Peanut Butter Tagalong Cupcakes
These cupcakes will make you swoon! Moist and fluffy vanilla cake with a tagalong baked right in, topped with peanut butter cookie buttercream frosting and dipped in chocolate. You’ll be in Girl Scout cookie heaven!
Hey everybody! How was your Valentine’s Day weekend? I hope it was fun and romantic and full of CHOCOLATE!!!
I feel like it’s been foreverrrrr since we last talked! I haven’t posted since Tuesday. As many of you know, I usually post on Tuesdays and Fridays, and last week I did Monday because I had created those Coconut White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Blood Oranges for that special Dinner for Two event. I wanted to do Friday too, and I had a really fun roundup post half-written, but then I got word that the web-hosting switch I had in the works was happening on Thursday night. So, I had to hold off on putting the finishing touches on the post until the transfer was complete. 🙁
Anyway that’s boring! The only reason I wanted to mention it is because if you left me a comment during those couple of hours where files were getting shuffled around, then your comment might have fallen through the cracks and been missed. So sorry if that happened to you!
Hopefully you’ll forgive me when you see these cupcakes!
Girl Scout Cookie Cupcakes! I wanted to capture the flavors of the Peanut Butter Tagalong, which is a crunchy vanilla shortbread cookie, topped with a puddle of peanut butter and coated in chocolate (I know!). Actually I think they changed the name recently to Peanut Butter Patties, but either way they’re pretty rockin’!
So, it all starts with my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe (so moist! and easy! just one bowl!), but before the batter goes into the papers, you’re going to drop in a Tagalong/Peanut Butter Patty.
Then just bake them up as you normally would, and top them with this dreamy peanut butter Swiss meringue buttercream. (Check out this Swiss meringue buttercream post for TONS more info.) I added chopped Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties to the frosting for added crunchy texture and cookie flavor. If you do this too, just know that you will only be able to pipe the frosting with a jumbo round tip. The open star tips are still not open enough to allow the cookie bits to pass through without clogging up.
A dip in melted chocolate gives them such a great Tagalong look and amazing flavor too! These are NOT yo’ momma’s hi-hat cupcakes!
I know I say this a lot, but these cupcakes were truly one of the best things I’ve made in a while. The crunch of the cookie, at the bottom of that moist cake and mixed into that silky, sweet/salty buttercream… oh, it was outrageous! And the dip in melted chocolate just takes them completely over the top. You’ve really gotta try this recipe!!
Special thanks go out to my friend Kellie of The Suburban Soapbox. I didn’t know if it was too late, or where I could find Girl Scout Cookies when this idea creeped into my brain, but she heeded the call and dropped off a couple boxes for me! Thanks girl!
You guys should definitely check out Kellie’s blog if you are looking for some great recipe ideas. Her Easy Lobster Bisque left my jaw on the floor, but she’s got sooo many other delicious ideas too!
Caramel Crunch Banana Oat Muffins / Easy Lobster Bisque / 10-Minute Samoa Cannoli
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Peanut Butter Tagalong Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 cup (125 g) cake flour
- 1/2 cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, (1 stick), softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (50 g) Greek yogurt, (sour cream can be substituted)
- 1/4 cup (61 ml) milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 18 Peanut Butter Tagalongs/Patties
For the Frosting
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened slightly but still cool
- 1 cup (258 g) creamy peanut butter
- 6 Peanut Butter Tagalongs/Patties,, chopped finely
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) milk chocolate,, melted
- 9 Peanut Butter Tagalongs/Patties, cut in half (for garnish)
Instructions
To Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with papers.
- Place the first 6 (dry) ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and mix on low speed to combine.
- Add the butter, stirring on low speed until the mixture resembles damp sand (about a minute).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add the yogurt, milk, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste. Stir until fully combined.
- Place a Peanut Butter Tagalong/Patty in each cupcake paper. Fill the papers half full with batter, and bake for 15 minutes, or until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely before frosting and dipping in melted chocolate.
To Make the Frosting:
- Place the egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl, and set over a pot of simmering water.
- Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture is hot, opaque, and the sugar is completely dissolved (it should not feel gritty between your fingers), about 5 minutes.
- Whip the mixture on high speed, until stiff peaks form and it has completely cooled. (There should be no hint of warmth remaining when you place your hand on the side of the mixing bowl. Place the bowl and whip attachment in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes, if needed.)
- Add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, whipping well after each addition. (If it begins to look curdled, continue to beat until it comes back together, before adding the remaining butter.)
- Stir in the peanut butter and chopped cookies, and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Turn the frosted cupcakes upside-down into the melted chocolate, allowing the excess to drip away before inverting and allowing to harden.
- Top with half a Peanut Butter Tagalong/Patty, for garnish.
hi ! i really love your blog and your page it really sounds interesting to have fun
Thank you so much!
OOOH I love when girl scout cookies become creative desserts! These photos are wonderful!
Thank you so much Andrea! I love it too and these cupcakes were even more delicious than I could have imagined. I’m so happy you liked them! Thank you so much for letting me know it 🙂
I need to find some girl scouts and make this recipe stat! Yum!
Haha you do! These cupcakes were amazing- definitely worth seeking out a girl scout for 😉
These sound fan-freakin-tastic! I can’t get over how moist and fluffy the cupcakes look! I just wanna reach through the screen and grab one!
Thank you so much Meriem! I enjoyed them so much. They really were fan-freakin’-tastic! 😀
1-whaaaa what is with all the name changing?? First they’re tagalongs. Then, when I was young, Peanut Butter Patties. Then back to Tagalongs. and NOW they’re changing them back again??? Sheesh.
2-Tagalongs or whatever they’re called are my fave
3-That gif is adorable and all of your photos are mouthwatering!!
4-I WANT AND NEED THESE CUPCAKES! Pinning!
Thank you so much Kayle! I don’t know why they need to keep changing the names- but I’m just glad they’re not changing the recipe because they seriously ROCK!