Samoas

It's girl scout cookie time!!  I knew as soon as I saw this recipe, I was going to have to give it a try.  We blessed our little boy yesterday and I made these to eat after.  Note to self, don't try to take a picture of your dessert when everyone is standing around waiting to eat.  Result, not a good picture of a very yummy treat.

Samoa Bars
from Baking Bites

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. (try not to do this with your 2 year old helping you, who also loves to count, making me forget how much flour I had put in)  The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. (mine needed the full 25 minutes)  Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels (I used 2 packages of Werthers chewy caramels)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (I ended up using 10 oz for just the bottom, then melting more the drizzle on top)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (I just sprayed the sheet) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden (mine took about 25 minutes). Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on 50% power for 1-2 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. (Next time I think I'll do this part on the stove, maybe it's my microwave, but it took a lot longer than 1-2 minutes to get my caramels to melt)  When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer (I kind of had to run my spatula under hot water to get some parts to spread). Let topping set until cooled. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).

Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.  Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.