Samoa Bars
The flavors of the classic Girl Scout cookie in a convenient bar cookie, these Samoa Bars may just be even better than the cookies!
Ingredients
Cookie Base:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 12 ounces good quality chewy caramels
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons milk
Bottom and drizzle:
- 12 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 13 x 9-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 prepapred 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.
- While the cookie layer is baking, toast the coconut by placing in an even layer in a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until golden color is achieve. Transfer coconut to a plate and spread out to cool.
- Once the cookie base has cooled, make the topping by placing the unwrapped caramels in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3 - 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, a pizza cutter, or a pizza chopper.
- Once bars are cut, melt 10 ounces of the chocolate in a small bowl by heating on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the bottom of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper.
- Melt the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate and transfer into a piping bag or a sandwich/storage bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container. These bars also freeze well.
- Note: For an easier finish, you can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing rather than dipping the bottoms. You will only need 2 ounces of chocolate for the drizzle, and you will not exactly get the Samoas look, but the results will still be delicious.
