gum, and salt and beat until the dough comes together.
- Gather the dough in a ball and place on the prepared work surface. Cover with parchment paper and roll out to 1/4 inch thick.
- Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible. Use an offset spatula to wiggle under the cookies and place on the prepared pan. Re-roll the dough as many times as needed to cut out as many circles as possible. You should get about 24 circles.
- Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the oven off and let cool 10 minutes. Then return the cookies to the warm oven until completely cool, keeping a close eye on them.
Peanut Butter Filling
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the peanut butter and the butter. Heat on high in 30 second increments, stirring until melted and smooth. Stir in the powdered sweetener until smooth.
- Let cool a few minutes to thicken, then use about 1 teaspoon of the filling at a time and drop over the top of each cookie. Spread almost to the edges.
- Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until firm, about 1 1/2 hours.
Chocolate Coating
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and cocoa butter together until smooth. Cover a cookie sheet or platter with parchment or waxed paper.
- Use two forks to dip the frozen cookies one at a time, tossing to coat. Tap the fork gently against the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate, then set the cookies on the prepared sheet.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to set the chocolate.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
You want to use an erythritol-based sweetener in the cookies, otherwise they won’t crisp up properly. If it contains any amount of allulose or xylitol, your cookies will be very soft. The filling does need a powdered sweetener, both for consistency and to avoid grittiness.
This keto tagalong cookie recipe has 8.3g of carbs and 3.7g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.6g net carbs for 2 cookies.
Store the cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to a week, or in the fridge for up to 10 days. They can also be frozen for up to two months. Make sure the container is airtight to avoid freezer burn.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I just made these yesterday. They are AMAZING.
Keep the tasty recipes coming 🙂
Carolyn,
Just have to tell you that I made these 2 weeks ago and had a bit of trouble rolling them out and didn’t get as many as your recipe said. My son came home in the middle of it and said “what are making”. I told him and added, well I won’t be making them again unless they turn out to “super awesome”. Well, guess what I made them again this weekend, cause, yeah they are soo worth it. This time I added a smallish egg to my medium sized egg (we have our own chickens) and the dough rolled out much better and I came out with 36 cookies. Thanks again, for all of your hard work!
t
Thanks for the feedback, Brenda! It’s good to hear that they fell into the “super awesome” category!
Any chance you can replace the swerve with Stevia?
I am afraid that the peanut butter filling wouldn’t set properly.
I made these the other night and they were a hit! I didn’t even have to explain to my husband that they were a LC version of his favorite GS cookie, he knew right away they were Tagalongs. That being said – I did cheat a little in the making. Being the laziest person on the planet, there was no way I was rolling out dough and then carefully frosting each shortbread cookie with your PB filling. So I pressed all of the dough into a 9×12 pan, baked and cooled as directed; spread the filling on the solid shortbread, chilled and then cut into rectangular cookies to be dipped into the chocolate. They turned out perfectly! Thank you for the inspiration and a very versatile recipe.
I am glad you included the carb count for the cookies on your blog. The Swerve website does not include them. I wouldn’t even consider making these without the carb count.
It’s always girl scout season in my house 🙂 I just love the cookies so darn much and now I can make them at home!!
Caroline thank you for this yummy recipe, I grew up in Florida and now live in England so I’m thrilled to have this recipe to make them here.
These, my friend, are a dream come true!
FINALLY. (I actually said this out loud after seeing this recipe in my feed.)
LOL! Thanks!
Can’t wait to make these!
These look ah-mazing! I cannot even believe how good they look.
Wow! Here is a low carb cookie that actually looks delicious! Thanks for a great recipe Carolyn!
My favorite GS cookie. Love these Carolyn!
We always donate a few dollars and say no thanks to the cookies
Hi Carolyn,
Did you calculate the macros for these cookie bombs???
Maybe we could suggest that the Girl Scouts consider selling something else to raise funds! I’m tired of ducking them too, and it’s not fair to the children since I doubt they understand that they’re selling junk! (I hesitate to say poison….)
Linda
Ah yes. Let me do the calculations now and add them to my post. Hang tight!
I sent an e-mail to the Girl Guides organization. There are other fundraising choices!
Linda-Do not pick on the girl scouts for selling cookies-because you have issues. That was low.
She’s not picking on them. She’s suggesting that perhaps it would be best for all if they chose to sell something else. She doesn’t have any issues, I would say.
OH, I totally agree on the ‘poison’ statement. I try not to get too vocal about it, but it really almost angers me sometimes. They bring in snacks like these to my kid’s schools too and the end of speech celebration was a table of cookies, donuts, cupcakes, etc. The cheerleaders have ‘snacks’ between games, in which the parents provide the same selection. It’s so difficult on kids today.
I send them money every year. I figure I save about $50 not buying their wares so I send a check in that amount.
We are able to avoid the Girl Scout Cookies sales cause it’s pretty commonly known that my husband is celiac and can’t have the gluten filled ones. These look delicious! 🙂