Tad’s Samoa Cookies

I am not a great fan of Girl Scout Cookies but, if I have to pick a favorite, it is the Samoas. My friend, Nadine, sent me the link to a Samoa recipe at Chef in Training. This is what I came up with after tweaking it to my taste. It is a complicated cookie so not one you can just whip on up on Thursday night before your shift at work. But for a special occasion when you want to show off, it is great.

Adapted from:

Chef in Training

Yield:

24

Ingredients:

2¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
3.4 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix, dry
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
11 ounces Kraft Caramels *
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups toasted coconut **

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. Stir together flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.

4. Add pudding. Beat until well blended.

5. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until well blended.

6. Slowly stir in flour mixture until well incorporated.

7. Scoop into 2 tablespoon balls and press down to flatten. *** Place on prepared baking sheets.

8. Bake 10-12 minutes until edges and bottoms are starting to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on rack.

9. Microwave 2 cups of chocolate chips on high in 30-second increments, stirring between each increment until chocolate is smooth and melted.

10. Spread a small amount of chocolate on the bottom of each cookie, just enough to cover. Place chocolate side down on wax paper until chocolate has hardened.

11. Microwave caramels and water for about 45 seconds. Stir until smooth and well combined. Stir in coconut extract.

12. Stir in toasted coconut.

13. Spread caramel mixture evenly over the cookies. Press down gently.

14. Microwave ½ cup chocolate chips until just melted. Stir until smooth. Place in small Ziploc bag. Use scissors to cut small piece off corner of bag. Pipe chocolate over cookies.

Notes:

* I prefer Peter’s caramel. I buy it in a block at Cash & Carry.

** To toast coconut: Spread coconut out on baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant.

*** Butter bottom of a glass. Dip into small bowl of sugar. Press gently down on dough ball to flatten. Dip again into sugar before flattening the next cookie.