Ever since the girl scouts "made" me buy their cookies I have wanted to make some of my own, I mean don't you want more? I tried this recipe from My Sisters Kitchen and I really liked it. It's not exactly like the real kind but it's close.
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter, until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the flour and salt until the mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour the crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer, using your hands. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack before adding the topping.
Topping:
3 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels (will make melting easier)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
* Preheat oven to 300 degrees while the cookie base cools. Spread coconut evenly on baking sheet and toast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
* Unwrap caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a greased spatula. Put spoonfuls of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the greased spatula (this is important so everything spreads smoothly), spread the topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
* When cooled, cut into 30 or so bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter. Once the bars are cut, melt half of the 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. Melt more chocolate, little by little, if needed. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt more if you need to) into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with a tiny corner snipped off and the drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container. I recommend keeping them in the fridge. Makes roughly 30 bar cookies.
Note: You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if you’re looking for an easier way to finish these off. You won’t need quite as much chocolate as noted above, and you won’t quite get the Samoas look, but the results will still be tasty. If you noticed, I spread the chocolate over the shortbread base and then added the coconut. I would recommend dipping the bottom in the chocolate,as stated above, because the cookie base won't taste so thick, if that makes sense.
