Friday, March 22, 2013

Girl Scout cookie fun...

So every year during Girl Scout cookie season I make homemade versions. Not that I have anything against the Girl Scouts and I'm sure the organization could use the money, but I'm sorry at this point the cookies are shit and way too expensive. The homemade versions are so much better. It really proves what great cookies they can be. I've been a little lax this year but I finally got with it and made some Samoas (or Caramel De-Lites). It rather time consuming so you might want to make a day out of it. Lots of steps and waiting for things to cool and set, but believe me it's well worth it.

Caramel de-Lites
Samoas cookies

-cookies-
1 C butter, room temp
1/2 C sugar
2 C all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Up to 2 Tbsp of cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in dry ingredients until combined. Adding the milk slowly until the dough has come together, should be soft but not too sticky. You may not need any milk at all, add a little more flour if dough is sticky. Place 1 inch balls of dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Cover the dough balls with wax paper and press each ball into a flat disc about a 1/4 inch thick (a flat bottomed glass works well). If you want to add the hole in the center use the end of a wide straw or similar. (You can also roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness, working in small batches. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets, then punch the center hole if desired). Bake cookies for 11-13 min. on the top rack, or until bottoms are lightly browned. i find a longer cooking time is better. the crispier cookie gives a nice crunch. cool for 3 min. on baking sheets and transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

-topping-
3 C shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
12 oz chewy caramels or you can make your own
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp heavy cream
8 oz. dark chocolate chips, or finely chopped bars

Place oven rack in the top position, and pre-heat broiler, set to low or high, both will work but be careful not to burn it. If you go with high heat be sure to keep a close eye on it. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly spread the coconut out. Place on the top rack and leave the oven door cracked. Check and stir the coconut every 60-90 sec. and more frequently towards the end. Spreading it into an even layer each time. Once the coconut is toasted set aside and let it cool thoroughly on the baking sheet.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a heavy sauce pan with the cream and heat over low to medium heat until caramels are melted (or microwave them on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally), add the salt and stir well. (Or make your own caramel and add the additional cream and salt at the end.). Once caramel sauce is smooth stir in the toasted coconut. Turn down the heat to low to keep the caramel from thickening up as you work with it. Spread 2-3 tsp on each cookie ans set aside to cool and set up.

For the chocolate coating, place 6 oz. of chocolate in a double boiler and melt until smooth (you can also use a microwave for this, but be careful not to scorch it. Heat on high for 30 sec at a time stirring in between). Once melted added the remaining 3 oz. of chocolate to the melted chocolate and stir vigorously to melt to rest. This will temper the chocolate so it sets up properly and not melt as soon as you touch it. I recommend finely chopping the remaining 1/3 to help it incorporate more quickly. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate to coat, or use a kitchen brush to paint the bottom of each cookie and place on a piece of parchment. Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the top of the cookies. Let the chocolate cool throughly before eating or storing.



These cookies were a huge hit and you might wanna make a double batch cause they will disappear in a heartbeat.



Had my second go at candy bars. Still trying to get it all figured out. They ain't that pretty but boy were they tasty. Also a few latte art favorites.



















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