Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Smooth Operator Tagalongs
Try this Homemade Girl Scout Cookies Smooth Operator Tagalongs recipe
Try this Homemade Girl Scout Cookies Smooth Operator Tagalongs recipe
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cups flour sifted
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1 jar (16 ounces) peanut butter & co. smooth operator pe at room temperature
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
- 12 ounces good quality milk or semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- 1. prepare the cookies. do not preheat the oven yet as you’ll have to let the dough chill. in a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. set to the side for the moment.
- 2. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed. pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. stir in the vanilla.
- 3. add the flour mixture to the buttery mixture mixing on low and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. the mixture will start out very crumbly but will begin to come together after a few moments.
- 4. add the first tablespoon of milk or cream. you jus so you may not need the second tablespoon.
- 5. form the dough into two logs about 1.5 inches in d and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or until quite firm.
- 6. near the end of your chilling period position two racks in the middle of your oven. preheat the oven to 350°f, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- 7. remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice into coins somewhere around 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick each.
- 8. place the rounds of dough on the prepared cookie s leaving about an inch between cookies (they will spread a little bit, but not too much).
- 9. bake for 10-12 minutes or until they have a dull finish on top and are just golden on the edges. they are supposed to be a fairly soft cookie.
- 10. remove from oven and let cool for a minute or two use either your thumb or the back of a small spoon to make an indent in the center of the cookie. you’re making a little well so that you can fit even more peanut butter filling inside. don’t wait too long to do this, as the cookies will firm as they cool
- 11. after a couple more minutes on the baking sheets transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. but don’t clean up the baking sheets: you can use them again to chill the cookies in step 13.
- 12. while the cookies cool you can prepare the filling. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the smooth operator peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth and combined. stir in the vanilla. the texture will be a little thicker than plain pe
- 13. spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of the peanut butter on put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. this will help the peanut butter topping firm, so that they are easier to coat in chocolate.
- 14. prepare your chocolate topping. in the top of a do melt the chocolate and butter. once melted, stir to make sure it’s totally combined.
- 15. remove the cookies from the freezer one tray at a time, and dip them in the chocolate mixture. my method? plop the cookie, peanut butter side down, in the mixture. turn, and lift with a fork to let the excess chocolate drip off. you don’t have to worry about total coverage on the bottom of t
- 16. place the coated cookies back on the parchment-lin and let them set until the chocolate has firmed. depending on the humidity and temperature of your kitchen, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours.
- store these cookies in a single layer well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days. do not freeze or refrigerate. make-ahead tip: the cookie dough can be made ahead. you can make the dough and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. let thaw be
- Carbohydrate 15.8011863194498 g
- Cholesterol 3.50407041442985 mg
- Fat 1.26505939158814 g
- Fiber 0.000294444444444444 g
- Protein 0.143095799821055 g
- Saturated Fat 0.766916438707122 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (33g)
- Sodium 3.52603808702166 mg
- Sugar 15.8008918750054 g
- Trans Fat 0.109313321577882 g
- Calories 74 calories
Step-by-step
- prepare the cookies. do not preheat the oven yet as you’ll have to let the dough chill. in a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. set to the side for the moment.
- in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed. pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. stir in the vanilla.
- add the flour mixture to the buttery mixture mixing on low and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. the mixture will start out very crumbly but will begin to come together after a few moments.
- add the first tablespoon of milk or cream. you jus so you may not need the second tablespoon.
- form the dough into two logs about 1.5 inches in d and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or until quite firm.
- near the end of your chilling period position two racks in the middle of your oven. preheat the oven to 350°f, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice into coins somewhere around 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick each.
- place the rounds of dough on the prepared cookie s leaving about an inch between cookies (they will spread a little bit, but not too much).
- bake for 10-12 minutes or until they have a dull finish on top and are just golden on the edges. they are supposed to be a fairly soft cookie.
- remove from oven and let cool for a minute or two use either your thumb or the back of a small spoon to make an indent in the center of the cookie. you’re making a little well so that you can fit even more peanut butter filling inside. don’t wait too long to do this, as the cookies will firm as they cool
- after a couple more minutes on the baking sheets transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. but don’t clean up the baking sheets: you can use them again to chill the cookies in step 13.
- while the cookies cool you can prepare the filling. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the smooth operator peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth and combined. stir in the vanilla. the texture will be a little thicker than plain pe
- spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of the peanut butter on put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. this will help the peanut butter topping firm, so that they are easier to coat in chocolate.
- prepare your chocolate topping. in the top of a do melt the chocolate and butter. once melted, stir to make sure it’s totally combined.
- remove the cookies from the freezer one tray at a time, and dip them in the chocolate mixture. my method? plop the cookie, peanut butter side down, in the mixture. turn, and lift with a fork to let the excess chocolate drip off. you don’t have to worry about total coverage on the bottom of t
- place the coated cookies back on the parchment-lin and let them set until the chocolate has firmed. depending on the humidity and temperature of your kitchen, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours.
Swapping standard commercial peanut butter for a natural variety containing separated oil will yield a runny, unstable filling that slides right off the cookie base. Commercial styles containing stabilizers maintain the necessary structure to support the thick layer of confectioners' sugar without weeping into the dough. Temperature control dictates success when melting the chocolate and butter mixture; excessive heat causes the cocoa solids to seize into a grainy paste that refuses to coat smoothly. Keep your double boiler at a gentle simmer, ensuring the water never touches the bottom of the upper bowl.
The Danger of Rapping and Overbaking
Baking shortbread rounds past the ten to twelve-minute mark transforms a tender cookie into a hard biscuit incapable of absorbing the indentation step. Pressing the thumb into the warm center requires precise timing within sixty seconds of oven removal before the butter solidifies. Chilling the piped peanut butter mounds in the freezer for twenty minutes hardens the fats adequately for a clean dip into the chocolate coating.
Managing Chocolate Viscosity
Dipping chilled confections into molten chocolate requires steady motion using a dipping fork to let excess glaze drip through the tines. Ambient kitchen temperature dictates the setting window, which ranges from thirty minutes to two hours depending on household humidity. Storing the finished batches in a single layer at room temperature prevents condensation from blooming the chocolate surface, preserving snap and structural integrity for up to three days.
