Homemade Somoas

 

I had to put my brownie experiment on hold this week, but that doesn't mean I haven't been baking. After my mom took these coconut cupcakes to work, she told me that her staff now begged for more baked goods. She wanted me to make something special she could bring as a thank-you to the crew, so I chose homemade somoa cookies (for those who aren't familiar, they're a popular and delicious Girl Scout creation.) 

Somoas (or as they're sometimes called, Caramel deLites), have always been my favorite girl scout cookie. The combination of the shortbread cookie, caramel, coconut, and chocolate...ah, bliss. This homemade version, while time consuming, did not disappoint. The cookie base is very similar to a thin shortbread cookie, and the toasted coconut adds a needed boost to the sweet caramel topping. I used a bittersweet/semisweet chocolate combination for the drizzle, and this cut the sweetness of the coconut & caramel perfectly. 

As delicious as these cookies are, however, they were nowhere near as simple to make as I had planned. For the most part, though, it was all my own fault--almost everything that could possibly have gone wrong, went wrong. Three hours later, though, these cookies were all done and ready to decorate (something that as you can see, I sort of messed up. Not my finest decorating moment.) I think I might try making them into bars next time to save myself some stress...

Anyway, if you need a unique and tasty cookie for a party or event--or you have a girl scout cookie lover in your midst--these are the perfect cookies for you.

Homemade Somoas (or Caramel deLites)

adapted from Once Upon a Plate

Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

up to 2 tablespoons milk *

Topping**:

3 cups shredded coconut (I used sweetened)

12-oz. chewy caramels

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate

COOKIES:

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used a large circular pastry tip. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

TOPPING:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)

Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become 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.

Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, 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 cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.) I actually just used a spoon and drizzled the chocolate over each cookie--less professional perhaps, but a lot easier ;)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes:

*I only used about 1/2 tablespoon milk, and it was the perfect amount.

**I ran out of topping about 2/3 of the way into topping the cookies, so I would highly recommend making 1.5 times the topping (or just use less).