Homemade Samoa Cookies
Samoas or Caramel Delites, whatever you want to call them, are my favorite Girl Scout cookies, ever! When I stumbled across the recipe a couple of years ago, I knew I’d found a winner–and I have to admit, I love these even more than the “real deal”! There are quite a few steps in this recipe, but don’t let that scare you off–they’re actually quite fun to make, and believe me, well worth the effort! Now if only I could figure out how to make my own peanut butter patties!
**Also note that we are starting our Chillin’ for the Holidays series which includes holiday cookies all week long this week, a Show Us Your Cookies Photo Contest and RSVP for the Once A Month Mom “Show Us Your Cookies” Virtual Christmas Party!
Homemade Samoa Cookies
Author/Source:
Jimmie @ Onceamonthmom.com, Adapted from www.bakingbites.com
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Up to 5 tbsp milk
- 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 12 oz chewy caramels (unwrapped)
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla up to 2 tbsp milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough hold together without being sticky. Roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use the end of a wide straw to cut a small center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. (You can skip this step if you don’t mind your cookies not having a hole in the center.) Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decrease oven heat to 300°F. Spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Place the caramels in a large microwave-safe bowl with 3 tbsp milk and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, stir in toasted coconut. Spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie.
While topping sets and cools, 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 cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a quart-size freezer bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
Freezing Directions:
Cool completely, then transfer into freezer bags. Label and freeze. To serve, thaw at room temperature.
Servings: Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies
This Post will be linked at:
- Weekend Wander at While He Was Napping
- Whatcha Got Weekend at Lolly Jane Boutique
I can not wait to make these. Samoas are my all time favoriye cookie. This has seriously made my day.
These look great. I love Caramel Delights (as they were called when I sold GSC). Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for posting!
Support your local girls and Girl Scouts. Only make these when you cant buy the real deal! “smiley face”