Homemade Samoa Cookies

Homemade Samoa Cookies
Author/Source: Jimmie @ Onceamonthmom.com, Adapted from www.bakingbites.com

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla
Up to 5 tbsp milk
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
12 oz chewy caramels (unwrapped)
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla up to 2 tbsp milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough hold together without being sticky.

Roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use the end of a wide straw to cut a small center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. (You can skip this step if you don’t mind your cookies not having a hole in the center.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Decrease oven heat to 300°F. Spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Place the caramels in a large microwave-safe bowl with 3 tbsp milk and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, stir in toasted coconut. Spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie.

While topping sets and cools, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45-second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a quart-size freezer bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.

Freezing Directions: Cool completely, then transfer into freezer bags. Label and freeze. To serve, thaw at room temperature. Servings: Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies