Samoas Bars

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Hubby loves girl scout cookies. Specifically Samoas. I grew up in the Midwest, and we always called them Caramel Delights. Whatever you call them, everyone loves them. I saw this recipe come up and I knew I had to make these.

These bars do take a little bit of time because each step requires some wait time before you can move on to the next step. In the end, they’re definitely worth the effort. Hubby did comment that the cookie part tasted a bit off. I think there’s just a higher ratio of the cookie part than in the girl scout version.

Homemade Samoas Bars – from Baking Bites – makes 30 barsCookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.

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:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened) – I used sweetened
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels – I used the Kraft caramel bits
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. 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. 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.

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 – I used a spoon to spread some melted chocolate on the bottom of each bar. I then laid them chocolate side up to set the chocolate.

Transfer all remaining chocolate 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.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Bars and Brownies, Dessert

14 comments »

18 Responses to “Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream”

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steph@stephsbitebybite — June 24, 2013 at 7:36 am

Oh my word!!
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2

Rachel @ Baked by Rachel — June 24, 2013 at 7:58 am

Pass me a spoon! This sounds amazing, Jen!
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3

Eva @ Eva Bakes — June 24, 2013 at 8:23 am

I need this ice cream right now!
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4

Sues — June 24, 2013 at 11:28 am
I absolutely love cookie dough ice cream and this looks like a fabulous one! I love your bowls, too 🙂
- beantownbaker — June 24th, 2013 @ 3:47 pm
  
  Thanks! They’re from Pier 1.
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Katie B. — June 24, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Wow… I’m not a cookie dough ice cream fan for the same reason, but this is amazing. How much do you think the coconut milk plays in the flavor?
- beantownbaker — June 24th, 2013 @ 8:25 pm
  
  I personally don’t find coconut milk very coconuty. I know some people do. I think you could use the cow’s milk varieties in the recipe and it would taste similar. I just have to use the coconut milk since i can’t eat cow’s milk.
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Nutmeg Nanny — June 27, 2013 at 9:35 am

I love this! Ice cream has to be my favorite dessert, this looks amazing 🙂
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Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts — June 27, 2013 at 7:44 pm
I made this recipe from Tracey a couple of weeks ago too (I haven’t post about it yet) – so good!!!
- beantownbaker — June 27th, 2013 @ 9:11 pm
  
  Isn’t it? It’s definitely one of my favorite ice cream recipes to date!
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Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com — June 28, 2013 at 2:08 am
This sounds delicious! I’m with you–regular cookie dough ice cream is a snooze. (Unless I’m sharing a pint with someone who doesn’t mind if I go through and pick out all the goodies–but let’s be real–everyone minds!) I’ll have to try this variation–it sounds like the perfect solution!
- beantownbaker — June 28th, 2013 @ 7:17 am
  
  I agree completely – everyone does mind!
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Parrish (Life With The Crust Cut Off) — July 1, 2013 at 10:58 am
This looks amazing!!! We would love it if you would link up at our We Scream For Ice Cream linky party/giveaway:
http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/we-scream-for-ice-cream-linky-party/
Live the whole month of July.
Hosted by:
http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/ Parrish @ Life with the Crust Cut Off
http://thissillygirlslife.com/ Dana @ This Silly Girl’s Life
We hope to see you there!
- beantownbaker — July 3rd, 2013 @ 5:05 pm
  
  Thanks for the link!
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Melissa — July 6, 2013 at 6:45 am
Cookie dough ice cream is my favorite and this recipe makes me want to buy an ice cream maker immediately! Which kind do you recommend?
- beantownbaker — July 6th, 2013 @ 11:09 am
  
  I have the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer. If you don’t have a Kitchenaid mixer, I’ve heard good things about the Cuisinart ice cream maker.
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Kristen — March 30, 2014 at 8:56 pm
I’ve never made cookie dough ice cream but am wanting to try this one. Is there a way to substitute the egg yolks or leave it out?

Thanks!
- beantownbaker — April 16th, 2014 @ 6:00 pm
  
  I would assume you could find a Philadelphia style ice cream recipe to use as the base with some brown sugar in it to give it more of a cookie dough taste. I wouldn’t recommend just leaving them out of this specific recipe though.