Homemade Samoas Bars
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
First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. 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 prepared 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)
14-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 1/2 T milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet and toast, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Unwrap the caramels and melt with milk and salt either in a sauce pan over low heat or in the microwave. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Spread 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 or saucepan stirring often to avoid scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on 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.
Tips:
Next time I’d like to try spreading the cookie base in one 9x13 as well as an 8x8 pan. I thought the cookie base was too thick in just the 9x13 pan.
If I spread the cookie base onto another pan then I’d just use the whole bag of toasted coconut and add a handful more of caramels and maybe a ½ tsp. more of milk.
I used about a full bag of chocolate chips and had quite a bit as leftover. So I’d still just use a full bag since I’ll be making more of everything else…it will even the chocolate out.
The blogger who wrote the above instructions said greasing your hands to spread the caramel/coconut mixture was the only way to go…I didn’t have a problem at all with spreading the mixture with my spatula. So that’s a step that’s not needed.
I'd like to see if they freeze well for the future.
Tips:
Next time I’d like to try spreading the cookie base in one 9x13 as well as an 8x8 pan. I thought the cookie base was too thick in just the 9x13 pan.
If I spread the cookie base onto another pan then I’d just use the whole bag of toasted coconut and add a handful more of caramels and maybe a ½ tsp. more of milk.
I used about a full bag of chocolate chips and had quite a bit as leftover. So I’d still just use a full bag since I’ll be making more of everything else…it will even the chocolate out.
The blogger who wrote the above instructions said greasing your hands to spread the caramel/coconut mixture was the only way to go…I didn’t have a problem at all with spreading the mixture with my spatula. So that’s a step that’s not needed.
I'd like to see if they freeze well for the future.
I CAN'T WAIT! I wait until March every year! I am trying these asap!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go out on a limb here and guess yours were 10X better than the Girl Scout brand. Not that theirs are bad, just that yours are better.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard about making your own Thin Mints? Very simple. Just melt mint chocolate chips, add a teaspoon or so of oil and dip Ritz crackers in the warm chocolate mixture. Delish (or so I'm told). Very easy to make with children helping....