These easy-to-make Keto Tagalong Bars taste just like the original Girl Scout Cookie! You won’t believe they are low carb and sugar-free.
Way way back, in the early days of dreaming up low carb recipes, I created some peanut butter shortbread bars. And it took me by surprise, how good they were. Everything came together just perfectly.
My husband took one bite and said they tasted like his favorite Girl Scout cookies, Tagalongs. I was absolutely thrilled with such a comparison. And we made them frequently for a few months.
But as a recipe creator is wont to do, I moved on to make many other wonderful keto cookies and cookie bars. I perfected my Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I created some gorgeous Salted Caramel Bars. And I conquered the perfect texture for Keto Shortbread Cookies.
I all but forgot my lovely Tagalong Bars in the meantime. Until now!
Why you need these in your life
If you find it difficult to resist the siren’s call of Girl Scout Cookies, then this recipe is for you! They are a delicious sugar-free copycat of the famous Tagalong Cookies.
But unlike individual cookies, these bars are remarkably easy to make. You press the crust into a pan and bake it. You make an easy peanut butter filling and pour it over. Then you melt some sugar-free chocolate and spread it on top. Done, finished, finito!
I actually have a recipe for Keto Tagalong Cookies as well and I love them. But they are definitely more time consuming.
And these bars have just a fraction of the carbs compared to real Girl Scout Cookies. Only 4.1g net carbs per serving!
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: A good fine almond flour makes the best shortbread crust. I do not recommend coconut flour here. But if you can’t eat almonds, you can try sunflower seed flour.
- Sweetener: I recommend an erythritol based sweetener for the crust, such as Swerve Granular. Don’t use allulose or BochaSweet, as they will prevent the crust from crisping up. You will need a confectioner’s style sweetener for the filling.
- Butter: Good shortbread crusts always use butter!
- Peanut butter: I use a good creamy natural peanut butter like Santa Cruz. They have a no-stir version that means you can just scoop it and measure it out.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream helps create a delicious peanut butter filling with a frosting-like consistency.
- Caramel or vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is an easy pantry staple. But if you can get your hands on some caramel extract, it adds amazing flavor!
- Sugar free chocolate: ChocZero is one of my favorite brands and you can use the dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips for these bars. Also use FOODDREAMER for 10% off your order!
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the shortbread crust: Combine the almond flour, sweetener, and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle the butter pieces overtop and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
2. Bake the crust: Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a greased 8×8 inch baking pan and bake at 350ºF for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.
3. Make the peanut butter filling: In a microwave safe bowl, combine the peanut butter and butter and cook until melted and it can be stirred together. You can also do this in a pan on the stove over very low heat. Stir in the powdered sweetener until well combined and then whisk in the cream and the extract.
4. Spread over the crust: Pour the mixture over cooled crust and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
5. Make the topping: In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chopped chocolate and the butter. Heat on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until smooth. Be careful not to overheat and make your chocolate seize.
6. Spread over the filling: Spread over the chilled filling. Return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set the chocolate.
Expert tips
While almond flour makes the crust more like real shortbread, you can use other nut or seed flours for these bars. It won’t be as fine looking, and you may need a little additional butter to help it hold together better. I do not recommend coconut flour for a crust like this.
Many natural peanut butters don’t contain any salt. If you use unsalted butter and unsalted peanut butter, you may want to add 1/4 tsp fine salt to the filling. It will bring out the sweetness more.
Melt the chocolate carefully in the microwave, in short increments. But you can also do it in a pan over very low heat. I like to use the same bowl or pan I did the peanut butter filling in so there are fewer dishes to wash at the end!
Frequently Asked Questions
Tagalong cookies are a popular treat sold by American Girl Scouts. They feature a shortbread cookie covered in chocolate, with a sweetened peanut butter filling. They are also known as Peanut Butter Patties.
Conventional Tagalongs have 13g of carbs per serving. These Keto Tagalong Bars have only 6.8g carbs and 2.7g fiber per serving. So they have a net carb count of 4.1g.
You can store the bars on the counter in a covered container for up to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to 8 days. They can also be frozen for several months.
More Girl Scout Inspired Recipes
Keto Tagalong Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/4 cups (140 g) almond flour
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Peanut Butter Caramel Filling
- 2/3 cup (172 g) creamy natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter
- 1/2 cup (91 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup (59.5 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) caramel extract, can use vanilla extract
Chocolate Topping
- 3 1/2 ounces (99.22 g) dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease an 8×8 inch metal baking pan.
- Combine the almond flour, sweetener, and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle the butter pieces overtop and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
- Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan pan and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove and let cool.
Peanut Butter Filling
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the peanut butter and butter and cook until melted and it can be stirred together. You can also do this in a pan on the stove over very low heat.
- Stir in the powdered sweetener until well combined and then whisk in the cream and the extract. Pour over cooled crust and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
Chocolate Topping
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chopped chocolate and the butter (you can use the same bowl or pan from the peanut butter mixture).
- Heat on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until smooth. Be careful not to overheat and make your chocolate seize.
- Spread over the chilled filling. Return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set the chocolate.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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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Amazing! For a chocolate layer, I substituted butter with coconut oil.
Another recipe so good I can’t stay out of them!!!!
Thank you for sharing!!
Make this now! You won’t be sorry. Everyone in my family love these. I’ve also supplies some Celiac friends with them too. Each person who tries them, raves about them. Simple, delicious. I often double the recipe and use a 9×13, cut and freeze half right away.
Thank you for sharing. As always, I had to substitute ingredients because I didn’t have everything on hand. However, all good.
I love this recipe! I made it once years ago and then forgot about how indulgent and simple it is! Definitely One of the best cookie bars around!
I just finally made this and I have to say it’s my favorite recipe of yours! It tastes even better than Girl Scout cookies. I will be making another batch this weekend to keep in the freezer for a quick snack. Thank you for these recipes that keep me out of the candy aisle!
I have made the Tagalong bars 3 or4 times now and they disappear very quickly. My non keto family members love them as much as I do!!! Thank you Carolyn!
I made this in a pie plate. I used a little less sugar in the peanut butter filling. Would start with 60% of the sugar next time. Will cut into pieces and freeze in individual bags, so I don’t eat the whole thing in the next few days. These are rich.
this looks delicious and based on your desserts that I have made in the past – Many of them… these will be wonderful and yummy
I would like to double this recipe – small size pan desserts (cookie bars). don’t last long in a home of 4
have you doubled this before and what would the bake time be?
thanks
Hi! Last time I made a triple recipe! The bake time is about the same, just check the first layer in the oven and wait until it’s light golden on the sides. It might take a few more minutes than a single recipe.
It freezes very well, and I’m glad to have more ready, because it doesn’t last long here either!
I make a double recipe all the time in a 9×13 pan. I bake the bottom for about 17 minutes. However I need to bake most of her bar and cookie recipes slightly longer. I’d start checking at 12 minutes and cook until golden as the recipe says.
Definitely a winner! These will be in regular rotation.
This is my new favourite dessert! My husband loved it as well. Very easy to bake, and even much more easy to eat! Peanut butter and chocolate, the combo that never fails! Thank you for the recipe!
This a scrumptious dessert with the 3 layers. It’s so good, my husband makes sure every crumb is accounted for.
Love these! Just so you know – in the early section ‘Ingredients you’ll need’ it calls for powdered sweetener. On the actual recipe card it doesn’t specify powdered…
My last batch the bottom layer was pretty crumbly w/o powdered so will try w/powdered this time. Will also add a tiny bit of xantham gum as I also love the consistency of your shortbread cookies. ☺️
Ugh. Pls disregard this – i just looked again and saw both granular and powdered. 🤦♀️
Every year at work we have a Christmas party potluck lunch. I eat low carb, so I bring a tray of deviled eggs and a low carb dessert so I know that no matter what anybody else brings, at least I’ll have something I can eat. This year I made these Tagalong bars. I labeled them low carb and sugar free so people who were eating low carb or needed sugar free stuff would know. One of my coworkers grabbed a bar and looked at it skeptically. She took a bite and her eyes got huge. She ran back to the dessert table and grabbed two more bars. Needless to say, they are delicious (“were,” actually, because everybody at work ate them all up and they’re now past-tense bars). The only change I made was making them in a pie plate rather than a 10 inch square pan because I couldn’t find the right pan. I cut them into 16 wedges and they were perfect. They are plenty festive for Christmas just as they are. I liked how clear the layers are. They were easy to make, too. I used a knife dipped in really hot water to slice them so the slices came out clean.
Could I use coconut flour instead of the almond flour? I’m not a big fan of the almond flavour.
If so, would I use the same amount?
No, this recipe will not work with coconut flour.
Love these things! Maybe a little too much