Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Samoa Bark

Samoa Bark

Who doesn't love at least one kind of Girl Scout cookie? I know everyone has their favorite, mine are the Samoa. I'm a caramel lover, so any time I see caramel in a recipe, I'm in.

I heard that the Girl Scouts changed the name to Caramel DeLites, but they will always be Samoas to me.

Since cookie time with the scouts only comes once I year, sometimes we have to make due and make a copycat recipe to hold us over through the rest of the year.

I found this recipe on Cookies & Cups.  I pretty much followed it as written, except I used parchment on the bottom and I spread my chocolate base out just a smidge less.

Samo Bark 1

I used Lorna Doone cookies. Man are they expensive! I couldn't believe they were almost $4 for a little box.

That particular cookie holds a special place in my heart. I always think of my Papa, my great-grandfather Bertie when I see Lorna Doones. He always had a package in the bottom drawer at his house. I remember lots of afternoons sitting and eating Lorna Doones with our afternoon tea.

You can use any kind of shortbread cookie you can find. I know Walker makes a great shortbread cookie too.

Samoa Bark
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (plus more for drizzle)
35- 40 shortbread cookies (I used Lorna Doone)
14oz  bag of caramels (I used the bits, no unwrapping!)
3 ups sweetened flaked coconut
1 tablespoons water

Line a baking pan with foil (I used parchment). Set aside.

Melt 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate. You can use a double boiler or the microwave. Spread the melted chocolate on the foil or parchment. I didn't go to the edge of the pan. I wanted it a bit thicker. Top the warm chocolate with shortbread cookies. Place sheet in the freezer while you prep the next stages.

In a non-stick skillet on medium-low, toast your coconut, stirring occasionally. This will take about 10 minutes. DON'T WALK AWAY FROM THE STOVE. You need to watch the coconut. It can go from browned to burn in seconds. Set aside.

Place your caramel and the water in a pan and heat over medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the caramel has melted. Immediately fold in your toasted coconut. Remove your chocolate from the freezer and spread it evenly over the tops. Melt a bit more chocolate and drizzle over the top. Place in freezer or fridge to set. Cut into bars and enjoy!

6 comments:

Regenia said...

I've been lurking for a bit, but when I see someone mention both Samoas and Caramel Delights, I'm forced to come out of hiding. These are actually two different cookies, and which is available depends on your troop. The local ones sale Caramel Delights- milk chocolate, but the scouts just an hour away sale Samoas- darker chocolate. Close, but still different. Samoas win, so we drive an hour to buy four boxes of girl scout cookies each year.

Dana @ Cooking At Cafe D said...

Looks delicious! Pinned it so I remember to try it :)

Becki's Whole Life said...

Samoa's are my absolute favorite GS cookie. It is crazy how expensive shortbread can be. My husband once got a tin of Walker's and didn't look at the price. It ended up costing 33 dollars...I told him to take it back:-).

These look wonderful - will repin Dana's pin!

Mary Bergfeld said...

I have never seen these bars before. I must say they look wonderful. This is my first visit to your site, so I took some time to browse through your earlier entries. I'm so glad I did that. You've created a great spot for your readers to visit and I really enjoyed the time I spent here. I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Anonymous said...

These look delicious! I am going to have to try them. I'm pinning so I don't forget!

Krisite said...

I made them with the walker shortbread and sent them to my husbands office and they loved them. Thanks for the yummy and easy treat.