Looks Good: Tagalongs

Tagalong Girl Scout Cookie.

National Peanut Butter Day is January 24. I was catching up on the latest news regarding the peanut butter recall (sacrilege!) and found a list of specific products to avoid. Girl Scout Cookies--specifically Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos--are in the clear. Tagalongs (aka Peanut Butter Patties) are round cookies with a layer of peanut butter on top, and covered in chocolate. Do-Si-Dos (aka Peanut Butter Sandwiches) are round, bumpy perforated oatmeal cookies with a peanut butter-flavored layer in the middle.

The annual sale of Girl Scout Cookies began January 9 and runs through March. Can't find a scout in your hood? Major brands of jarred peanut butter appear to be safe from the salmonella outbreak, so make a batch of Tagalongs at home:

Ingredients

Cookie:
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk

Filling:
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (natural or regular)
3/4 cup Confectioners sugar
A generous pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
About 8-oz semisweet chocolate

Instructions at Bakingbites.com.

A new study launched by the Girl Scout Research Institute titled "The New Leadership Landscape: What Girls Say about Election 2008" found that as a result of the presidential election, and the intense campaign season that preceded it, girls in particular have not only gained an increased awareness of the barriers that face women, but also an improved sense of their own abilities and potential to overcome those obstacles. Read more about the study.