My love for Girl Scout Cookies is strong. I am hard pressed to declare a favorite, as I worship both Thin Mints and Samoas. The former are tempting for their crisp chocolatey-ness and refreshing mint (And, have you ever eaten one frozen?!?!?! Oh man, so good!!!). Samoas, on the other hand, are chewy and decadent. The cookie base is on the softer side and the caramel & coconut offer toasty richness; that they get dipped in & drizzled with chocolate puts them over the top.

Well, a few months back, my sister, Barbara, made a batch of Samoas Bars from a recipe she found online. However, she changed one thing . . . she used Cara-Sel instead of the wrapped caramels the recipe called for. Yeah, she's smart like that. They were a hit and soon there was an email thread going over all of the details--what worked, what didn't, even notes from each family member (R thought too sweet, L said too much chocolate).  This is a common occurrence between us sisters, by the way.

Fast forward four months (Why did it take me so long to make them?!?!?) and I gave them a try in my own kitchen. It was immediately plain that this would be the first batch of many.

Homemade Samoas Bars

- recipe adapted from Baking Bites -

Cookie base:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Working at low speed, gradually beat in the flour and salt until combined. The original recipe says the mixture will be crumbly, like wet sand. In my experience, however, it becomes a thick dough. Place dough in prepared pan and press into an even layer. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

If your dough is as soft as mine, use an offset spatula to spread it in an even layer.

Perfect light brown edges

Topping:

  • 3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened, unsweetened, or a combination)
  • 12 oz jar Cara-Sel caramel (approx 14oz by weight)
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips or ~2 1/2 oz chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tsp coconut oil (or any neutral oil, such as canola)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet, preferably one with sides. If you are using both types of coconut (I use half sweetened and half unsweetened), use two sheets, as they will toast at different rates. Toast for ~20 minutes, stirring every 5 or so, until coconut is light brown and fragrant. Cool on the baking sheet(s) and then transfer to a large bowl.

Zap Cara-Sel briefly in microwave on low power--you just want to loosen it. Pour caramel over toasted coconut in large bowl and fold together with a spatula.

This is what happens when you toast sweetened and unsweetened coconut in the same pan.

Note the evenly toasted coconut (sweetened and unsweetened toasted in separate pans)

Spread caramel & coconut over the cooled cookie base in the pan. I find an offset spatula works best for this. Let topping set until completely cooled. Once set, lift the bars out of the pan with your parchment paper "handles" and place them on a cutting board.

I use an offset spatula to spread the caramel & coconut mixture on the cookie base.

Try to get the mixture into a nice even layer.

Melt chocolate and oil until smooth. I microwave them in my glass Pyrex measuring cup, stopping to stir every 30 seconds or so to prevent scorching. With your chocolate ready, choose from one of the following decorating methods: 

Spoon: Use a spoon to drizzle melted chocolate over the entire (uncut) batch. The faster you move, the thinner the lines will be. Let chocolate set before cutting into squares.

Piping bag: Cut bars into squares and place them on wax paper with space between them. With a disposable piping bag or plastic freezer bag with a snipped corner, pipe warm chocolate over the bars. Let chocolate set before storing. 

 

piped chocolate (left) vs. drizzled chocolate (right)

Notes:

If you have leftover melted chocolate, you can make a big blob on parchment paper and let it set up. Once set, place it in a plastic bag and save it for another use.

  • The original recipe calls for more chocolate so that you can dip the bottoms of the bars, just like the Girl Scout cookie. I made my first batch both ways and the bars without the extra chocolate were the overwhelming favorites. I was both surprised (less chocolate is better?!?!?) and delighted (easier!!!).
  • These bars can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container without any decrease in quality. In fact, they seem to get better after a day or two.
  • In that same vein, you can separate the work over a few days: Toast the coconut whenever! Make the base one day and the topping the next! Super flexible!!!!

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