Homemade Samoa Cookies

I’m calling a spade a spade.  These cookies took SOOOOOOO long to make!  The taste was worth the time and effort, but let me just say this…..I haven’t made them a second time, so enjoy this picture.  It will probably be the last one of its kind coming from me.

Have I scared you enough?  I’m sorry.  I’m just trying to be a good friend and warn you to carve out a chunk of time from your schedule to take these bad boys on.

The only redeeming thing about this recipe is that there is a cheater way to make these cookies and they taste the same. They are in the form of a cookie bar.  Obviously, I didn’t read closely enough before I started my saga of baking the day I made these.

So, learn from me.  Take the easy way out.  No one will blame you.  They’ll taste just as great!

 

Roll out your dough and use your cookie cutter to make the cookie shapes.

Or, you can be like me and use a shot glass and a straw.  Seriously, that’s what I used.

Don’t ask me why we have a shot glass in the house.  I’m not even sure how it got here.  That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

The best part was blowing the cookie holes out of the straw.  See the straw on the the top right corner of the picture?  I told you!

 

 

Lay them on parchment and bake away.

 

 

Take them out and let them cool.  Meanwhile, work on your topping.

 

 

Toast the sweetened coconut flakes, making sure to toss them around a bit for even toasting.

 

 

Melt the caramel squares.

 

 

Throw in the coconut and mix it all together.  You may want to keep the pot on a very very low heat to keep this warm.  Once the topping hardens, it’s almost impossible to get it on the cookie.

 

 

Now the chocolate application.  Dip the bottoms into the melted chocolate first, then go to town on the drizzling!

Yes, like I said it was  a lot of work, but if you are a coconut or chocolate lover OR a coconut and chocolate lover, then it will be all worth it for you!!

 

Homemade Samoas

from bakingbites.com

Cookies
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.

Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all).

The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.
Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. 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 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

 

Coconut Cupcake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

My husband: “This is the best cupcake I’ve ever eaten!”

Me: “Good, because you know I don’t like coconut and I made them for you anyway.”

Aren’t I a good wife to go through the trouble to make these time-intensive cupcakes, all the while knowing I probably wasn’t even going to eat one?!  I think so…………

Well, as you may have guessed, I didn’t eat one.  I think I ate two or three.

Wow, they had an intense coconut flavor, both from the cake, frosting and of course all those crunchy toasted flakes on top.  It was an amazing contrast of texture and flavor in my mouth, from just one bite.

If you are a coconut lover, you will L-O-V-E this recipe!

Yes, I spelled out love.  You know that means it’s gotta be good!

 

 

Mix together the butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.

 

 

Coconut milk and vanilla.  This is where the flavor’s at!

 

 

Fold in the coconut flakes gently and by golly please don’t overdo it either.  Overbeating will give you tough cupcakes.

 

 

Nice silky coconut cream cheese frosting.  Resist the urge to eat this straight with a spoon.

Okay, just one spoonful!

 

 

Here they are, some unassuming yellow cupcakes………until

 

 

BAM!!

The frosting and toasted coconut flakes take this cupcake to the next level!

I’m not sure what the next level is, but I’m assuming it’s waaaaay better than this level.

 

Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Cupcake Ingredients

3/4 cup of butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup of sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1 cup of canned coconut milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 cup of sweetened coconut flakes

Frosting Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature

8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature

1 ½ cup of powdered sugar

2 cups of sweetened coconut flakes, toasted to golden brown

2 T coconut milk

Cupcake

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and cream until light and fluffy again, scraping down the sides halfway through to ensure even mixing.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds each to ensure mixing. Be sure to scrape down the sides after each egg to ensure even mixing.

Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in one bowl. In another add 1 cup of a well shaken can of coconut milk and a teaspoon of vanilla. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix, then add 1/2 of the wet ingredients. Continue alternating with the wet and dry mixtures, ending with the dry. Stop mixing once just as the ingredients become incorporated; do not overbeat.

Fold in the coconut. Scoop into cupcake papers about one half to three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, rotating the pan after the first 15 to ensure even baking. Be sure to check with a toothpick to see if the cupcakes are done. If the toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean, then they’re ready. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a minute or two in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom.

Slowly add the coconut milk and powdered sugar, taste as you go adding more sugar until you have reached the desired sweetness.  Spread onto cooled cupcakes.  Sprinkle toasted coconut on top and serve.

Makes 20 cupcakes.

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

So, this is the culprit.  This is the cookie that took me from a coconut hater to a coconut lover.  It’s so delicately coconutty (is that a word?), and the semi-sweet chocolate dipped bottom balances the sweetness of the crunchy coconut perfectly.

If you look really closely, you can see little black flecks.  Do you see them? Don’t worry, it’s not dirty or anything. That’s the vanilla bean paste that I used.  It’s a stronger flavor than the usual vanilla extract.

The best thing is these things are quite easy to make.  Try them out and let me know what you think.

 

 

Beat the egg whites, salt and sugar.

 

 

Until you get medium peaks like this.

 

 

Fold in your coconut and flour gently.

 

 

Until well blended.

 

 

Spoon them out onto parchment paper.

 

 

Bake to a golden brown, or until your kitchen smells like coconut.

*Drool*

 

 

Once they’ve cooled, dip each macaroon into melted chocolate and don’t let your husband get near them until the chocolate has hardened.

You can tell I didn’t do a very good job of that!

 

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroon Cookies

2 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups flaked coconut

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate

Grease and flour baking sheets and preheat oven to 300°.

In a small bowl with hand-held mixer, beat egg whites and salt at high speed until soft peaks form. Sprinkle sugar in, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition until sugar is completely dissolved. This will take a few minutes after each addition of sugar. (Whites should be in stiff glossy peaks by the time you’re done.) Beat in vanilla. With a rubber spatula, fold in coconut and flour.

Drop coconut by teaspoonfuls about an inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 300° for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. With spatula, carefully remove cookies to rack to cool.

Melt chocolate in heat-proof bowl in microwave at 30 second intervals.  Take out and stir until completely melted.  Dip cookie and place on wax paper to allow to dry.

Makes about 36 cookies.