When I was in middle school/high school, I ate many many things that were not good for me at all (like spoonfuls of condensed milk straight from the can yumm). One thing I overindulged in with delight was Caramel Delights (or Samoas). My best friend Kelsey used to sell them every year, and when that time came around, I always ordered multiple boxes. I only ever bought Caramel Delights and Thins Mints. This was all before I realized that they were loaded with trans fat and all bunch of stuff. But omg were they delicious. I used to finish a box over the course of a day, and I never shared unless I had multiple boxes. Yes, I was a very greedy girl, but some things are just not meant to be shared=)
I haven't ordered any boxes in a while, and I really missed them. So, I decided to make my own. I got the recipe from Baking Bites, and it's pretty easy, there's just a lot of waiting involved. The cookies are in bar form because I was too lazy to roll and cut everything out! Still delicious though, but I think they taste better the next day=)
So the first thing you have to do is make your shortbread base, mold it into a 10x13 pan, bake it and then let it cool.
Toast the coconut in the oven, stirring occasionally, until it gets very light brown
Unwrap a gajillion caramels (or make your own)
Heat it up in the microwave with a little bit of milk till it gets like this.
Mix the caramel with the coconut
Spread mixture evenly across the cooled shortbread.
Allow to cool, slice into 30 bars and dip in melted chocolate,
Place them on parchment paper to cool
Drizzle them with chocolate and then hide them from your roommates and eat them all for yourself :D Or share them with others...I guess >.>Homemade Samoas Bars
(from Baking Bites)
Cookie Base:
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
*The shortbread is pretty thick, so I would recommend omitting some of the dough from the pan so that you get a thinner cookie.
First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-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. 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.
Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined 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.
Unwrap the caramels and place 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.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, 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 bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Makes 30 bar cookies.
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