Samoas Bars

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.

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14 Responses to “Harry Potter Cupcakes”

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    clstar — August 4, 2009 at 12:31 pm

    OMG, I am in love with these cupcakes! They’re so awesome! I love HP, and I made owl cupcakes when the movie came out. I might need to give these a try before going to see the IMAX 3D movie.

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    thegreatpantryraid — August 4, 2009 at 2:42 pm

    How cute are those?! And i was wondering how you got the lettering so perfect – thanks for the step-by-step. Lol – I just dragged DH to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry – I’m sure he’ll be happy when the final movie comes out and he doesn’t have to hear about it anymore!

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    thecookingnurse — August 4, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    Great job, how lucky are your friends?

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    Jen — August 4, 2009 at 2:57 pm

    I’m so jealous! My two sisters are going to the exhibit this weekend. I thought about flying to Chicago to join them. Luckily I found out the exhibit is coming here in October. Whew!

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    Erin — August 4, 2009 at 5:57 pm

    These look fabulous! You did such a great job on them!

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    Katie — August 4, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    WOW JEN!! Those are fantastic!! Better than professional! Seriously, what talent you have to make those! 🙂

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    Jen — August 4, 2009 at 7:28 pm

    Aw thanks Katie – you’re making me blush.

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    Ingrid — August 4, 2009 at 7:30 pm

    I hate when cupcakes do that to me too. Instead of baking up they bake out! 🙁

    Love your Harry Potter cupcake toppers! Very cute and creative!
    ~ingrid

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    Manda — August 4, 2009 at 10:27 pm

    Hi Jen! A friend of mine forwarded me your page for HP Cupcakes and I just wanted to drop in and say that I think they’re awesome and I want to run home now and try to create some fun hp themed cakes! I had done some in the past–cauldron cakes if you will, by buying mini cauldrons and cutting the bottom off so the tops sat just on the cakes and then used a bit of green frosting on the inside. You should join up with the HP-MA crew! We’ve been organizing some meet-ups for Boston Fans!

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    Jen — August 4, 2009 at 11:58 pm

    Sounds awesome Manda.

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    nutmegnanny — August 5, 2009 at 8:09 pm

    Oh my goodness, what adorable little cupcakes!

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    annieseats — August 6, 2009 at 1:25 am

    So so cute! And yeah, those “HPs” must have taken FOREVER. I have a fabulous vanilla cupcake recipe that never fails me here: http://annies-eats.com/2008/07/18/vanilla-cupcakes/. Also, I recently made Dorie’s perfect party cake into cupcakes and had great results with that as well.

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    bcallegra — August 7, 2009 at 12:47 am

    I love your HP cupcakes! I too am a huge Harry Potter fan but I have to admit, I don’t think I’d be patient enough to make cupcakes and toppings as cute as yours!

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    Karin — April 8, 2010 at 9:23 pm

    These are so awesome!! I wish I would have seen them and did some of these with the HP cake I did!!

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