Girl Scout Copycat Cookie Recipes

Of all the Girl Scout cookies, Thin Mints were my favorite. This vegan, gluten-free recipe, sans hydrogenated oil and whey is so much better!

Cookies
3 tablespoons Earth Balance natural shortening
1½ teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer in 1 tablespoon water
¼ cup brown sugar
pinch of baking soda
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup white rice flour
½ teaspoon peppermint oil
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Chocolate Coating
12 oz. semi-sweet nondairy chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Earth Balance natural shortening

Preheat over to 350F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine all cookie ingredients together. Form dough into a cylinder about 2 inches wide, wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and chill for about 30 minutes. Remove wrapper and place chilled dough on cutting board. Slice a very thin and place on large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat using all the dough.

Bake for 4-7 minutes, or until cookies have firmed and browned slightly around edges. Remove to a wire rack and cool.

Melt chocolate and shortening in a double boiler on medium heat, stirring until the chocolate is smooth and completely melted.

Place cookies into melted chocolate, completely cover and remove. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill until set. Makes about 30 cookies

Below is a recipe inspired by the Do-si-dos, Peanut Butter Sandwich Girl Scout Cookies. Here natural peanut butter is used, made only from peanuts! Conventional peanut butters contain sugar, hydrogenated oils and a long list of unnecessary ingredients. Other nut or seed butters may be used, like almond butter or sesame tahini, for delicious variations.

Cookies
2 ¼ cups white rice flour
2 cups oat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup Earth Balance natural shortening
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4½ teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer in 6 tablespoons water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups quick-cooking oats
¾ cup water
3 teaspoons xanthan gum

Cream Filling
1½ cups creamy peanut butter
½ cup Earth Balance natural shortening
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350oF. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum and set aside. In a small bowl beat the egg replacer with the water until foamy. Combine peanut butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl. Mix together with an electric mixer. Add brown and white sugars. Beat until light and fluffy. Add egg replacer and mix in the batter. Add vanilla extract. Slowly beat in flour mixture. Add quick cooking oats and mix until just combined. Drop cookie dough by the tablespoon on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, keeping cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes and then let cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Flatten the tops of cookies slightly with a spatula and let cool.

For cream filling, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Make little sandwiches with the filling. Makes about 48 sandwich cookies.

Based on the Girl Scouts’ Samoa or Coconut-deLites, these cookies are so much more delightful!

Cookies:
1/3 cup Earth Balance natural shortening
¾ cup sugar
2¼ cups white rice flour
1½ teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup applesauce
2 teaspoons flax meal in ¼ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel
1½ cups sugar (evaporated cane juice)
4 tablespoons corn syrup or agave nectar
6 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons Earth Balance natural shortening
6 tablespoons coconut milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Small glass of water

Chocolate Coating
12 oz. semi-sweet nondairy chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Earth Balance natural shortening

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum. Set aside. In a small bowl beat together flax seed and water. Add in applesauce and mix well. In a large bowl cream together shortening and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in flax/applesauce mixture and beat until smooth. Add in vanilla. With mixer on low, slowly add in flour mixture. Mix until completely incorporated and dough is uniform. Shape into a cylinder with a diameter of about 2 1/2 inches. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and freeze for at least 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350oF. Remove wrapping from chilled dough and place on a cutting board. Slice a circle about 1/8 inch thick and lay flat on the cutting board. Use a tiny circle shaped cookie cutter or a large round cake decorating tip to cut a hole in the center of the slice. With a spatula, carefully transfer the formed cookie dough to a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat, using up all the dough. Bake 6-8 minutes, until lightly brown around the edges. Remove immediately and cool on wire racks.

In a saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup or agave and water. Cook over low heat, stirring regularly with a whisk. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush the sugar crystals down the sides of the saucepan. Once the sugar is dissolved raise the heat to medium. Let the mixture come to a bowl, while whisking constantly until it turns to a deep amber color. Remove from heat and quickly drop a small amount of the mixture into the small glass of water. If the caramel becomes hard, then it is ready. If not, return the pan to cook on medium heat. Keep testing until the caramel is hard. Remove from heat.

Carefully whisk in shortening, coconut milk and vanilla, the mixture should bubble violently for about 10 seconds. If the caramel isn’t smooth, return the pan to low heat. Whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside.

When ready to dip cookies, melt chocolate and margarine in a double boiler and mix well. Place the cookies in the chocolate. Use a fork to pull them and place them back on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Let chill in freezer for about 30 minutes.

Add coconut to the caramel. If the caramel is too thick it may need to be warmed a little. Take cooled cookies and gently dip them completely in the caramel. Place them back on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until set, about 5 minutes.

Use the remaining melted chocolate to drizzle stripes over the top of the cookies. Refrigerate until set.

These cookies are just like Tagalongs, the Girl Scout Peanut Butter Patties, only better! These are made with only natural ingredients, without whey, gluten, hydrogenated oils or artificial ingredients.

Cookies
1/3 cup Earth Balance natural shortening
¾ cup sugar
2¼ cups white rice flour
1½ teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup applesauce
2 teaspoons flax meal in ¼ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Cream
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

Chocolate Coating
12 oz. semi-sweet nondairy chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Earth Balance natural shortening Earth Balance natural shortening

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum. Set aside. In a small bowl beat together flax seed and water. Add in applesauce and mix well. In a large bowl cream together shortening and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in flax/applesauce mixture and beat until smooth. Add in vanilla. With mixer on low, slowly add in flour mixture. Mix until completely incorporated and dough is uniform. Shape into a cylinder with a diameter of about 2 1/2 inches. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and freeze for at least 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350oF. Cut dough into 1/8 inch think slices and place on cookie sheet, about a half inch apart. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool.

Mix together peanut butter and powdered sugar to make a stiff dough. With hands, roll dough into small circles and press onto cookies.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Coat cookies completely in chocolate and lift them out with a fork. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cool in refrigerate or freezer to set.

This cookie recipe can be used as a base for so many different kinds of cookies. Just replace the ginger and lemon with other flavors and top with sprinkles, sugar, chopped nuts, powdered sugar, shredded coconut – use your imagination.

1/3 cup Earth Balance natural shortening
¾ cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
pinch ground ginger
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2¼ cups white rice flour
1½ teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup applesauce
2 teaspoons flax meal in ¼ cup water

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum. Set aside. In a small bowl beat together flax seed and water. Add in applesauce and mix well. In a large bowl cream together shortening and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in flax/applesauce mixture and beat until smooth. Add in vanilla. With mixer on low, slowly add in flour mixture. Mix until completely incorporated and dough is uniform.

For shaped cookies using a cookie cutter my method is a little different than the traditional one. Place the dough on a sheet of wax paper dusted with potato starch. Dust another sheet and place on top of dough. Use a rolling pin on top of the wax paper to roll dough out to about ¼ inch thick. Remove top sheet of wax paper. Use cookie cutters to cut dough. Move the cutters into the dough to insure cuts are clean. Carefully remove the remaining dough away from the cookies and set aside. With a spatula, gently and carefully remove one cookie at a time and place on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. Form a ball with remaining dough and repeat until all the dough is used up. The little bit of dough remaining that can not be rolled and cut can be molded into shapes by hand and placed on the cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 350oF. Bake cookies 6-8 minutes, until lightly brown around the edges. Remove immediately and cool on wire racks.