These Paleo Homemade Tagalong Cookies are a copycat recipe of the original Girl Scout Tagalongs. They are grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free, dairy free and nut free - much healthier than the original version but just as delicious.
I can't remember the last time I had a "real" Girl Scout Cookie. But, it's about time that I made a Paleo version for the blog and I'm starting off with these Paleo Tagalongs.
Truthfully, Thin Mints were always my favorite Girl Scout Cookies. Samoas, Tagalongs and Trefoils were up there too. But today I'm sharing my recipe for homemade Paleo Tagalong Cookies.
They consist of a nut-free, Paleo shortbread cookie, topped with sunflower seed butter and coated in dark chocolate. Crunchy, crumbly, not too sweet, but absolutely delicious!
These are perfect to for filling that Girl Scout cookie void, but without any hydrogenated oils, refined sugar, gut-irritating grains, artificial flavors and preservatives. Yep, this is a truly healthy (but still tasty) Tagalong cookie recipe.
Tagalong Cookie Highlights
Let's take a look at why these cookies are so good...
- They're Paleo (no gluten, no grains, no dairy)
- Egg free
- Vegan friendly
- Nut Free (made with cassava flour and sunbutter)
- Sweetened with maple syrup (no refined sugar)
- Free from artificial flavoring, preservatives and hydrogenated oils
With a list like this, what's not to like?!
Ingredients in Paleo Homemade Tagalong Cookies
I don't know if you've taken a look at the ingredients in conventional Girl Scout Tagalongs...but they aren't something to be proud of. From hydrogenated palm oil, to enriched flour, soybean oil and artificial flavors, there are a whole host of ingredients that are not good for the human body to consume.
But this recipe? This Paleo Tagalong recipe has a short list of wholesome ingredients that are easy to digest (good for the gut), made from real food and nothing artificial. These are the best gluten free, dairy free girl scout cookies!
Here's what you need:
- cassava flour
- baking soda
- salt
- non-hydrogenated shortening
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- sunflower seed butter
- dark chocolate chips
- coconut oil
Ingredient Substitutions
Cassava Flour
To make these cookies both grain free and nut free, I used cassava flour. No other flours have been tested.
Shortening
Non-hydrogenated shortening (made from coconut oil and palm oil) gives these cookies a crunchy, crumbly shortbread cookie texture and taste. Coconut oil or grass fed butter would work as a replacement.
Maple Syrup
I have tried this gluten free tagalong recipe with honey, but personally prefer the cookies with maple syrup. That being said, most liquid sweeteners should work as a replacement for the maple syrup.
Sunflower Seed Butter
Again, keeping with the nut free, Paleo theme, I chose to stuff these cookies with sunflower seed butter. However, any creamy nut or seed butter will work instead.
How to Make Paleo Homemade Tagalongs
To make these Paleo Tagalongs, first you must make the shortbread cookies. Afterwards, they are topped with sunflower seed butter, then dipped in dark chocolate. Here's the process:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the Shortbread Cookies
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the cassava flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the shortening, maple syrup and vanilla. I suggest mixing with a spatula first, then using your hands to combine the dough.
Scoop the dough using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop. Roll each scoop into a ball, flatten slightly, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use your thumb to make a large indentation in each of the cookies (similar to making a thumbprint cookie).
Place the cookies in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should slightly brown.
After baking, remove the cookies from the oven, cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
Top with Sunflower Seed Butter
Once cooled, add the sunflower seed butter. Top each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of sunflower seed butter. Then, place the cookies in the freezer to allow the sunbutter to set.
Dip in Dark Chocolate
Once the sunflower seed butter has hardened (it will take at least 30 minutes), melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil. Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a small sauce pan and melt over low heat, stirring frequently. Once melted, grab the cookies from the freezer.
Dip the cookies, one at a time, into the melted chocolate. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. If necessary, pop them in the fridge a few minutes for the chocolate to fully harden.
How to Store Paleo Tagalongs
These homemade Tagalongs are best kept in the fridge, up to one week. They also store well in the freezer up to one month. Keep them in an air-tight glass container or sealed bag.
More Paleo Cookie Recipes
Looking for more easy Paleo cookie recipes? Look no further! Here are some reader favorites from my blog:
- Allergy Free Gingersnap Cookies
- Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sweet Potato Cookies
- Pumpkin Coconut Cookies
Enjoy!
Paleo Homemade Tagalong Cookies (Nut Free)
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 dozen cookies 1x
Description
Homemade Paleo Tagalong Cookies - a healthier alternative to the classic Girl Scout Cookies. They consist of a nut-free shortbread cookie, topped with sunflower seed butter and coated in dark chocolate.
Ingredients
Cookie
- ⅔ cup cassava flour (95g) spooned & leveled
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ cup non-hydrogenated shortening
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Filling
- ¼ cup sunflower seed butter (unsweetened)
Coating
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the Cookies: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine cassava flour, baking soda and salt.
- Mix in shortening, maple syrup and vanilla, first with a spatula or fork, then use your hands to combine the dough*
- Scoop the dough (1 tablespoon per cookie), roll it into a ball, then flatten the cookie into a disc. Place the cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and use your thumb to indent the center, making room for the filling later on. (see process photos for example)
- Place the cookies in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- Cool the cookies a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Add the Filling: Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, scoop about 1 teaspoon of sunflower seed butter onto each cookie.
- Place the cookies in the freezer for at least 30 minutes so that the filling hardens.
- Coat the Cookies in Chocolate: In a small sauce pan, add the chocolate and coconut oil. Place the pan on the stove top, over low heat, and stir every so often until the chocolate is fully melted. Once fully melted, remove from heat and grab the cookies from the freezer.
- Dip each cookie (one at a time) into the melted chocolate** Place the coated cookies back on the lined baking sheet to dry.
- If necessary, place cookies in fridge a few minutes for chocolate to fully harden.
- Best stored in fridge or freezer.
Notes
*The cookie dough may appear too dry at first, but will moisten as you work it with your hands.
**It's easiest to dip the cookies using a fork. Drop the cookie into the melted chocolate, flip to coat each side, then pick the cookie up with a fork. Scrap the fork along the edge of the pan, allowing excess chocolate to drip off the cookie.
Katie
My family and I love these homemade tagalong cookies - hopefully you will too!
Aimee
This recipe turned out so well. I love the taste of the cassava flour. I used peanut butter for the filling. I will definitely be making these again. Delicious!
Katie
I'm so glad you liked them! 🙂
Ashley
Turned out great! Super easy and quick to make too! I used peanut butter instead of sun butter.