Got hooked on the stuff way back when I wore a green sash myself and sold them door-to-door. Now at $3.50 a box, I limit myself to one box a year, then carefully ration out the 15 little coconut-covered, caramel-filled, chocolate-drizzled cookies.
Figured there must be some "copycat recipes" out on the Web somewhere. Sure enough -- lots of them! Was won over by the pretty pictures of these cookies (click to go to recipe)…
…and then was even more delighted to see another version (click to go to recipe) posted recently, making bars instead of cookies. Same great taste, much faster execution! So last week, I went over to a friend’s and (mostly watched as she) made Homemade Samoa Bars.
The Verdict? YUM! So so good! Looked great. Tasted great. And how did they compare to the "real" factory-made ones? Well, truth be told, I still like the Girl Scout ones better. But I think that’s because of the chocolate. We used semi-sweet for the homemade ones, so they had a strong cocoa-y taste that almost over-powered the caramel and coconut, whereas the chocolate on the factory ones tasted much more sugar-y. (I gnawed some off the bottom to try to isolate its flavor contribution.)
So next time, I think I’ll try milk chocolate. Experienced cookie makers (Jenny et al.), do you think that would be enough to change it from cocoa-y to sugar-y?
And, just for looks, since the factory cookies have dry-looking non-caramel-covered coconut on top, I might try leaving out a small portion of the toasted coconut and then squishing that on top of the still-warm caramel filling.
All in all, it was a success. And a fun afternoon with a friend. Wonder if she’d like to try the "Thin Minties" knock-off next? 'Cause that’s my man’s addiction. And his annual box is already gone!
(Updated 3/11 to fix photo links and make recipe links more obvious)
He he! The girls have wolfed down one of the two boxes of GS cookies we bought from our neighbor. We didn't try to copy either, though! Looked like too much work! I am addicted to shortbread. I am not allowing myself to bake any in the near future until I can get out and walk/exercise a bit first. Unrelated point: I like how you have everything on your blog - family, food, craft etc. So nice to read. Mine is spread out between the two blogs and it's beginning to drive me crazy trying to decide which one goes where. Like that cardboard pizza post - technically a craft, but it's sort of a family thing also and also a bit recipe-ish. My eyes are glazing over just re-reading that last sentence I just typed.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to bring a few Samoas to your very sick friend, I'm sure she wouldn't mind at all!
ReplyDeleteKristi, you're a Samoas lover too? Didn't know that. Yeah, I hear coconut, caramel and chocolate are almost as good as chicken soup for curing ailments. : )
ReplyDeleteMmm, LiEr, I haven't had any good shortbread in quite a while. But reading about it makes my mouth water. Love that stuff too!
And funny you should mention it -- I do actually have a "family" blog too but it's mostly just for stories, photos and videos of the girls, the stuff that grandparents love to see. On "madebyk," I do try to throw in a little variety of stuff about me and my life, not just see what I've made, because that's really the point of this thing: allowing me to write about what I've "created" but also allowing me to "connect" with others, fellow crafters or not. So, sometimes it's PURSES I've made and sometimes it's MESSES I've made! : )
oh, i love the samoas!!! they are my all time favorite cookie!! carmel, coconut, and chocolate- there can't be anything more yummy!! i've already downed one box and have been wanting to buy another soooo bad!! :) ours are now $4.00 a box!!! and, i think the boxes are smaller, i've heard??
ReplyDeletenow, i have to try those samoa bars, and this week, so i don't go broke buying the gs ones at $4.00 a box. hee! hee!! would you share the recipe?
oh, now i see there is a link!! you were prepared for those samoa lovers, so we could rush to the cuboards and start baking!! :) THANKS!!
ReplyDeleteAre you melting the chocolate and then mixing it? Or are you just mixing in hard chocolate chips? I might have to look at the recipe. They make a german chocolate (I think the wrapper has the color green on it.) for melting. It's a good "sugar-y" mix! You might want to try that. Although, it costs a little more. Maybe, you should try milk chocolate first and do the cookies. They may remind you more of the actual cookie. Bars are much faster but the cookies may be the better recipe. I too like those cookies. They just have a good balance of chewy, sweet, and crunchy!
ReplyDeleteThey look awesome! I would def try using milk, I hate dark choc so I always use milk instead of dark in any recipe that call for chcolate. YUM!!!
ReplyDeleteKerri - did you make any yet? I wanted to make more, but have to first get more caramel candies...
ReplyDeleteJenny - thanks for the info. I am melting it, then dipping the bottoms of the already-cut bars in it (and you know how I struggle with dipping stuff!!!), and then drizzling more over the top.
Rainbowmum - i'm with ya that dark chocolate = blech! Must start using milk chocolate more often -- why is it that I "break the rules" in so many areas of life, but feel compelled to follow recipes down to the letter?!? By the way, welcome! Thanks for leaving your note!
Related links are such a good thing. Was reading the mermaid post and saw the related link to the Samoas recipe. Samoas are the best and I have trouble limiting myself to three boxes. Oh! The humanity!
ReplyDeleteThree boxes?!? You lucky dog, you! I usually only buy one... But you should definitely try these homemade ones. p.s. Commentors are such a good thing -- I'd forgotten all about this post! : )
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