Samoas To Die For!!!

Heaven knows I've tasted a lot of cookies in my life.  Some I like and some I like more.  I meet very few cookies I don't like.  In fact cookie monster is a not so very distant relative of mine.  But.... I can honestly say these cookies are so good you may cry when you eat one.  They may be just a little addictive so you may want to be sure to have lots of people around in a party or something to eat them to save you from yourself.  If you like the Girl Scout version you are going to LOVE these!  

Cookie Center

1 cup Butter (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tblspn. Milk (optional)
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

 Begin by creaming the butter and sugar together for one to two minutes until it changes to a light color and is fluffy.

 Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and then add it slowly to the butter mixture until well blended.  Add vanilla and then only add milk if the dough won't come together in a ball.  Mine did not need any at all.

Gather dough in a ball and divide into two.  Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.  Then remove and work a little with your hands until it is pliable enough to roll out. 

 Lightly flour the counter surface and roll to about 1/8" thickness.  I like to use two new paint sticks under the rolling pin to make sure it is very even. 

 Cut out your cookies with a 1 1/2" to 2" circle and about a 1" inner circle.  Any cutters will do but it was nice to do it in one step with my doughnut cutter.

 Place them on a cookie sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper and cook at 350 for 10 to 12 min. until the bottom of the cookies are a very light golden brown.  Cool slightly on the pan and then remove to a cooling rack to finish.

Topping

3 cups shredded sweetened coconut 
15 ounces carmel (individually wrapped store brand is fine)
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tblspn. milk
1 1/3 to 2 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips ( I used Costco- Kirkland Brand and they were excellent!)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place coconut evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet.   Toast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to ensure even browning.  Watch carefully because it browns quickly and could burn.  Cool on baking sheet stirring if browning continues.  Set aside.

 Place caramel in a large microwave- safe bowl with milk and salt.  Cook on high for 3-4 min. stopping  and stirring every minute to melt carmels.  When smooth, fold in coconut.  When mixture is very warm it will spread easily on the top of the cookies and it will stick to the cookies without any problem.  If it cools too much it will come off.  If this occurs, reheat the mixture in the microwave a little until it is soft and sticks well again.  Using the tip of your butter knife, take a teaspoon at a time and stick it on the top of the cookie. Moving around the circle quickly with small amounts of topping will work better than trying to push it around and spread it out. 

 Set cookies on a rack for the topping to cool and set up.  Meanwhile, place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30- 45 second increments until it is melted and smooth. 

 Holding a cookie, dip the bottom into the chocolate. Using a metal spatula scrap the extra chocolate off leaving a smooth even covering on the bottom of about 1/8" inch.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.  Then when all the cookies finished place remaining chocolate into a small ziplock bag and cut a tiny corner off.  Use this to place lines of chocolate across the cookies.

 Let cookies cool until completely set.  (You can put them in the fridge to hurry this process for 15 minutes but leaving them longer may make the chocolate turn white.)  This recipe made 28-2" cookies.

 These are as wonderful as they look!  

This recipe was adapted from Just a Taste and Orson Gygi's Blog.  
It was seen on The Recipe Critic,Chef in Training,Buns in my oven and Mandy's Recipe Box.