Girl Scout Cookie Samoas Bars

Samoas Bars

Serving size: 24

I needed an easy to eat, delicious dessert for a party I was having recently. (Turns out, against all odds, I really am turning into my mom.) I found these on another blog and decided to give them a shot! I usually try out a recipe before serving it for others, but was short on time. Luckily these bars are so easy and forgiving, they turned out exactly how they should have. I did change around the steps and added a few things here and there, just to make it easier. Give yourself a few hours for these, they are not hard to bake, but just take time. Side note, this is a terrific recipe if you cook with someone else, or kids. There are a lot of steps that could be accomplished at once, with the help of others!

·      ½ cup sugar

·      ¾ cup butter, softened (1 ½ sticks of butter)

·      1 large egg (or extra large, use whatever you have)

·      1 tsp vanilla extract

·      2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

·      ¼ tsp salt

·      3 cups shredded coconut (1 12oz bag is plenty)

·      14 oz chewy caramels (1 14oz Kraft© original caramals bag)

·      20oz chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk or a mixture of both, about a bag and a half)

·      3 Tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 300°. On a baking sheet, lay out the coconut. You don’t need to grease the pan, there is enough oil in the coconut to keep it from sticking. Toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. The coconut should be just toasted and have a dry feel to it. Don’t over toast it! Set aside to cool.

Turn the oven up to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar for about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour and salt 1/3 at a time, until just combined. Don’t over mix, or the dough will be tough. The mixture will be slightly crumbly and coarse; this is a good thing! Dump the mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan (no need to grease). Press the dough into the corners, making sure the dough is even throughout the pan. This is where you will need the extra flour, the dough is very sticky! Use the flour to help maneuver the dough into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until just golden brown on the edges. Set aside to cool completely.

Don’t make the coconut and caramel topping too early, you want to be able to dump it right on top of the cooled crust. I waited about ½ an hour for the crust to cool to begin the caramel topping. Melt the caramels in a microwave safe bowl. First, spray the bowl with nonstick spray. Then unwrap the caramels and put them in the bowl with the milk. Microwave for 2-4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. If there are still a few caramels almost melted, that’s fine. Just keep stirring and they will melt from the residual heat.

 Mix in the toasted coconut, then evenly spread on the cookie base. This is much easier if you spray a nonstick spatula. (**I tried to spread the mixture using my hands, but just ended up with a big mess, use the spatula to your advantage**) Allow to cool completely.

Cut the bars into desired shape. I got 24 bars out of mine, but you can cut them to whatever size you wish. You can either melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or you can use a double boiler and let the chocolate melt. If using a double boiler, set a glass bowl over simmering water in a pot. DO NOT let the bowl touch the water, or the chocolate will burn. Keep the water on low, so it is just simmering. Add about 4 Tbsp half & half to the chocolate mixture if using a double boiler. If the chocolate looks too thick, or isn’t melting properly, keep adding half and half, a Tbsp at a time, until it becomes the consistency you want. (This happened to me, I had the water way too hot.) Carefully, dip the bottom of each bar into the chocolate  and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Do not be stingy here, the more chocolate the better!

Working quickly, take the excess chocolate and add it to a Ziploc bag. I experimented, and found that the easiest way to do this is a coffee mug and a half gallon Ziploc bag. Put the bag inside the coffee mug, and roll the top of the bag around it. Add the chocolate to the bag, then pull the bag out and close the top. Voila, no mess! Cut the tip of the bag in the bottom corner, and carefully pipe lines of chocolate however you wish onto the bars.

Refrigerate the bars on the wax paper for at least 3 hours. Then find a container and keep them refrigerated, they should last for a few weeks, but I doubt you’ll ever keep them that long.

Breakfast Tart

I was having someday-to-be in-laws over for breakfast and wanted to make something really easy that was different. I came across a breakfast tart recipe in my food network magazine, and decided to, as usual, change some of the ingredients. The original tart can be a bit pricey with some of the ingredients, so I swapped them out for much cheaper ones. I chose bacon instead of pancetta, cream cheese instead of mascarpone cheese, and swiss cheese instead of gruyere. Those changes saved me about $7+ and the tart was, in my mind, just as delicious!

Breakfast Tart
Serves 4-6

• 1 9 inch tart pan (if you do not own a tart pan, use a pie pan, just watch the cooking times)
• 1 9 inch unroll-and-bake pie crust (not one already in a shell)
• 1 large egg white, beaten
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 3-4 ounces bacon cut into 1/4 inch slices (the recipe calls for pancetta, so by all means use it. but a pound of bacon is the same price as 3 ounces of pancetta)
•  5 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (4oz) cream cheese, softened (or mascarpone)
• 2 cups swiss cheese (or gruyere)
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, pepper (whatever you have on hand)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Unroll the pie crust gently over the tart shell and using your fingertips, gently press the crust up the sides of the shell. If there is some uneven spots, that is okay.
2. With the tines of a fork, prick the bottom of the pie crust. Brush the beaten egg white (save whatever is left!) over the crust, and bake for about 10 minutes, or just until the crust looks set. Set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, cook bacon until crispy, stirring the pan frequently. Drain the bacon, reserving the bacon grease, on a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.

4. Remove all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon grease, and add the onions and whatever vegetable you choose. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, just until the onion is soft. Drain the vegetable mixture as well, and set aside.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together, adding in the beaten egg white from before. No use wasting half an egg white. Add the cream cheese, swiss cheese, salt and pepper. Once combined, gently add the bacon and vegetables. Pour the mixture into the cooled crust and bake for 18-20 minutes or just until the top is a nice golden color.

6. At this point, either cool the tart and serve warm or room temperature, or dig in and enjoy!