Tagalong Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
The Girl Scout cookie favorite made into a healthy bar with only 6 ingredients and ready in under an hour. My Tagalong Peanut Butter Cookie Bars will help you resist cookie sale temptation. This easy keto cookie bars recipe is low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
Ever since I ate the last Tagalong Cookie from my freezer stash last month I’ve been wanting to make more. But they were a little time-consuming… I’ll admit it. Making the dough, rolling it, cutting out circles, baking the circles, making the peanut butter, freezing the peanut butter, and then assembling all the parts and coating them with chocolate. Time-consuming. But delicious. I knew I needed an easier method.
There is just something about Girl Scout cookies. I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia or just the fact that they are only sold a couple of times a year but when I see them I want them. Samoas, Tagalongs, Thin Mints, Trefoils. Bring em on. My goal is to make healthy versions of all of them.
Easy Press in Crust
The flavors of these bars are the exact same as the cookies but they are so much easier with a press in cookie crust and just 6 ingredients. And they don’t have any special ingredients except the sweetener.
How to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
This recipe really is very simple to make. Hands on time should only be about 15 minutes!
Step One: To make these chocolate-covered peanut butter cookie bars first you stir together the crust ingredients.
Step Two: Press the crust into a baking dish and bake.
Step Three: While the crust is baking mix the peanut butter ingredients in the same bowl. No washing is required. Gently spread that on the warm crust.
Step Four: Melt the chocolate, drizzle on, spread. Cool and eat!
Tips & Suggestions
Peanut Butter Layer: The keyword here is ‘gently’. You should drop small dollops all over the crust and then wait a few minutes. This melts the peanut butter just enough that you can gently spread it.
Chocolate Topping: If the chocolate seems too thick to pour and spread easily add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil.
Sugar Free Chocolate: You can use any sugar free chocolate chips, bars, or very dark chocolate that you like.
More Keto Recipes for Bars
White Chocolate Cranberry Seven Layer Bars
Keto Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Loaded Caramel Magic Cookie Bars
I hope you enjoy these Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cookie Bars!
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Tagalong Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookie Layer:
- 3/4 cups almond flour
- 3 tbsp Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- pinch salt
- 3 tbsp butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
Peanut Butter Layer:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 3 tbsp Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate Layer:
- 3.5 oz 85% dark chocolate or sugar free chocolate chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a medium bowl mix all the shortbread ingredients until combined. Press into the bottom of a square 8x8 baking dish.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, combine the peanut butter ingredients. If your peanut butter is cold you can microwave it for 30 seconds to soften it.
- When the shortbread comes out of the oven drop little blobs of the peanut on top of it. Spread gently with a spatula. The heat from the cookie will help spread the peanut butter. Be gentle or the bottom layer can crumble.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave or double boiler. Pour over the peanut butter. Spread gently. Put in the refrigerator until firm. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Delicious! I will definitely make this recipe again but next time I will let the cookie layer cool off before I add the rest as suggested. Thanks for another great idea!
Ok, omg! Yum. I did use lakantos golden (5 tbls) in each separate step and it was perfect. My pan was a 9×9 so mine are a bit thinner, but the crust is to die for. I love shortbread and this was wonderful. My peanut butter topping didn’t spread to good. But oh well..it will eat just the same. I did not top mine with choc as I get a bit bored with pb and choc all the time. These are a must make! Love them.
These are amazing and easy! Used Lankanto sweetener in crust—about 5 Tablespoons—and baked 350 without convection for 20 minutes and they came out golden goodness. Mixed about 3/4 cup Natural PB with truvia powdered ( 6 tablespoons) and let dollops sit on warm crust a few minutes to make spreading easier. I wanted a thicker PB layer. Used sugar free chocolate chips and they were gooey, chocolatey goodness on a crispy cookie crust. Awesome! I told my friends they were sugar free and no one believed me. Just delicious by any standards. Thanks for always having such great recipes!
Very delicious! I’ve made this 2x so far. The first time as written, the second I made a little modification with the assembly that worked better for me. As written, the cookie part crumbles easy when trying to spread the PB mixture. Not exactly an issue just a bit annoying. I allowed the crust/cookie part to cool off and harden up a bit (like 20 ish minutes) and then heated up the peanutbutter before pouring so it was runny. Made assembly a breeze! Will be making this again.
Has anyone tried these using THM Baking blend in place of Almond Flour? I tend to like the texture better in things that use a blend rather than straight almond flour. 🙂
Yes, I’ve had readers use baking blend successfully. Enjoy!
Can this be done with a diffident kind of flour; like coconut or flex meal. I do not care for almond flour.
Coconut flour is too dry and I don’t think flax meal would taste good. Sunflower seed flour can be used.
These were fantastic! Plan on making these again very soon!
What if I wanted to substitute the sweetener with monk fruit? Is that possible?
Yes, you can use a monk fruit sweetener like lakanto. Use a little more than the amount listed.
My husband and son loved the bars but one question. The crust is so thin compared to your picture. And my husband and son also complained about it being so thin. I used my 8×8 pan. Is there a reason why? I know if I double the recipe it will be more carbs and that wouldn’t be good.
I’m not sure why the crust on your bars was so thin. If you double the crust each bar has 5 total carbs and 3 net carbs.
This was wonderful!! It really hit the spot! Thank you for your recipes!
These are absolutely delicious, in fact, decadent!! I am finding that if it’s a recipe from you, I know it is going to be good!
This is delicious! The nutrition info is helpful, but what is the size of the serving for the info listed?
This makes 16 bars. Each is 2×2 and the nutrition is for one. I’m glad you like them!
It’s 16 servings!
Unfortunately, my crust didn’t stay together – when I cut the slices the peanut butter and chocolate layers lifted off leaving nothing but crumbs behind. Maybe it needs more butter? In any case, if I try it again I’d use sugar-free chocolate as the 85% cocoa version tasted bitter like baking chocolate. Plus it has more carbs – some brands have a lot more!
You may have baked the crust too long. Or your oven temp may be too hot. That can cause it to be dry. And you may absolutely use sugar free chocolate. It is more expensive so I use 85% when I can.
I just made these for the first time and they are so delicious! They definitely satisfy that chocolate/pb craving. I used 1 1/2 T Pyure for my sweetener and baked in my silicone bars mold. (my 8×8 pan got ruined) All this to say – perfect dessert! Thank you!
Quick little question. Do these need to stay refrigerated?
They should be fine at room temp for a few days. I store all my low carb baked goods in the fridge just to be safe.
I usually refrigerate all my THM/low carb goodies too. I plan on making some to take on vacation this summer so good to know these can be out a day or so.
Thanks Taryn!
I just made these for the first time, and while they taste good, the crust separated from the peanut butter layer. I used a fresh ground PB (nothing in it but peanuts). Any idea why it would stick? So bummed.
I’m not sure why that would happen. I wonder if the fresh ground peanuts have more oil than the jarred stuff. You could try a little extra melted chocolate in between the crust and peanut butter as glue.