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These homemade girl scout cookies samoas bars are the perfect cookie substitute. So simple to make and packed full of coconut, caramel and chocolate flavor.
I love love love love girl scout cookies. I swear. I could eat a box at a time. I probably shouldn’t admit to that….
Anyway, now that we have established that I love girl scout cookies I’m also betting that there are others out there who love them as much as I do. My favorite one of their cookies is hands down the Samoas. They have such a delicious crunchy bottom topped with a chewy coconut topping. Plus not to mention the addition of chocolate…yum!
I have been eying Baking Bites homemade samoas bars recipe for over a year. I’m not sure why it took me so long to make these gems but I finally got around to it yesterday. Amazing. Horribly amazing. The reason I say “horribly” is because all I wanted to do was eat them last night. I had to stop myself at two and boxed the rest up for Mr.NN to take to work. I was not going to be left home with all those bars today….it would not have been good….
Homemade Samoas Bars
Ingredients
For Cookie Base:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For Topping:
- 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
- 12 ounces chewy caramels, unwrapped
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 10 ounces dark chocolate chips
Instructions
For cookie crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line it 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 the mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together.
- Pour crumbly dough into the prepared pan and press into an even layer.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the base, is set and the edges are lightly browned.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.
For topping:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the coconut is golden.
- Cool on the baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
- Unwrap the caramels and place them 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 the topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
- When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
- Once the bars are cut, melt 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 it on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper.
- Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
- Let the chocolate set completely before storing it in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just wondering.. Will you move in with me?
Just so we can team up and bake all of the time.
Great recipe! This is my #1 fav girl scout cookie…I’d love to make my own! 🙂
If I could write this is small letters, I would: I’ve never eaten samoas. I know, I know. But we always have loved the mint ones.
These sure look good though. Wonder if we have been missing something??
These are my favorite Girl Scout cookie too! I’m saving this! P.S. Did you take the pics in your light box? They’re amazing!
The Samoas are Grumpy’s favorite GS cookie out there….I would be scared to death to have these in the house because they probably wouldn’t last a day!
These cookies are the reason i do not like to get Girl Scout Cookies. However, my husband came home the other day with 6 boxes :). These are my favorite and this bar looks AMAZING!
These look even better than the Girl Scout cookies. We need to hang out… seriously!
Man I haven’t had a girl scout cookie in FOREVER. And THAT is a crying shame. These bars look like the perfect way to relive my childhood girl scout experience!
These looks soooo good! I made the somoa cookies once and they were a huge pain to make, but tasted oh so good. Bars would have been much easier!
Those look amazing, they are my fav girl scout cookies! Can’t wait to give them a try!!!