Homemade Samoas Bars

By á-2700

These chewy coconut, chocolate, and caramel Samoas bars inspired by the legendary Girl Scout cookies will make you the most popular person around.

Ingredients

• COOKIE BASE:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• TOPPING:
• 3 cups coconut, shredded
• 12 ounces good quality chewy caramels
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 10 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Details

Servings 30
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 70mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. 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 prepared pan and press into an even layer.

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

Lower oven to 300°F. 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 to 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.

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.