Copycat Samoas Cookies

• servings: 36 servings

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 1/2 Tbsp. whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups shredded, sweetened coconut

11 oz kraft baking caramels

5 Tbsp. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate

Directions

In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and smooth.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed then add in the milk and vanilla. This will help to bring the dough together a bit more. The dough may look crumbly at first but should come together in your hands.

Transfer the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper then with another sheet of parchment on top, roll it out to about 1/8" thick. Transfer the rolled-out dough to a cookie sheet and allow the dough to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour.

Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Use a 3.5" - 4" round cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as you can then use a smaller circle cookie cutter or the end of a piping tip to cut out the center of the cookie. Place the completed "donut" shaped cookies onto your prepared cookie sheets about 1 1/2" - 2" apart.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before assembling.

Coconut Caramel Topping

Place the coconut on a cookie sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees F to toast the caramel. Keep a close eye on the coconut as it can burn quickly, you may need to toss the coconut around a bit to keep it toasting evenly as well.

In a small saucepot, place the caramel squares, milk, and salt over low to medium heat. Be sure to stir this mixture around so no caramel gets stuck to the bottom of the pan. As the mixture melts the milk and caramels combine easier.

Once this mixture is melted and smooth and your coconut is toasted, combine them both in a medium-sized bowl. Mix completely to combine.

Use clean hands and a fork to add an even amount of this coconut topping on top of each cookie. To help the mixture from sticking too much to your fork or hands, keep a small bowl of water around to lightly dip your fingers into to prevent it from sticking to your hands.

Once each cookie is topped with the coconut caramel mixture, allow them to sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm up before we dip them in chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in 30-second intervals mixing between each time until it is completely melted and smooth. One at a time, dip the bottom of each cookie in chocolate then scrape off the excess on the sides of the bowl.

Place each dipped cookie onto a cookie sheet fit with parchment paper. Continue this process until each cookie has been dipped. Once each cookie has been dipped, take scoop the leftover melted chocolate into a piping bag and pipe a drizzle of chocolate on top of each cookie.

Allow the cookies to set in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes and to allow for the chocolate to harden. Enjoy!