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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Jenna says
What if you just covered the cookies in caramel without the coconut and while the caramel was still sticky, dip them into coconut so you don’t have to de with spreading it?
April says
These cookies turned out great everyone loved them… but using almond bark would probably work better the chocolate chips stuck to the paper not the cookie.
Amanda Formaro says
Glad you liked them April!
April says
How many calories per cookie anybody know??
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry, I didn’t calculate this recipe as that was long before I knew how to do that. I wouldn’t be able to give you an accurate number as I don’t know how many cookies it made, it’s been that long. Sorry!
Corinne Smith says
I can’t find a way to print this out???????
Amanda Formaro says
I have updated the post so that there is now a printable version :)
Denise says
How would you make the bar cookie instead would the ingredents for the cookie be the same?,and just press dough down in a baking dish and bake then cool the put on toppings?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes! There are actually some recipes out there for bars as well :)
Lois Fitzgerald says
some gourmet cookies have gotten so expensive. The D G stores sell these in case you haven’t noticed
Libby says
I am definitely making these-yum! For those who don’t care for coconut, my Mom used to substitute oatmeal when she couldn’t afford coconut in a bar recipe that we loved. It was a caramel topping similar to this one and tasted just fine to us.I would think you start with a lesser amount, adding more until it looks right.She toasted it just like the coconut, as well.
Amanda says
Great tips about the oatmeal Libby!
Julie says
SERIOUSLY– people ridicule for making you own GS cookies??? GEEZE!!!! Theses look delicious!!!
Kristen @ Dem Golden Apples says
I cannot wait to try these! Thank you SO much! :)
Marla says
If you use “Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel Topping”, it works great. It even tastes better than Kraft caramels. I LOVE Samoa’s. They are about the only cookie I buy from the Girl Scouts. But now that Keebler makes some just like them, I don’t have to always wait for the cookie drives.
Amanda Formaro says
Great tip, thanks Marla!
Melissa know that says
Did you know that the Keebler elves figured out this recipe too?
Amanda says
It sounds like your caramel cooked too long, I'm surprised they were bubbling after only one minute. Sorry it didn't work out for you :(
Anonymous says
I was so excited to make this recipe, but I have to be honest: this recipe sucks. I only nuked the caramels for a minute and they were boiling when I went to stir them. Then when I mixed the coconut in, the mixture turned incredibly stiff and nuking the mixture longer still did not make it spreadable. I even added more caramel. I had to use my fingers to press the caramel topping onto the cookie (which broke several cookies). The end result inedible rocks; you could not even bite through it! I spend two hours on this recipe. Make these if you want to break someone's teeth!
Sarah Menser says
I can’t wait to try these!!! thank you
cnthia says
thes ARE THE BEST
Manger La Ville says
I used to be a girl scout and I all say, is go for it. All the corn syrup and additives, I feel guilty I sold them. But I do love the taste, so I can’t wait to make these.
gaga says
This is my absolute favorite girl scout cookie. Now I can enjoy it all year long, thanks!
Annette says
OMG! I am so making these in the future. They’re my favorites so thank you for sharing the recipe. I was a Girl Scout growing up, was a leader in my early 20s and even worked for my local council for 2 years. I’m not offended. Making them ourselves isn’t going to put GS Cookies out of business. :)
Bunny says
Don’t these look good! I’d love to try and make these but my family doen’t like coconut….can you imagine!