Despite my best efforts to avoid the evil Girl Scout army this year, I ended up with a couple boxes of Tagalongs hanging out in the pantry anyway. I hadn’t opened them yet because… well, I know what happens when I open a box of Girl Scout cookies.

Those “servings” on the side of the box? Lies.

So I was left with a problem to solve: how do I open the box of cookies without immediately inhaling all of the contents and collapsing into a pile of self-loathing on the floor?

My solution? Chop up all the cookies and divide them between another bite-sized treat… Thus, the mini Tagalong cheesecake was born. In the end, you really just end up eating a bunch of delicious cheesecake bites filled with Girl Scout cookies. Sigh, it’s the thought that counts.

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Mini Tagalong Cheesecakes

Ingredients

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 cup peanut butter (not “all natural”, I use Jif)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 box Tagalongs, coarsely chopped** (or 1.5 cups mix-ins of your choice)
• 21 whole Tagalongs* (see note below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees and line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner* (see note below)
2. In a small bowl, gently beat eggs with vanilla extract, set aside.
3. In a large bowl or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed. Add peanut butter and continue beating until incorporated.
4. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until combined, scrape down sides of the bowl.
5. Drizzle in egg mixture, a bit at a time, beating until incorporated. Add sour cream and beat until combined.
6. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and stir in chopped cookies by hand.
7. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake about 22 minutes, or until filling is set. Outsides should be stiff but it’s ok if the centers jiggle a little when you tap the pan.
8. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight.
9. Serve with whipped cream, drizzled chocolate, and additional chopped cookies.

Notes: