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Friday, March 19, 2010

Homemade Samoa Girl Scout Cookies

Oh my Gosh..Oh my Gosh..Oh my Gosh..
Wow!!! These are so good you'll think your dreaming.

Since this is March & Girl Scout Cookie Month..
I thought I would bring you the BEST "HOMEMADE"
version for these cookies I could find. And I
think I may have found it.

I also will be doing a homemade version of
Thin Mints, & Tagalongs (Shortbread, Peanut
Butter & Chocolate in a few days)....
so keep checking back with us!!!

If you Love the Girl Scout Samoas (a.k.a. caramel
delights) like I do....then you are going to want to try
these out for sure. I found this on Baking Bites from
a few years ago.

This version has a buttery shortbread cookie base,
Coconut/Caramel topping (I used Werther's Chewy
Caramels because that is all the store had..but I found
that they have the best flavor..using real butter &
cream) topped off by the perfect balance of
chocolate on the bottom & drizzle on the top
making it The Best Cookie ever! I knew I had
to hurry up & try these out so I could share
them with all of you. These take some time
but are well worth the LOVE & EFFORT!!
Hope you all Enjoy!!!!
*** If you would like to try a similar recipe but
less time consuming try my Samoa Bars
click here.

RECIPE
(shortbread cookie dough) or you could buy
3 dozen shortbread cookies from the store to
save time & not make the base of the cookie
from scratch...
1 c. butter, soft
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Do not use unless to dry (up to 2 Tbsp. milk)
I did not need to use any!

(Coconut/Caramel Topping)
3 c. shredded coconut
12oz. good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. milk

(Chocolate drizzle/bottom)
8 oz. semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat oven t0 350F. Bake for 11-13 min.
(keep watch..ovens vary..mine went 13)

1) In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter
& sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder & salt at a low
speed, followed by the vanilla. Milk is optional only
to make the dough stick together Add flour if your
dough is too sticky. The dough should come together
into a soft, not-to-sticky ball. SEE BELOW:

2) Roll the dough (working in 2 or 3 batches) out
between 2 pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch
thickness & use a 1 1/2"cookie cutter to make rounds.
NOTE: you may have trouble taking the
excess dough around the cookie shape
because it is so soft..See picture below
where I use a small turner which worked
beautifully & save excess and roll out to
make more cookies. SEE BELOW:


3) It was easier for me to flip the (turner with cookie)
on to my hand & then flip it over on to the cookie sheet
because the dough is so soft & buttery. SEE BELOW:
TIP: I also used a straw to make the hole in the middle
of the cookie...However..if you look at the next picture
after they have cooked, the hole seems to have filled
up because the "spread" of the cookie as it baked.
SEE BELOW:
4) So, I used a straw AFTERWARDS (When they
came out of the oven and were still warm & it
worked out great!) Set aside to cool completely.
SEE BELOW:
TOPPING
Pre-heat oven to 300F.
1) Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined
baking sheet (preferably one with sides) & toast
20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut
is golden brown. Cool on baking sheet...set aside.

2) Unwrap the caramels & place in a lg. micro-safe bowl
with milk & salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping
to stir a few times to help caramel melt. SEE BELOW:
3) When Smooth & creamy fold in toasted coconut
with a spatula. SEE BELOW:

TIP: Below are "offset" spatulas which are the
BEST Kitchen Tool for Spreading anything I think.
SEE BELOW:
4) Using an offset spatula, spread topping on cooled
cookies, using about 2-3 tsp. per cookie. Reheat
caramel for a few seconds in the microwave
if it gets too firm to work with(it did for
me many times)SEE BELOW:
5) While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small
bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 sec.
intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching.
Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate &
place on a clean piece of parchment paper or
(I used) wax paper & spread the chocolate on
each bottom with an offset spatula (that was a lot
easier & to speed up the cooling process of the
chocolate, I put in the freezer til set. SEE BELOW:
6) To finish..Transfer all remaining chocolate
(or melt a little additional chocolate, if necessary)
into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner
snipped off & drizzle finished cookies with chocolate
in a back & forth motion for desired effect. Your Done!!
SEE BELOW:

53 comments:

  1. These were absolutely AMAZING! When Steve handed them to me I totally thought he had gone out and bought some Girl Scout cookies! Thanks so much for thinking of us and thanks for the magazines, those are so fun to look through.

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  2. WOAH! These cookies are better than the regular girl scout cookies...and bigger too! :) I recently was able to try these delectable cookies and boy oh boy I almost ate them all!! :)

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  3. Thanks for finding me on FF. I'm looking forward to following along on your adventures....now...I don't know whether to thank you, or blame you for sharing this recipe. I live for Samoas...I can't wait to try this out, and check back in with the results!!

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  4. These look Yummy!!! I am following you Back :)

    When ever you get your etsy store up if you ever want to be featured on Deal Wise Mommy (www.dealwisemommy.net) please email me (dealwisemommy@gmail.com)

    Anne

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  5. I HAVE to try these!!! They look SOOO good! Thanks for linking up!

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  6. Oh, how yummmy!
    These are my favorite kind!

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  7. Wow, THose look just like the real thing. You are making my mouth water! Found you from Tip Junkie. Yum!

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  8. Oh my. My hips really didn't need to find this recipe.

    Love your blog!

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  9. Mmmm, those look dee-lish!! :)

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  10. definetly will try these I love the somoas

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  11. These look totally amazing. I have one of these recipes that I have never made. I think you just pushed me over the edge - so yummy.

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  12. I've never tried making them - those look incredible!
    Mickey

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  13. Oh my goodness. These are my favorite Girl Scout cookies! Thanks for the recipe and linking to TMTT.

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  14. My girls and I love Samoas! Thanks for the recipe:) Cool blog too:)

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  15. These are my favorite cookies. I've marked you as a favorite so that I can come back and look around. Can't wait to try the cookies!
    Blessings...Sherry

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  16. stopping in from kimba's DIY Day and i actually might be sorry i did. samoa's are my favorite cookie OF ALL TIME.
    i am going to pretend i didn't see this recipe because it could be dangerous for the size of my butt...... ;)

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  17. You have NO idea how much I love Samoas! However, I just checked out your Samoa bars, and I am going to the grocery store tomorrow to buy the ingredients! Call me lazy, but I think I can handle that one! Thanks for sharing the recipes!

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  18. These look amazing!! I love samoa girl scout cookies!! I am gonna have to try these out really soon!! Thanks for sharing!
    -Amy
    www.thebutcherthebakerthecraftmaker.blogspot.com

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  19. ARE YOU SERIOUS?? My husband LOVES these cookies (I do too) and he is gonna be thrilled when I make them!

    Thank you for linking this up as well!

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  20. OMG! These are evil and wrong and I can not wait to try them at home.

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  21. Mmmm those are making my mouth water, Samoas are my favorites.

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  22. These look better than the real thing. I don't like coconut, but they always looks so good so I suffer through it. Can't wait to see the ThinMint ones!! :)

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  23. Yum! These are my favorite kind! Can't wait to try them out! Wish I had a couple now!!

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  24. I love cookies and these look delicious.

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  25. Hey, I'm stopping by from Friday Follow! These look yummy! Can't wait to try them! Hope you have a great weekend!

    Melissa
    http://couponhuntermom.blogspot.com/

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  26. I'm a total foodie and love to cook! I'm not very good at cookies. But these could inspire me to try! They look amazing!

    I'm here from FF. Thanks for visiting me!!

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  27. YUMMY!!!

    I’m another new follower! Feel free to check out my blog as well! http://heavenlysavings.blogspot.com
    Happy Friday Follow! Hope to Blog with you again soon!

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  28. Following you from FMF. Hope you'll come follow me back! :)

    http://tweepoppets.blogspot.com


    These look SO delicious! I may just have to try making them!

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  29. Oh my word. Those look beyond delicious and waaaaay better than Girl Scout Cookies! Drat that I have zero caramel on hand.

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  30. Oh, goodness those look delicious. Thanks!!

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  31. These look delicious and look just like the real thing. I ate so many Girl Scout cookies this year I can't believe it!

    I'll be back on Monday to link up to your party!

    Thanks for linking up to Make it Yours day!

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  32. These are my favorite Girl Scout cookies! I can't wait to try this recipe!!!

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  33. Oh yummy! I can send you my address to send me some!!! LOL

    Thanks for joining Get Your Craft on Thursday! Please join me this week for another great party!
    Sorry, it's taken me a while to come and visit, but i was out last week!

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  34. These are my favorite cookies. What a good recipe. Thanks for sharing at 'Look at me, I'm SO Crafty!' at Fun to Craft!!

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  35. You've certainly managed to find my weak spot. Thank you for linking to the boardwalk Bragfest where we love everything fattening! :)

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  36. Oh my, these look yummy too! I will have to hold myself back from making these - Thanks for linking these up as well to Be Inspired today!

    Chelsea

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  37. YUMMO! These are the best cookies on the planet...every time I see a girl scout booth, I buy a box of these! I am so happy I can now make them whenever I want!! Yah! Thanks for linking up to Mad Skills Monday!!

    Blessings,
    Ginger
    SSB

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  38. Stopped by from BCD for the thin mint recipe and saw this gem. Question: I can just see myself dropping the caramel frosted cookie into the chocolate when doing the bottoms. Would it work ok to do the bottoms first, then the caramel layer? Since you're the expert, please advise.
    Thanks SOOOO much for sharing!!

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  39. Wow! Can we say FABULOUS:) I made brownie cookies this afternoon for the girls-they didn't look as good as these though! YUM:) Happy Friday!

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  40. Oh my. Samoas are my very favorite Girl Scout cookie. Can't wait to try these, they look fabulous!!

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  41. Ugh - I love Samoas - you are going to make me fat and I need someone to blame it on so you're it! LOL! Thanks so much for planting your creative seed at Plant a Punkin Seed Party! Come plant again this Friday!

    Kristi
    Punkin Seed Productions

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  42. Ok - I couldn't get fat alone - you've been featured! Come grab your button and wear it with pride!

    Kristi
    Punkin Seed Productions

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  43. I am gaining weight just looking at your posts!

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  44. I had to stop by and tell you I tried these out, and added a few more calories to my version. I linked to your site today in honor of this little trail you shared. My hips will never forgive you, but my tastebuds love your site. :O)

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  45. Wow these are a work of art - they look gorgeous and yummy! Thanks again for joining the Sunday Showcase! ~Stephanie Lynn

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  46. Hi -I'm a new follower of you from FF.Please follow me back - thanks.
    http://laughingmonkeystick.blogspot.com/
    For every follower that joins I will be releasing a Unicorn back into the wilds of the New Jersey boardwalk. So please do your part by joining and saving these special creatures. Thanks
    Mr. Monkey

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  47. You have been featured at CraftOManiac Thanks so much. Jen

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  48. Yummo! Those look so good...and a whole lot like the girl scout version too! Thanks for linking these up with me:)

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  49. wow!!!!!!These were absolutely AMAZING!i like samosa.

    Send gifts to Pakistan From UK.

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