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Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Do-si-dos

homemade do-si-sos, or peanut butter sandwich cookies

The other day, I expressed some concern over the fact that (a) Girl Scout cookies still have trans fats in them because they are made with hydrogenated shortening instead of, say, butter and (b) Girl Scout cookies don’t taste all that great any more – especially considering that the price per box has gone up and the size of the cookies seems to have gone down. I mentioned that I wanted to make my own Girl Scout Cookies and decided that I would go for it! This week, I’ll be featuring recipes for three of my favorites – these, Samoas and Tagalongs – and (if you’re lucky) I might throw in a bonus recipe, as well, though you can find a Thin Mint recipe in the archives if you want even more.

This is a recipe that comes from Best of the Best Vol. 8, a Food & Wine cookbook that I stumbled upon on an ultra-clearance table at some bookstore a while back. I doubt that the book cost more than a box of Girl Scout cookies (hurray for sale pricing!) and this recipe alone is more than worth it. It’s from Thomas Keller, a cookie recipe that is used at his Yountville, CA bistro, Bouchon. I’ve made them in the past and they’ve always come out to be very large and a bit chewy, but the overall idea is the same as the peanut butter sandwich Girl Scout cookie, so I figured it wouldn’t need too much tweaking.

The overall result from this recipe is a cookie that looks a heck of a lot like the Do-Si-Do, but tastes much, much better. The cookies are crisp and ultra-tender, the kind of cookie that crumbles into your mouth immediately when you bite into it. There is no misprint in the amount of leavening given in the recipe below; the baking soda and baking powder help to create this texture. The filling is very creamy with a sweet peanut butter flavor. The main differences between these and the GS cookies are that the cookies themselves are more delicate and the filling is softer. They are dangerously addictive if you like peanut butter and, to give fair warning, you may never go back to the GS version no matter how cute those kids look when they’re pitching them.

I made little holes in half of the cookies to get the same overall look as the GS cookies. Use a straw or the tip of a knife to carve a little hole when the cookies are hot from the oven, that way they’ll set up with the hole in place.

peanut butter sandwich cookies, side view

Homemade Do-si-dos a.k.a. Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Cookies
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant or regular)

 

Filling
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.
Start with the cookies. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and peanut butter. Beat in the sugars until fluffy, then add in the eggs one at a time, waiting until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in vanilla extract.
Working at a low speed, mix in the flour, followed by the oats (if you don’t have quick-cooking, pulse whole rolled oats in the food processor to chop them up a bit).
On a parchment-lined baking sheet, drop teaspoonfuls of batter (roughly 3/4-in. sized balls), leaving about 2 inches between each to allow for spread.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until cookies are a light golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, making small holes in 1/2 of the cookies (for the tops of the sandwiches) before they set up. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cookies have cooled, make the filling.
In a large bowl, cream together smooth peanut butter, butter and confectioners’ sugar until very smooth. Spread 2-3 tsp onto half of the finished cookies and sandwich with the remaining halves. If you chose to make yours with GS-lookalike holes in some of the cookies, use these as the tops of the sandwiches.
Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 48 sandwich cookies.

Note: Use unsalted butter with this recipe, as different brands of peanut butter can vary hugely in salt content and it’s possible you’ll end up with a too-salty cookie with the salted butter, salted peanut butter and added salt. If you must use salted butter and are using brand of peanut butter that seems a bit salty, you can always reduce or eliminate the added salt. Personally, I like the salty sweet combination with peanut butter, but it’s only fair for me to give a little warning just in case!

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82 Comments
  • bridgit mendler
    April 12, 2010

    Mmm…I love Do-Si-Dos! Thanks for the recipe!

  • adelinaitaly
    April 13, 2010

    What’s up

    This is my first post here.. Hello to everyone!

    Arrivederci

  • preamesherm
    April 14, 2010

    HI! im a newb here and think this forum is intresting. I am going to contribute here and hopefully stick around! just though id say hello.

    Thanks Alot.

  • Liainecrica
    April 25, 2010

    Hi im new on here. I find this board extremely helpful & it has helped me out a lot. i should be able to help out & help other ppl like its helped me.

    Thank You, See you about.

  • DrandaJonee
    April 26, 2010

    Hey City Folk
    I have a weekend off and am feeling romantic..
    Tahiti was our first choice,!

    Off to start my vacation.

    L8r.

  • Liainecrica
    April 26, 2010

    Hey i am new here. I found this forum very helpful and it has helped me allot. i hope to be able to give something back and help other people like its helped me.

    Thxs, See ya around.

  • short 34 scale
    April 29, 2010

    yow, that is wrong in so many ways, because I can’t resist them…

  • kathy
    January 22, 2011

    I’m sure if or why GS are bake by different bakeries. I drive a truck and have been hauling GS cookies for 6 yrs. We actually have 28 pallets of Do-Si-Dos going to CA right now. Little Brownies Bakery is part of Interbake. We use to haul them out of VA but now we haul them from SD to all over the U.S.. We have delivered cookies as early as Nov which might explain the freshness. Also Walmart brand cookies are the same cookies. Aka thin mints and tagalongs

  • Margie
    March 12, 2011

    I bought 10 boxes of cookies this year. But, I am going to make these. Supported my community.

  • joany
    March 6, 2012

    Too much baking powder. I made these as is and they were bitter!

  • Katie
    March 15, 2012

    These cookies are delicious!! I haven’t even filled them yet. The cookies themselves are so perfect – I followed the recipe to the T so those who are complaining that they aren’t good must have done something wrong. This may be my new peanut butter cookie recipe.

  • Michelle
    March 18, 2012

    Just made these. They are awesome! Not bitter at all.

  • gwen
    March 19, 2012

    this is horible trying to recreate girl scout cookies the cookies sales is what keeps gs going finnacnialy -gwen/girlscout junior

  • Joey
    March 27, 2012

    Gwen, you really don’t have a clue, do you? There are other ways to donate to GS, it’s not all about the cookies. And, considering how much of the cookie money DOESN’T go to the GS, you really can’t say that the cookies are what is keeping the GS going.

    Also, take a look at what is said in the blog. The cookies are not good for you, considering what is in them. These are healthier alternatives.

    But, don’t worry, there are PLENTY of people out there that will buy the cookies, because they don’t want to take the time to make these themselves. You have nothing to worry about. People will continue to purchase the over-priced cookies.

  • Jennifer
    March 29, 2012

    All I can say is ICK. I was so excited to try the recipe and followed everything exactly. My gut told me that was waaaay too much baking powder and soda. They look wonderful, but as previous poster said, they are bitter. My husband will be so disappointed.

    I’ll tweak the recipe and write in when I find the right balance.

  • Kelsey
    May 23, 2012

    I used half the amount of baking soda and baking powder and they turned out great!

  • Fran
    September 2, 2012

    I agree, too much baking soda & powder. I’m thinking it should have been 2 teaspoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking soda instead of TABLESPOONS. I used a small cookie/ice cream scoop and made uniform cookies. Definetly gonna try them again using the teaspoon measures.

  • Jessica
    February 11, 2013

    I followed these instructions exactly as they are written, and the cookies came out perfectly. I can’t wait for my boyfriend to get home to try them. I used the amount of baking soda/powder that the recipe called for, and my cookies are not bitter at all. Thanks for providing a home-made alternative to my favorite GS cookie!

  • gail
    March 19, 2013

    I was wondering if you can use self-rising flour instead of plain, Has anyone tried this? thanks

  • gail
    March 28, 2013

    They are great, but to me alittle thin

  • grumpycakes
    April 16, 2013

    I ended up making these today, and like some of the others they were way too bitter. The batter itself was delicious, but once baked they were not edible. I followed it perfectly but it just wasn’t doing it for me. Definitely going to try changing the baking powder/soda into teaspoons instead of tablespoons next time.

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