So I’m sitting here, boiling to death because I am baking pie after pie for tomorrow’s feast. Because we have a bi-level home, my husband is cold in the family room downstairs so he insists on having the heat on, and because heat rises I’m sweating upstairs. The kitchen is u-shaped, so there’s nowhere for the heat to go. So even though it’s 27 degrees outside, I have the kitchen window open in an effort to keep my sanity. it also helps that I am downing a Samuel Adams. ;)
So I figured, while I wait the last 40 minutes for the pumpkin pie I will go ahead and post about the Mock Somoas I made. I found the recipe on Once Upon a Plate, she found it at Baking Bites. no matter where it came from, it’s definitely GOOD. It’s also kind of a pain. The caramel coconut topping was not spreadable and I really had to work at manipulating it onto the cookies. So I had the bright idea of adding some more caramel to it and tossed it in the microwave. Mistake. Don’t do this. it made it harder to work with. GROAN.
So I don’t know if I will go through the hassle of making the cookies again (let’s say I won’t put the Girl Scouts out of business) BUT I think I will try making these into bar cookies instead. They would be fabulous that way and a lot easier!
If you would like to try these for yourself, here is the recipe :) They were gobbled up and everyone LOVED them! Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
DISCLAIMER: Just in case any well meaning posting women decide to ridicule me for not supporting girl scouts by giving out this recipe (like someone did to Mari at Once Upon a Plate) I will state for the record that I buy Girl Scout cookies EVERY YEAR without fail. I was a GS leader and my daughter was in GS’s for several years. If Girl Scouts sold their cookies year round, us bloggers wouldn’t have to try this recipe for ourselves. LOL
Oh quick note, instead of the wrapped caramels, Kraft now makes these nifty caramel bits! They worked great and are far too good, I kept tossing them in my mouth LOL
Recipe credit: Nicole @ Baking Bites,
See Nicole’s Original Recipe here:
Girl Scout Cookie Recipe: Somoas
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- up to 2 tablespoons milk
Topping:
- 3 cups shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened
- 12- ounces good-quality chewy caramels
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate chocolate chips will do
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.
- It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.
- Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If you prefer milk chocolate, by all means use that.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)
- Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.
- Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Topping
- 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 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.
- While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)
- Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Amanda Davis
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nicole says
I’ve been waiting to try these cookies.They look so good. They are my favorite girl scout cookie.
Wild Things says
I made up my own recipes eons ago for a bar cookie like the Samoas. I will try to remember how I made them. I think the crust was butter, flour, sugar, press in a pan type. I used sweetened condensed milk and coconut… I think that was it. Maybe I should bake some today and see?
Jaime says
oh my…. samoas are my favorite GS cookies!!! i do wish they would sell them year round, too!
Mari says
Hi Mandy – thanks for stopping by my blog. The Samoa’s are my hubby’s favorite cookie. I may try this as a bar too. Looks good!
AudreyO says
I so wish I liked coconut. Now if you find a recipe for the Thin Mints…
Mandy says
p.s. I had you on my sidebar, but for some reason I wasn’t following you. I am now.:)
Mandy says
I have a bag of those caramel bites to use, we’ll make these tomorrow! I was surfing around while the hubby was watching TV and he said, “WHAT ARE THOSE??!” when he saw your post. Yup, we’ll make them tomorrow.:) Thanks for sharing.
-Mandy
http://www.gourmetmomonthego.blogspot.com
Judy says
You say the caramel coconut topping was hard to spread, but the cookies look beautiful! You did a great job. I wonder if the caramel would work better in a bowl over boiling water, with maybe a little milk or cream mixed in. I’m going to try these.
Pam says
I am going to make these soon – this is my VERY favorite cookie – EVER. I am so excited to try this out.
Megan says
I was/am a girl scout leader and certainly bought my fair share of my favorite cookie, the somoa! This cookie looks every bit as great as the real thing.
Barb, sfo says
YUMMY!! I’ll have to try this–and I’ll be doing this as a bar cookie, as you suggested. I’m sure it will taste just as great. I’m a lazy baker :)
Arfi Binsted says
yum yum yum!! what a treat for sweet tooth!!
Megan says
oh wow, these look just like the real things-but even better! samoas have always been my favorite girl scout cookie-although thin mints are a close second-and i can’t wait to try to replicate them! thanks for sharing this :)
Sandy Crossley says
We did mint flavoring for chocolate in with candy melts from Wilton and dipped Ritz crackers. Pretty close for the thin mints.
The Blonde Duck says
I used to love these cookies before I discohvered I was allergic to chocolate! Happy Thanksgiving!
M says
I just found this recipe today and while reading your comment I was wondering if you have ever tried using butterscotch to replace the chocolate? Not quite the same but it still sounds good.There is also something similar to chocolate.I think its called carob.I’ve never used it so I don’t know if it melts well.
Amanda Formaro says
I have not tried the butterscotch. Butterscotch chips are a bit too sweet for me, though I always loved butterscotch pudding when I was growing up :) You should try it though, sounds like a fun adaptation!
Denise says
sounds wonderful to me both chocolate and the butterscotch and i’m diabetic but love baking fo others to..ty for the ideas you could probably use the white chocolate as well sounds yummy..i’m even celiac but the ideas sound wonderful..even for gifts..
Happy cook says
I saw this there and have bookmarked them.
I just think you made it look easier for me to make them.
Hope you hubby is feeling much better today.
Happy Thanksgiving
Mari at Once Upon a Plate says
Amanda, they look so good!
You're right, they are a bit of a pain to assemble (and definitely NOT "slice & bake" easy!)
Good idea to put the disclaimer in about not putting the Girl Scouts out of business!
Thank you for your kind words and follow up on my blog. :)
You're a gem!
~m.
Erin says
These look fabulous! This is my favorite Girl Scout Cookie!
Tami says
OMG, These look great!! I swear that you really do read my mimd sometimes because I was just looking at a recipe for making these!!
Yes, I can’t stay away…I’m checking things out from PA! ;)
Hot Domestic Mess says
Yeah, I’m going to HAVE to make these with my daughter. We are so excited about these cookies!
Lisa says
I love Samoas. I will definitely try these. We have a bilevel too and it gets so cold downstairs too but now we have a TV on the upper level so we keep the heat lower. Happy Thanksgiving!