Homemade Samoas Cookies Batch (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Shortbread base

01 - 2.5 millilitres vanilla extract
02 - 30 millilitres milk
03 - 2.5 grams fine salt
04 - 0.6 grams baking powder
05 - 250 grams all-purpose flour
06 - 100 grams granulated sugar
07 - 226 grams unsalted butter, soft

→ Coconut caramel topping

08 - 225 grams dark chocolate
09 - 1.5 grams fine salt
10 - 45 millilitres whole milk
11 - 425 grams soft caramels, from scratch or not
12 - 240 grams sweetened shredded coconut

# Instructions:

01 - Let the cookies hang out while the chocolate gets firm. Melt that dark chocolate either on a heatproof bowl over hot water or zap in the microwave a couple of times. Dip cookie bottoms into the chocolate, set them on wax paper, then use a fork to messily drizzle extra chocolate up top.
02 - Spoon a bit of the plain melted caramel on each cool cookie, then squish on some coconut caramel. Spread it right over the top and chill out for a half-hour while it sets. If stuff gets too thick, warm briefly to loosen up.
03 - Hold back 60 millilitres of melted caramel for later. Get the rest of it into a big bowl with your toasted coconut, mixing until blended really well.
04 - Toss caramels, milk, and salt in a saucepan. Pop it on a double boiler (that’s just a bowl over a pot with a little simmering water). Keep stirring till it turns smooth and melty.
05 - Dump the shredded coconut onto a parchment-lined tray and bake at 175°C. Give it a stir every few minutes while toasting for about 10 minutes, so it gets golden and smells nutty. Let it cool down.
06 - Bake your cut cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate the baking tray mid-way so they cook even, and once they’re light gold on top, cool ‘em off on a rack.
07 - Roll the dough disks on a floured countertop till they’re around 3 mm thin. Grab some circle cutters (big one for the outside, small for the middle) and make rings. Lay them on parchment or a non-stick tray; don’t forget you can smush and reroll leftovers.
08 - Flip your oven on and set it to 175°C.
09 - Pat the dough into two chunky disks, wrap each tight in plastic, and pop them in the fridge until they’re nice and firm—about an hour should do it.
10 - Pour in milk, then add vanilla. Stir just enough so everything comes together—don’t overdo it.
11 - Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together in a different bowl. Slowly add it into your creamy butter mix using three goes, scraping the sides after each bit.
12 - Drop the soft butter and sugar into your mixer (with the paddle). Let it go till what you’ve got is fluffy and super light.

# Notes:

01 - Dough tricky to roll after chilling? Let it hang out at room temp for about 10 minutes first.
02 - Want nice rings? Use a lid from a spice jar or two different sized round cutters—about 5 cm across and 2.5 cm for the middle.
03 - Don’t bake these too long—the bottoms should just be pale golden, not browned.
04 - Stay close when toasting coconut. It goes from perfect to overdone really fast.
05 - Covering cookies with plain caramel before adding coconut mix makes everything stick better.
06 - 1 and 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips adds up to about 225 grams of chocolate.

Back