{Samoa / coconut caramel bar cookies}

I made the addicting, wonderful, delicious Pecan Caramel Bar Cookies the other day... and I thought - caramel, add coconut - add chocolate - we've got Samoa bars! I used the same recipe (post below), just a variation of ingredients. The picture doesn't include the chocolate drizzle - but they are good both ways!

I'm not sure which I like better... I think maybe the original Pecan Caramel bars. But these are still REALLY good. Pecans just hold a special place in my heart ;)



Samoa / Coconut Caramel Bar Cookies

Original full batch recipe at Epicurious. This recipe modified.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups coconut, toasted (20 min @ 350 degrees - stir every 5 minutes)
Chocolate chips, melted (optional - for drizzle)


Line a 9x13 inch metal pan with foil (I used Reynolds Release foil) and spray foil with cooking spray.

Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Press dough into bottom of pan and chill for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. When dough is chilled, bake it for about 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden. Let it cool on a rack while you make the pecan topping.

Cook sugar in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted to a deep golden caramel. Tilt pan and carefully pour in cream (caramel will harden and steam vigorously - be careful!). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved - this will take a while, keep mashing and stirring that caramel until cream is incorporated. Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, salt, and coconut.

Quickly spread topping over cooled crust and bake until bubbling, about 15-20 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Grasp foil, lift bars from pan and cut into triangles or squares. Drizzle each piece with a little melted chocolate or enjoy as is!

{the best cookie}

I have been on a quest for the "perfect" Chocolate Chip Cookie, like many people, I'm sure. At the moment, these cookies are my "go to" cookie whenever I am in the mood for Chocolate Chip Cookies. Crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle (and STAYS chewy for days - IF they last that long!)



Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 ½ cups flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
10 Tbsp. butter, (1 stick, plus 2 Tbsp) - melted and slightly cooled
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, large
¾ tsp. vanilla
½ cup chocolate chips, semi sweet
½ cup pecans, chopped

Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed for 2-3 minutes. The mixture will become pale and a bit lighter.

Beat 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl and add a little less than 1 tablespoon of it plus the 1 remaining whole egg to butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. By hand, stir in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips.

At this point, chill the dough for a few hours or overnight. For thinner cookies, you may skip the chill time.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop about 1/4 cup batter for each cookie, arranging mounds 3 inches apart, on 2 baking sheets. Flatten mounds into 3-inch rounds using moistened palm of your hand. Form remaining cookies on additional sheets of parchment. (I don’t always flatten the mounds).

Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and continue making cookies in same manner using cooled baking sheets.


Note: I take the cookies out when the cookies are brown around the edges and look underdone in the center. They will cook internally as they cool. If you find the edges are cooking way too fast, try baking the cookies at 350 degrees instead.

** Super secret side note for making EXTRA tasty cookies: Make dough and refrigerate for at LEAST 24 hours, up to 36 hours. The flavors enhance and are wonderful!