Dulce de Leche Samoas
The other day I got a wild hair and decided to make Samoas. Jon loves them, but at $3.50 a box (or is it more now?) it’s hard to jusify buying too many. This recipe makes 3 dozen, which is more than 2 boxes worth – and I had all of the ingredients on hand. How sweet is that?
I’ll let you in on a little secret…these don’t taste exactly like a Samoa, due to the dulce de leche. I suppose using regular caramels would taste more like a Samoa, but these are still really good. Maybe better than a Samoa…kind of like a candy bar. If you can wait a day to eat them, they are so much better. So much. But it’s hard to wait, I know. I keep mine in a container in the fridge. Or well, I did, but that didn’t last long. 🙂
Dulce de Leche Samoas
makes about 3 dozen
Shortbread Cookie Base
- 7 Tbsp. Butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together butter and sugar with stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Slowly add in flour, baking powder and salt on low speed, then the vanilla and milk. If dough is too dry, adda teasponn at a time of milk. The dough should not be sticky, so if it is, add a little flour at a time until it reaches a consisitancy that will allowyou to roll it with a rolling pin. Roll the dough to around 1/4 inch and cut with round cookie cutters around 1 – 1/1/2 inches rounnd. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet oSilpat and make a hole in the center with a straw or round piping tip. Reroll any scraps. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until very lightly golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet.
Topping
- 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 can (10-12 oz.) homemade Dulce de Leche
- 1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
Toast the coconut either in the oven (300 degrees, stirring every few minutes) or on the stove top in a large skillet, stirring frequently. Allow to cool.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat dulce de leche until warm. Add the coconut and stir until well combined.
Using a spoon or small spatula, add the topping to the shortbread cookies. Warning – this is a little sticky and messy, but fairly easy. Once all of the cookies are topped, heat the chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals until smoothe. Dip the bottoms of the cookies into the chocolate and place on parchment or Silpat and place in the refrigerator to set. When set, heat more chocolate in the microwave and add to a piping bag. Squiggle chocolate on the tops of the cookies.
