Girl Scout-type Samoas Bars

As I was hunting down recipes for bars (see the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars recipe from yesterday), I came across a recipe from Baking Bites for Homemade Samoas Girl Scout Cookies - in a bar! Even though I'm really a sucker for the Tagalongs, Samoas are the husband's absolute favorite. And in light of the recent Girl Scout Cookie recall down South, there really isn't a better time to give this recipe a whirl! It's definitely a little more work than the typical bar, but I promise that it is WELL worth it...

Homemade Samoas Bars

 This recipe is divided into  main parts: the cookie base, the caramel/coconut topping, and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. 

  

Cookie Base - You'll Need:

 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

 Start by preheating the oven to 350F and line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper (or you can grease, but trust me, parchment works wonders for cutting these into bars).

Cream together butter and sugar until well mixed. Add in the egg and vanilla (homemade stuff is pictured here).

 

 Gradually add flour and salt - BB says that the mix should be like wet sand and does not need to "come together."

Transfer dough to your pan and press into a relatively smooth layer using your hands.

Bake in the preheated oven until the edges begin to brown, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.

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Topping - You'll Need:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12 oz chewy caramels (I used Werther's)
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10  to 15 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chips OK)

While your crust is baking, go ahead and get into those caramels. Naturally, this is my favorite part - it even beats out playing with chocolate. Once the crust is done, lower the temperature to 300.

Using a parchment-lined backing sheet, toast the coconut in the oven, stirring every five minutes or so until you get a nice, browned color. It took me about 30 minutes. When done, cool on the sheet (turning it once or twice) and leave it be. 

Put the unwrapped caramels in a microwaveable dish with the milk and salt. Heat for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir every minute or so. When it's ready, add in the coconut and mix well.

Drop the coconut mix by heaping spoonfuls around the top of the crust. Using a spatula or your hands (you might want to wet them), spread the coconut topping in an even layer and let sit. When completely cooled, cut into bars.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stopping every 45 seconds to stir. Dip the bottom of each of the bars in the chocolate and set on wax paper to cool. I had a hard time with this part as I kept losing parts of the crust in the chocolate. If this happens to you, just spread the chocolate on the base.

 

 Using the leftover chocolate (and probably adding a little more), transfer the chocolate to a ziploc bag with a corner cut off - or use a piping bag if you're fancy schmancy - and drizzle the bars with chocolate across the tops. Lick your fingers as needed.

Let the chocolate harden completely on the tops and bottoms before storing. These were AMAZING, even a week after baking and having been stored in Tupperware containers. The Ski Men raved about them - and only 2 of 30 bars came home!

 

This is definitely a "dress to impress" recipe - and is a serious contender for the most fun and rewarding baking (and spoon-licking) experience! I think I'm ready for Thin Mints now...