Cookies and Christmas Eve, a match made in heaven. I try to make a new cookie now and then and this one worked out great. It was a bit time consuming but fun. Enjoy – Merry Christmas!
Homemade Samoas Caramel and Coconut Cookies
COOKIE DOUGH
1 Cup Butter, room temperature
½ Cup Sugar
3 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Cup Flour
¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Salt
TOPPING
3 Cups Coconut, sweetened
2 1/2 Cups Kraft Chewy Caramels
¼ teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoon Cream or Milk
½ teaspoon Vanilla
12 ounces Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (1 ½ cups)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. (to keep parchment paper in place, place a dap of cookie dough on each corner of the pan and then the paper will stick to the cookie dot.)
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter sugar mixture. Mix to combine. Press together into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll out cookie dough to about ¼ inch thick. Cut into circles. (The original recipe had you cut a hole like a donut, but I didn’t want to balance the coconut around the hole – LOL). Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
To toast the coconut, spread the coconut evenly onto a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees. Stir every 5 minutes until the coconut is golden about 20 minutes. Set aside.
Melt the caramel with the salt and cream and vanilla in microwave for 1 minute and then stir. Continue with 30 second intervals into caramel is smooth. Set aside.
Spread some caramel onto each cookie, like frosting. (This helps the coconut mixture stick to the cookie.) Add the Toasted Coconut to the remaining caramel. Stir to combine. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the mixture onto the caramel topped cookies. If it becomes to thick, microwave for 20 seconds and stir to combine.
Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on MEDIUM POWDER for 30 second intervals stirring and microwaving until smooth. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate, scraping it along the edges of the bowl to smooth it, and then place onto waxed paper to set. Put remaining melted chocolate into a zip-lock bag and cut the corner off the corner of the bag. Drizzle the chocolate onto the top of the cookies. Let the cookies set.
Set then out for Santa to enjoy!
To make Gluten Free use Gluten Free flour, cup to cup.