The first cookies I ever crushed on came in the form of a purple box that I was forced to sell door to door like a vacuum salesman. Okay, maybe forced isn’t the right word, but seriously, it was pretty miserable. (Yes, I was a girl scout for a hot second.) All jokes aside, I still have a hard time passing up a box of Samoas/ Caramel Delights/ whatever they call them these days. Who doesn’t?? They are so good. (Unless of course you don’t like coconut…. which is crazy.)

If I’m being honest, it may be easier to buy a box of these from your local Brownies. However, if you are anything like me, and you like a little challenge- these are just a smidge tedious to make but completely worth the effort. If the freshness alone doesn’t push these over the edge, they are also thicker, richer and more savory. Are you drooling yet?

Homemade Samoa Cookies
recipe and instruction source: Smells Like Home

Ingredients:
For the cookies:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the caramel coconut topping:

• 2 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 15 oz caramels, unwrapped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp salt

For dipping and drizzling:

• 8 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. To make the cookies: Sift together flour and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar; mix until smooth. Mix in half of the egg and the vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch rounds. Using a spatula, transfer rounds to baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1 inch apart.
3. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are barely golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks using a spatula to let cool completely.
4. To make the caramel coconut topping: Spread the coconut out in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet (use 2 sheets if one is overloaded). In the 350 degree preheated oven, toast the coconut for 10-12 minutes, tossing halfway through as the pieces on the edges start to brown. Once the coconut is uniformly browned, transfer it to large bowl and let it cool – it will crisp as it cools. Heat the caramels in a small saucepan over low heat with the cream and salt until the caramel is melted, stirring to combine the ingredients. Pour the 3/4 of the caramel over the coconut and stir everything together with a silicone spatula. Pour the remaining 1/4 of the caramel into a small bowl.
5. Spread a thin layer of the reserved caramel onto the top of a cookie then dollop 1 tablespoon of the caramel coconut mixture on top of the caramel layer, spreading it out to the edges of the cookie. The bottom layer of caramel will help the caramel-coconut to adhere to the cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies, setting them back on the parchment-lined baking sheets. If the caramel topping hardens in the bowl, heat briefly in the microwave to soften. Allow the caramel topping to set for 30 minutes at room temperature.
6. Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl in the microwave for 30 second increments, until melted and smooth. Dip the bottom of each cookie in the chocolate and place them back on the baking sheets to harden. Once all the cookies have been dipped, drizzle the remaining chocolate over the cookies. Store at room temperature. Cookies can be heated for 10 seconds in the microwave if the caramel becomes difficult to bite into.

**A few notes: I cut out my butter cookies a bit thicker than the original recipe, because I prefer thicker cookies. Thinner cookies would result more similar to traditional Samoas.

Somehow, even with all of the cookie baking that goes on around here- this was my first attempt at Samoas, but most definitely not my last. A new favorite in our house! Yum yum!