Over the Top Samoas

Today is National Chocolate Caramel Day! And in honor of this day, here’s a truly decadent recipe for homemade Girl Scout Samoas. The flavor and smell of cookies take me back to my childhood, when I myself sold and ate these wonderful sweet morsels! The best part about selling these was, that for every box I sold my dad would buy a box. Needless to say, the freezer in our garage was filled with cookies and I was in heaven! Now at my home, my husband and son LOVE Samoas! This is the time of year when we are continually stocking up on boxes of these scrumptious delights – you see, they don’t seem to last very long in the box! So I thought I’d try making this familiar and loveable cookie with a twist and surprise my family with what turned out to be an incredibly over the top creation!

For me, the twist was making this cookie as a bar, as even though I love baking cookies, I love baking bars even better! And to make this recipe a bit easier, I decided to use my favorite brownie bar pan so I wouldn’t have to cut through the gooey concoction in the end. These Samoas are sweet, delicious and will definitely satisfy your Girl Scout cookie craving!

Over the Top Samoas

Cookie Base:
½ cup Sugar
¾ cup butter, softened
1 large egg
½ teaspoon. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon. salt

Preheat oven to 350˚. Lightly grease a square brownie bar pan (mine has 12 cavities). In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low-speed, gradually beat in the flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. With a spoon, fill each bar cavity about ¼ full with the dough and press down gently. Bake for 15-20 mins, until the base is set and they are lightly browned. Do not over cook, as they will become very hard. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to completely cool on wire rack.

Note: This recipe will yield 12-24 cookie bases depending on how thick you want your bars. I went all out here and made them as big as possible knowing my family would LOVE them!

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut
12 oz chewy caramels, unwrapped
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 package chocolate chips (your choice, I used milk chocolate as it’s my sons favorite, but you can use dark or semi sweet chocolate too).

Preheat the oven to 300˚. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (with sides). Toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

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

To assemble your Samoas:
Scoop out approximately 1 tablespoon of the caramel coated coconut and top each cookie base. (here you can use a small spatula or your hands—but be careful as this stuff is hot). Gently press topping onto base. Repeat until all bases are topped. Let topping set until cooled.

Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat on 50% power for 30-second intervals, and stirring in-between to ensure you do not burn the chocolate. When chocolate is melted and smooth remove from microwave. Dip the bottom of each of the bars into the chocolate and immediately place on a piece of parchment or wax paper. With a spoon, drizzle remaining chocolate over bars. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

These Over the Top Samoas are a great treat to share with your friends and family — that is if they make it out of the house!

Happy National Chocolate Caramel Day!