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:

Cranberry/Coconut Cookies

Don't you just love the combo of coconut/cranberries
& walnuts...I do..so when I wanted a recipe for cookies
that had all that I tweaked some that I found to become
one of the most delicious cookies I make.

I also have been sticking to "using up what I have"
before buying more...So I needed to use up some
coconut, rolled oats, walnuts & I added my craving
to come up with these "Cranberry/Coconut Cookie
Charmers"

I knew what I wanted but could not find one recipe..
but found a few and created my own...which turned
out to better than I could have hoped for...

Today I brought some over to a friend that I visit
each month, (who's a fantastic cook herself by the
way) & soon after she called telling me how much
she loved them & wanting the recipe to make them
for Young Women in our ward tonite...so I thought
I'd better have it on the blog for any of the girls (or
their moms) who might like to try it out. They are
really "delish"...as Rachael Ray would say...

RECIPE
3/4 c. Crisco (R) Butter Shortening
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. Br. sugar
2 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c. coconut
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375F. Coat baking sheet with
non-stick cooking spray or use a "Silpat Liner"
(one of my favorite kitchen items)

BEAT shortening, sugar & Br. sugar on medium
speed of electric mixer until blended. Beat in
eggs & vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda &
salt in small bowl. Beat into shortening mixture
until smooth. Stir in oats, coconut, dried
cranberries, & walnuts. As in Photo Below:



Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (I love to
use a Lg. Cookie Scoop..another Favorite
Kitchen Item) because it keeps cookies
round & the same size...

Bake: 10-12 min. or until light brown. Cool
for 2 min & enjoy!!

HOMEMADE ALMOND JOY BARS

Wow.....These are great!...These taste like
the wonderful Almond Joy Bars we had when
we were kids....They still have those....They were
my mother's favorite.....

The roasted almonds are out of this world mixed
with the sweet coconut, chocolate, and graham cracker
crust...Wow...It's a great dessert. The recipe
comes from Better Homes & Gardens magazine...

******I did a couple of things that you should not do.
I used a smaller size pan (7x11x2) because that's all
I had available....I found that it made the top layer
of chocolate so thick I had a harder time cutting them.


RECIPE
2 c. graham crackers
1 1/2 c. whole almonds
1/3 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. butter, melted
1 14oz. pkg. flaked coconut
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
18 oz. dark chocolate pieces, melted


The photo above shows the whole almonds before
they go into the oven to roast...
*********To roast nuts spread them in a
single layer in a shallow pan. Bake in a
pre-heated 350F. oven for 5-10 min. or
until nuts are slightly golden brown, stirring
once or twice.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place graham crackers
crumbs, 1/2 c. of the almonds, & brown
sugar in a food processor or blender. Cover
& process until almonds are finely chopped.
Add butter, cover & pulse 4 or 5 times or
until mixture is well combined. Press crumb
mixture into bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2 inch
baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 12 min.
Cool on wire rack.


2. Combined coconut and sweetened condensed
milk in a medium bowl. Spread mixture evenly
over crusted crust. Sprinkle remaining almonds
evenly over coconut layer. Bake 10 min.

****To melt chocolate pieces, place into a
micro-safe bowl. Microwave @ 50% power
(medium) about 3 min. or until chocolate
is melted & smooth stirring once or twice...

3. Spread melted chocolate evenly over top of baked
mixture . Cool completely in pan on wire rack or chill
in refrigerator until the chocolate is set. Cut into bars.
Enjoy.........

To store: Place bars in a single layer (in an airtight
container); cover. Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze
for up to 3 months. Let stand 30 min. before serving.