Samoa bars

If you like Samoa girl scout cookies, you'll love these! They take a little bit of time but I think its better than waiting a full year to get a box of the real thing! 




INGREDIENTS:
Base
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut( sweetened or unsweetened)
12 oz good quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz dark chocolate


First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13 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 min, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before adding topping.


Topping:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet. Preferably one with sides. ( I didn't have any parchment so I just lightly sprayed the pan with cooking spray, worked just fine). Toast coconut for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. * watch carefully, edges brown quickly*. Cool on baking sheet. Stirring occasionally so it doesn't get stuck to the pan as it cools. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwavable bowl, with milk and salt. ( as you can see I chose to use the carmel bites found in the baking isle. They worked ok but I think next time I will use a better quality caramel.) Microwave 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.

Spread topping onto crust by putting dollops of topping over crust, using a spatula, spread the topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.

When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or pizza cutter. Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip base of each bar into the chocolate and place on parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate(or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

 NOTE:  You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if your looking for an easier way to finish these.