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I love Samoas! They are my favorite Girl Scout cookie. I’ve seen lots of different recipes for them online, but when I saw this recipe for samoa bars on Baking Bites that was easier to make, I decided they would be perfect to take to an upcoming church activity.
They were a big hit with my family and the ladies at church. The yummy caramel coconut topping tastes just like the cookie. The shortbread crust is delicious. Different than the cookie, but no one, including me, complained. Thanks Nicole for sharing the recipe.
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Homemade Samoa Bars
Ingredients
- COOKIE BASE:
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- TOPPING
- 3 cups shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened
- 12- oz good-quality chewy caramels
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp milk
- 10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate chocolate chips are ok
Instructions
- First, make the crust.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
- (I lined mine with foil.)
- 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 mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.
- TOPPING
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. (Mine was golden after 10 minutes.)Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
- 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. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread 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 bars are cut, melt 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 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 chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Denise
Um, YUM.
HoneyB
Yummy! Grumpy would love these too. This is the only cookie with crunch he loves. I think its the coconut and caramel topping.
Jamie
Oh, Barbara, these bars have all of my favorite things mixed together: coconut, caramels and chocolate. Ooh, I would end up eating the whole pan myself….
Donna-FFW
This has been on my list for a long time to trry. You justreminded me. They look delicious!
Aggie
Samoas are my favorite!! These look yummy!
Lori
hmmmm. I would like to bite into one of those. They look delicious.
Reeni♥
They look so scrumptious!! These are going on my "to bake list" for sure!
Bellini Valli
I did get the opportunity to try some Samoas when a fellow blogger sent me a box from the States. Now I can have them all year round!!!
Michelle
I love Samoas! I always chowed on them when I was a Girl Scout leader and had ALL the cookies stored at my house!
Vrinda
Samoa bars look crunchy and delish…i am also a fan of baking bites,will try this cookie soon..
Cathy
I'm so happy to have this recipe. Thanks, Barbara. Samoas are my favorite GS cookie. I like anything with coconut and chocolate. Yum
Meg
Oh my goodness! Samoas have always been my favorite, but these look better than the real thing!
Katy ~
Barbara, those cookies are beautiful! If I saw those at a church function or anywhere, I'd be hustling myself right over to have one… or two…
Coleen's Recipes
Thank you for this simpler recipe. I've seen those more complicated recipes you talked about and I like your version better.
finsmom
Im sad to say that I have never tried a samoa cookie before… but I sure want to! They sound amazing! Great pics and recipe! Yum!
Thanks for sharing!
teresa
Yes! I'm making these the first chance I get, they look great!
Kristen
These sound so tasty – we have different Girl Guide cookies up in Canada so I've never seen samoas before
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Oh wow, I thought these had something to do with Samoa! These are so interesting and if they're anything like the other delicious things that you post I'll have to try them 🙂
Katrina
These look delicious. Samoas may be my favorite GS cookie.
Mary
These bars seem very delicious!