What We Ate: {Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoa Bars}

So who else is throwing a Super Bowl party??

Yeah, we aren't.
Yep. I'm still anti-social. You didn't think I was planning on getting over that any time soon, didja?

But. Just because we aren't having a party, doesn't mean we can't have all the yummy finger foods that come along with a Super Bowl party.

Anyway, those are all just side notes anyway.

What's more important than the Super Bowl that happens in February? {But still less important than Vday}
Girl Scout Cookies.

And I have seen a million and one recipes going around on Pinterest for the "homemade" version of these cookies. Now we all know that a homemade version of a girl scout cookie will NEVER.EVER be as good as the real deal. But at $3.50 a box, I though I would try my hand at a homemade Samoa recipe, because who doesn't love that crunchy yet soft, caramely-coconutty-chocolaty cookie?

And. The results? Hmm.

Not that great.

Let me tell you why though.

The shortbread on this was way too thick. Shortbread is crumbly and dry naturally and then to have it twice as thick as it should be. Hmm. No bueno. The caramel/coconut layer and the chocolate just wasn't enough to moisten it up.

But let me tell you, on day 4, these were fabulous {but honestly, that could be because on that particular day I was really needin' to satisfy my sweet tooth}.

I think that if you chopped the shortbread recipe in half or if you used a cookie sheet instead of a 13x9 {make that dough a little thinner} these actually would have been pretty darn good.

But if you are looking for a Samoa, you won't get that here. These don't taste like them. At all. But for a dessert, these will definitely hit that sweet spot. Mike loved 'em.

So with all that being said, I give you....

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoa Bars

The Stuff:

Shortbread:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut, sweetened
12 oz chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
10 oz semisweet chocolate {I would recommend if at all possible not using chocolate chips. That's what I used and the chocolate never really fully hardened}

The Doing:

Shortbread:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13x9 pan. In large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely.

Topping:
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut.
Spread the topping evenly over the shortbread base. Let topping set until cooled

When cooled, cut into 30 bars.

Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 20 second intervals to prevent burning the chocolate. Continue until all the chocolate is melted. {Now the recipe says here to dip each bar into the chocolate and place on parchment paper. Hah. With the crumbly shortbread, there was no way these were going to "dip" without completely falling apart in the chocolate. So....} Spoon a small amount of chocolate on the bottom of each bar and spread evenly to cover the shortbread. Place face down {so the coconut/caramel is on the bottom and the chocolate is on the top} on parchment paper. Once the chocolate hardens, take remaining chocolate and pipe over the top of the coconut/caramel layer.

If you have a lot of chocolate left over, pipe generously and then proceed to suck the rest of the melted chocolate from the bag into your anxiously awaiting mouth.