Thursday, June 20, 2013

 Samoas Cookies

Have you ever seen a cookie recipe that you fall in love with before even trying?  That’s what happened with these cookies.  I had no idea they were actually an inspired version/re-creation of the famous Girl Guide cookies (although they look slightly different than photos I looked at but I imagine they taste the same).   They have a lot of my favorite ingredients-a buttery shortbread base with a chewy caramel coconut topping and a chocolate drizzle.  They are simply delightful, especially with a big glass of milk!

Notes:  Admittedly, these cookies take quite a bit of work-take your time & don’t rush things.  If you are having a hard time with the dough being a little on the sticky side, don't worry.  I ended up refrigerating mine for about 30 minutes and added a little extra flour while rolling.   Also, if you prefer the bottom of the cookies to be coated, increase the chocolate to 8 ounces. Hope these hints are helpful! Enjoy :)

Samoas Cookies

Makes 2 ½-3 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Up to 2 tablespoons milk

For the topping:

3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

12 ounces chewy caramels

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

2-3 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-low speed. Mix in the flour, baking powder & salt until incorporated. Add in the vanilla & milk (add just enough milk to make the dough come together without it being sticky.  The dough should come together in a soft, pliable ball. Add flour if the dough is sticky.

Separate the dough into 2 or 3 pieces. Place 1 piece of the dough in-between pieces of parchment paper and roll into ¼ inch thickness and use a 3 ½ inch cookie cutter (alternatively, if you want a smaller cookie, use a 1 ½ inch cookie cutter and use a large round piping tip for the holes) to make the rounds, place on parchment paper.  Make a hole in the centre (1 ½ inch). Reroll & repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly golden brown around the edges. Cool for a few minutes and transfer them to a wire rack once cooled.

For the topping:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes-spreading every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch careful as it toasts quickly once golden!

Cool on a baking sheet, stirring occasionally and set aside.

In a small saucepot, place the caramels, milk and salt over medium-high heat. Stir frequently until smooth (alternatively, you could use a microwave for this). When smooth, fold in the coconut with a spatula. Spread 2-3 teaspoons of the topping on the cookies. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Melt the chocolate by placing in a small saucepot (or again, use a microwave) until smooth. Place in a piping bag (or a ziplock with the corner snipped off) and drizzle the cookies with chocolate.

Allow the cookies to set completely before placing in an airtight container (the cookies will set faster if you place them in the fridge for an hour!)

Source: slightly adapted from Sweetcakes Bakeshop, originally from Baking Bites