Samoa Bars

Samoas/Caramel DeLites are my favorite Girl Scout cookie, tied with Thin Mints that is. When I saw this recipe on Baking Bites (quite a long time ago!), I was so excited and quickly bookmarked it. As usual, I took my time getting to this recipe but finally decided it was time. I thought these bar cookies were great! They really do taste like Samoas! I love the combination of the toasted coconut and caramel - I could eat that by itself!

Samoa Bars

Yield: 30 bar cookies

Ingredients:

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

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened), toasted
12 ounces good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
10 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are fine) (I needed about 2 ounces more for drizzling the bars)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

1. Make the crust: Lightly grease a 13 x 9-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. The dough does not need to come together.

2. 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. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

3. Make the topping: Place the unwrapped caramels in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3 - 4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

4. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.

5. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (I used a large pizza chopper) .

6. Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl by heating on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the bottom of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper.

7. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a sandwich/storage bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container. These bars also freeze well.

Note: For an easier finish, you can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing. You will not need as much chocolate as noted above, and you will not exactly get the Samoas look, but the results will still be delicious.

Source: Adapted from Baking Bites