30 is the new 29

I know a lot of people born in 1982 and you know what that means... they will all be turning 30 this year. Thirty is a big deal. People have extravagant parties and destination parties and I happen to be going to two before May. I'm also happy to report I was born in '83. There is still time! Apparently I need to start planning something amazing. Oh, and I'll need to begin my list of Thirty before Thirty (the 30 things you want to accomplish before you turn thirty). Until then, I'll keep baking you cakes!

Heed these words of wisdom from Lucille Ball, "The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all my 30-somethings and a pre-happy birthday to those of you who will soon be thirty (aka my sister!).

Cakes worthy of a 30th Birthday Celebration

Carrot Cake

Rice Krispie Cake

Cookie Cake

Coconut Cake

Banana Cake

Easy Bake cOven - Blondies

This month, I decided to ask everyone to make whatever recipe they wanted. Usually one member selects the recipe of the month, but I thought it would be fun to see what people made when given the chance. It is sometimes hard to find time to make the chosen recipe; either for lack of time, or lack of event that needs baked goods. I'm always looking for these events so M and I don't eat ourselves into sugar comas. Don't laugh, I'm not joking here. Food comas happen and sugar comas can happen too, thankfully not too often. 

I know it has been a while since I last posted, so before I share with you the recipe pictured above, I'll tell you a little about what's been happening this past month…. 

Work was busy during the beginning of the month. It's good to be busy. I'm pretty sure that M and I had something going on almost every night of the week before we left for vacation… and then we left for vacation. We visited family on the East coast, and set foot in the state of Texas to see more family courtesy of our unexpected layover. I didn't bake anything 3/4 of the month, but made it all up the Sunday after we returned. 

Since I am making our office birthday cakes now, I needed two for this past Monday. Yes, two. Why share on your birthday? And when my office has the opportunity for more cake, they will definitely take it. (The standing joke is screening new hires for birthday months we don't currently have). I also needed a sample cake for a large party I'm doing next weekend. Ambitious yes, possible yes. I even had time for a movie, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have one of those squishy gel mats they advertise for chefs in the back of my design magazines. Tired feet. 

So that Sunday I made ten six inch cake rounds, and assembled a single layer cake, a double layer cake, and a triple layer cake. The other layer is hanging out in the freezer for now. I guess you could say I made up for all of that non baking in one giant swoop. Satisfying. I'm not posting about cake though. I'm posting about Blondies. The ultimate cookie-bar-brownie-like dessert. They have chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut flakes, and walnuts. That is a lot of stuff in one bite. They are extremely sweet and will probably give you cavities if you don't brush you teeth, but I say worth eating. And worth passing out to your friends (remember - avoid sugar coma). I made these once before and it was a catastrophe. My oven would not ignite, my batter sat too long on the counter, and the leavening reacted too early. Later we learned to turn off the heater when we needed to start the oven - our 1920's era apartment may not have the necessary electrical service required to support all of our gadgets. Someday I'll have a kitchen of my own (with two ovens) and baking ten cakes in one day will literally be a  piece of cake. 

Be sure to check out the Easy Bake cOven blog for more recipe entries this month. 

Blondies

adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan

2 C flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks butter

1 1/2 C light brown sugar

1/4 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 C chocolate chips

1 C Butterscotch chips

1 C walnuts

1 C shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. (I don't have one so I used a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan - it makes thinner blondies - but for the thick version use a 9x13 pan). 

Cream Butter for 3 minutes with the paddle attachment. Add sugars and cream again until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix for one minute in between. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. 

Mix the dry ingredients together and add slowly to the mixer. Mix on low speed until just combined. (this means there might be a little flour visible). Add chips, nuts, and coconut with a spatula - or if you are feeling risky you can use the mixer on low. Spread the batter into the pan and even out the top. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is nice and golden and the bars begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. A knife tested in the center should come out clean unless you happen to stick it into a melted chocolate piece. 

Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, invert, and turn topside up to finish cooling. Cut into bars - yields 32. 

Little Bits of Heaven

I made some cookies to share at a superbowl party last weekend. If I were a man, I might daydream heaven has something like unlimited cookie dough and football... but since I'm no where close to manly, I'm happy just baking in celebration of helmet cracking and dog piling (my heaven includes puppies). I intended to make something really kitschy like a football cake or little helmet shaped sugar cookies - then I realized I didn't have time for all of that. Instead, I made cookies. Seems it may have taken the same amount of time to make three different cookies as rolling sugar cookie dough and decorating... it may have also helped if I had white granulated sugar on hand when I started. oops. That extra bag in my baking cabinet turned out to be a mystery bag of flour, not sugar. Bummer. Two cookies out, new cookies to come.

I was able to make Coconut Macaroons on Saturday night and subbed sweetened coconut and a tablespoon of brown sugar for the granulated. Interesting combo. Very chewy. I'm not sure if I like coconut macaroons or not. I might like this one more if it didn't taste so much like almond extract/marzipan. Next time I'll switch for coconut extract. Pretty, but super almondy. Don't come to the wrong conclusion - people did like them - I would like them with less almond.

[insert: sleep, wake up early, go to race, watch M run a half marathon, go home, fast trip to grocery store for sugar, make cookies.]

If I had made more cookies on Saturday rather than wait till the last minute Sunday, you may never have been exposed to a favorite of mine, The Orange Snowball. I know it is not snowing here, but these cookies are like little magical white puffs dotted with orange zest and rolled in sugar. They sparkle. Snowball-esque. Pretty. Tasty. You must try them. They do make a nice addition to a Christmas cookie box, but you shouldn't wait that long. They go just as nice with tea and coffee (or beer while watching football). They are simple to make and do not require a lot of ingredients. And unlike my description, they are more like a shortbread cookie than puffs of air.

Third cookie. I found this recipe while scouring the net for a cookie recipe that used solely brown sugar. After reading some recipes, I decided to wait for regular sugar, it seemed appropriate. And I stumbled onto a chewy chocolate chip recipe by Alton Brown I thought I should try. The other 600 people who tried it seemed to like it a lot - and baking with bread flour seemed interesting enough. The science behind extra gluten in the flour is supposed to make a chewier cookie. Unless I did a side by side taste test I couldn't really say how chewy these were but they were definitely good. I'd make them again. If you have bread flour on hand try them out.

Coconut Macarons

2 2/3 C shredded coconut

1/2 C sugar

1/3 C flour

1/4 tsp salt

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp almond extract - or coconut extract

2 oz semisweet chocolate

1/8 tsp shortening

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Mix ingredients together in a medium bowl. Scoop dough into balls and place evenly on a greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Melt chocolate and shortening in microwave on low power. Decorate the cookies with the chocolate after they have cooled. Store at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Orange Snowballs

1 C butter

3/4 C powdered sugar

1 T + 2 tsp orange zest divided

1 T orange juice

2 2/3 C flour

sugar

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Beat butter for a minute until creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add juice and continue beating. Add in the flour and 1 T zest and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. This might take a few minutes so be patient. Divide the dough evenly into 8 segments. From these segments, make 6 equal pieces of dough. Roll the dough into balls and set aside. Once you have rolled them all, coat them with granulated sugar and place on a baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes. While the cookies are baking, mix the remaining zest with about 1/2 C sugar with your fingers. Remove cookies from oven and as soon as you can handle them, roll them in the zest/sugar mixture. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store airtight for up to 5 days.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies - Alton Brown, Food Network

I didn't change a thing.

Do Groundhogs Eat Banana Cake?

If I were a groundhog I would definitely eat banana cake. If the famous groundhog were offered a nice slice of cake, maybe he would stay out a little longer, not search for his shadow, and declare winter is over - instead of running back into his home....

I welcome every opportunity to make birthday cakes. I took this Groundhog Day to offer my baking skills to my office for birthday celebrations. Most of the time we just buy a cake from the grocery store two blocks from the office - they are fine if you enjoy boring cakes.... I was ready for change.

I've made cakes for a friend in the past who is allergic to pretty much everything - and the allergies are ever changing. My other friend used to be gluten free, sugar free, and now she is corn free. The other two are back thankfully, or this cake might have been a bad science experiment. Cake without eggs is difficult. Bananas help keep the cake moist but I had to get creative with the volume. I loosely based the recipe on an Elizabeth Falkner gem I found on a website in 2006 (website no longer exists). The website was connected to Citizen Cake, one of Falkner's restaurant, and she used to share some of her recipes (maybe imagining that no one would be able to match her skill and still crave her Demolition Desserts). I don't suppose she ever thought I might come along and turn her recipe into an almost vegan dessert. I used her recipe as an inspiration for the birthday cake we celebrated today, Groundhog Day.

Banana Cake. Banana Cake with Coconut Cream, Banana Caramel, and Sea Salt Walnuts. Yum! I was nervous baking this. I hovered around the oven peeking in the window every few minutes to determine whether or not the cake was rising appropriately or browning too much... I even prayed that the cake wouldn't be bad since I was feeding my office the next day. My prayers were heard and the cake turned out just fine. I should have added some parchment to the pan (hindsight) because the cake was so moist part of the bottom got stuck. Caramel is not typically my friend. I've made it only twice before and am always scared I'm going to burn it. I didn't burn this one but the color was super dark and it probably took much longer to get to 218˚F than it should have.

The whipped cream substitute is an entirely different story. I wanted to use a product I read about on the internet. Good reviews, and it seemed to be exactly what I needed. Unfortunately, Whole Foods didn't carry this specific one. They had one other type of whipped dairy substitute that I read about and decided to try. After all, one can of the stuff was about the amount I needed. When I got home and tried it, I spewed about half of the aerosol into an empty container before anything came out. Then the aerosol was gone... and in the can lives the rest of the fake cream. For all I'm concerned it can stay in there forever. It was disgusting! I feel bad for people who have to drink any sort of Rice milk (which is what this is made of even though it is called Soyatoo) and vow to never attempt substituting milk for rice any time soon.

My cakes were done, my caramel sauce was done, and I was really bummed that I had no frosting. This wouldn't have been so bad if I lived near a 24 hour grocery store, but I had to fix this problem the next day... at work... and haul my cakes all over the city before I actually got there. Yeah for the Bureau of Street Use and Mapping! So, I took some time to remind myself what I had read about substituting dairy for whipped cream and Coconut Milk came into my mind. I remembered a specific recipe that called for 3 cans of coconut milk (all while rushing through the grocery store on the way into work) and you had to refrigerate them to separate the cream from the water.... and it didn't whip up in volume but had the right consistency... (still running through Whole Foods) decided to get a soy substitute cream cheese just in case... ran to the checkout and power walked back to work.

Whipping Coconut Cream at your office is difficult. I couldn't see any good way to bring my mixer along that morning (had to substitute a power whisk attachment for my immersion blender) but wish I had. The whisk was a little out of control and my bowl was shallow. I made a slight mess, but with a little powdered sugar the cream turned out really well.

Everyone who stopped in the kitchen gave a "wow" as I was assembling it (which always makes me smile) even though it was not the most beautiful of presentations. I drizzled the caramel on top of the whipped coconut, and topped the whole cake with sea salted walnuts. It was a hit - and now I think I have sealed the deal for cake making. (Just like my friend Nicole in Chicago!) The rest won't be as difficult as this cake. Normal ingredients. Not so much stress. Glad to have made a successful cake though!

Happy Birthday you two!

Banana Cake with Coconut Cream, Banana Caramel, and Sea Salt Walnuts

printer friendly version

Cake

2 ½ C flour

1 T baking powder

½ tsp (heaping) salt

1 stick margarine

2 T water

2 C sugar divided

½ C vegetable oil

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 T distilled white vinegar + enough soy milk to make 1 C

1 ¾ C diced bananas – about 2 medium ripe bananas

Banana Caramel

1/2 C banana chopped

3/4 C brown sugar

1 T margarine

3/4 C water

Coconut Cream

2 cans coconut milk (not light)

1 T powdered sugar

Sea Salted Walnuts

1 C walnut pieces

1 T marjarine

1 tsp fine sea salt

Prep the coconut milk by removing the tops of the cans and covering with plastic wrap. Place them into the freezer for 1 hour, then move them to the fridge until you are ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray two 9" round cake pans, line with parchment and spray lightly again. Cream the marjarine and 1 C sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the padddle attachment. Add water and continue to mix. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine soy milk and vinegar and set aside. Add flour in 3 additions alternating with two additions of soy milk. In your flour bowl, whisk remaining sugar and oil, mix in baking soda thoroughly. Add bananas and stir to combine. Pour this mixture into the batter on medium speed until everything is well incorporated. Separate evenly between the two pans, shake to eliminate air bubbles, and bake for about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack until completely cool. Cover with foil if you are making the cakes ahead of time.

Make the Banana Caramel. Process everything but the water until smooth. Add to a small saucepan and add the water. Set pan over medium heat and whisk to combine water thoroughly. Set a candy thermometer in the pan and cook until the temperature reaches 215˚F. Do not stir during this period. Once it reaches the right temperature, pour into a glass measuring cup to cool.

Prepare the walnuts. Melt 1 T margarine. Add nuts to a small bag and pour in margarine and salt. Shake well to combine, then spread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes at 325˚F or until crisp and fragrant. Cool.

Prepare the Coconut Cream. Once the coconut milk is completely chilled, the cream will separate from the coconut water and rise to the top of the can. Scoop out the cream making sure not to get the water in the mix. Add this to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until cream is not lumpy. Add in powdered sugar - or to taste. Coconut Cream will not whip in volume like Whipping Cream, but this should be enough to frost two cake layers (I left the sides visible). If you want to cut the cake into 4 layers use 3 cans of coconut milk instead. Set aside until ready to frost.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a stand (don't forget to remove the parchment). Top with half of the coconut cream and smooth to the edges. Drizzle as much banana caramel on top of the cream as you desire. Place second cake layer, and top with the remaining cream. Drizzle caramel and sprinkle walnuts over the top.

This cake will last up to 4 days well covered in the refrigerator. Leftovers are tasty!

Orange Coconut Bars

Yum! Why are bars so delicious? I really like lemon bars but decided to use the fruits of Farm Fresh and try an orange version of the classic Lemon bar. I made them for a friend's birthday and since it was at a wine bar we needed something portable and bite sized. I had most ingredients on hand so that made the recipe decision much more simple.

The bars are fairly straight forward, they have a pecan crust and an orange juice, zest and coconut filling. I sprinkled them with powdered sugar and they looked really pretty. They keep well in the fridge if you need to make them in advance. I used part sweetened coconut and part shaved coconut. I liked the combination. It didn't get too sweet which was one of my worries had I used all sweetened coconut. The orange flavor was mild enough that the pecan crust came through.

Our birthday girl loved them (though she seems to enjoy my baking). I got a lot of good comments from the tasters as well and think that these will make the repeat list. The original recipe actually suggests these might be good for breakfast... I guess they are not super sweet and would probably work, but I suggest making them as an hors d'oeuvres instead.

Orange Coconut Bars

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Cookies

1/2 C all purpose flour

1/4 C sugar

1/4 C butter

1/2 C finely chopped pecans

2 eggs

3/4 C sugar

2 T flour

1 1/2 tsp orange zest

3 T orange juice (about 1 1/2 juicy oranges)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 C sweetened shredded coconut

1/2 C flaked unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350˚. In the bowl of a food processor grind the nuts until finely chopped but not paste, add the 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar and pulse a few times. Then add the butter and pulse until you get pea sized crumbs. Press into the bottom of an 8x8 inch pan. I like to line it with foil which makes it cleaner and easier to get out. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden.

To make the filling, combine sugar, eggs, juice, zest and baking powder. Pour into the baked crust and return to the oven for about 20 more minutes. The edges will be light brown the the center set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. At this point you can refrigerate the whole pan for 1 hour which will make it easy to get the bars out. Pull out the bars, peel off the foil, and cut into squares. I made tiny 1 inch squares but you can make 16 bars by cutting the pan in half and then into 8 segments. I also prefer to slice off just a small amount of the edge because it tends to brown more than the rest. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.

Birthday Cake - an Old Family Recipe

For Michael's birthday this year I made him decide which recipe he would like (like always). He narrowed it down to two: Italian Creme Cake or White Cake with Chocolate and White Chocolate Mousse. He left it to me to make the final choice... I decided Italian Creme Cake. The recipe comes from his Step Great Grandma Maxine, and I thought it would be special since his mom used to make it. The cake is very simple. A white cake base with buttermilk and coconut, finished with a cream cheese/walnut frosting. Funny thing, the recipe calls for Oleo. Every time I see this word I want to giggle. Such a funny name for margarine. I'm sure it was a little different back when his great grandma was making it, but it is the closest thing we have now. I don't usually bake with margarine so it made it a little interesting. I even used it in the Icing recipe because I thought I should be true to form (at least on my first attempt). I thought of cutting the recipe in half but decided that halving 5 separated eggs might ruin it.... so I baked it in my 6" cake pans - one tiny cake for now, and one for later. The cake turned out well. The texture from the crisco and margarine was interesting. I would like to try it with butter just to see the difference. It was also very sweet! 2 C sugar! The combination of sugary cake with sweet frosting definitely satisfies your sweet tooth. Next time I think I will cut about half of it. Maxine must have loved sweets. The other thing I did differently was ice the cake without the nuts. I decided to toast them and layer them on top. The presentation was lovely and provided a nice consistent frosting with a crunch on top. I'm really glad that I have this recipe. I know Dana gets nervous that once we master a recipe her children won't come home (but we will don't worry!). I think it is important to continue a family tradition whether it be baking or movie night - fortunately for me it's baking. The Townsend's have instilled a great appreciation for food in their children and I hope to do the same someday. Cooking together as a family provides a wonderful bonding opportunity to allows us to overcome the boundaries of age. It also develops skills that seem to be secondhand to eating out. 

Italian Creme Cake 

2C sugar 

1/2 cup shortening 

1 stick of Oleo

5 eggs, separated 

2 cups flour 

1 cup buttermilk 

1 t baking soda 

1 t vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut 

 Cream together the sugar, shortening, and butter. Add the 5 egg yolks one at a time. Add alternately the flour, buttermilk, and baking soda. Mix in the vanilla and coconut. Fold in 5 beaten egg whites. 

Grease and flour 3 - 9 inch cake pans, and bake 25-30 minutes at 325˚. (Alternatively you can bake the cake in 6" pans - about 1 C batter per pan - for 20-25 minutes). 

Icing 

1 8 oz package Cream Cheese 

1 stick Oleo 

1 lb powdered sugar 

1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 C chopped nuts. 

The recipe says that if you wanted to use a loaf pan, increase the baking time to 45-50 minutes. 

Happy Birthday Michael, I hope you enjoyed your cake!

Granola 'N' Things

My Mother in law, Dana, sent me this recipe about a year ago and this is only the second time I have made it. My husband grew up eating this chewy granola and I was interested in finding a good/healthy granola recipe without adding lots of sugar. I started eating granola almost daily with my breakfast of yogurt and fruit and it started bugging me - the amount of sugar in granola you buy at the grocery store. Michael suggested his mom's recipe and it turned out lovely. The first time I made it I didn't have enough honey on hand and had to use half brown sugar half honey which resulted in a more crumbly separated granola - unlike the somewhat chewy granola the recipe is supposed yield. This time, I think it all turned out well. I made a full batch instead of a half batch and used the full 1C honey required. It makes tons (which is great because it keeps well) and saves us money not having to use the store bought kind. The recipe is great because it only provides the base granola so you can add whatever makes you happy. I decided to add Pistachios, Almonds, and little shredded Coconut. Other things you can add are Brewers Yeast, seeds, dried fruit etc. I plan to make this more often when we need granola - I just have to make time! Here is the recipe if you want to try it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks Dana! Granola 'N' Things Dana Townsend 4 C whole oats 2C wheat flour 1C all purpose flour 1C soy flour or wheat germ (I use wheat germ) 1 tsp salt 1/2 C oil 1C honey 1/2 C applesauce or 1C water Stir dry ingredients. Add in wet ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Stir in fruit/nuts. Spread onto two large sheet pans. Bake at 250* for 1 1/2 hours stirring every 20-30 minutes. Cool on pans and store in an airtight container. Things to add: seeds, nuts, dried fruit, 1T brewers yeast or nutritional yeast, coconut (sweetened or not) Add as much or as little as you want - it is about consistency, not exact measurements.

The Girl Scout Cookie Challenge

I dreamed up this challenge for myself the day I ordered a box of Samoas from a lady at work (no, not a girl scout, a lady). I used to not like them much - I preferred the Peanut Butter Patties (Tagalongs depending on where you are from) but as I've gotten older I have grown to love the coconut cookies and I bake with coconut more often.

The Challenge was to try and recreate the Samoa (based on a recipe I found online) and then do a side by side taste test to see how mine compared. I asked a few people to contribute their comments after taking the challenge. Here are the results:

Kerry

Cookie test SAM-0309 I'm not a big cookie fan, but when I find a cookie I like I will eat it in large quantities. So is the case with the samoa - maybe it has something to do with it's unavailability most of the year - but I love them and will eat an entire box over the course of a couple hours. So this cookie taste test is very important to me and I congratulate Christina on undertaking such a complex and delicious dessert. Samoa: coconut explosion, crunchy cookie, sweet chocolate not too overpowering - mostly taste caramel and coconut. C-amoa: Delicious rich dark chocolate is the first taste, a buttery crumbly cookie center and a thicker, softer bed of caramel and coconut on top. Christina's cookie is totally delicious but doesn't not have the coconut explosion of the Samoa. The third C-amoa I tried has proven that this cookie has also grown on me and I want to eat large quantities - something I didn't think at first. To make the C-amoa taste more like the Samoa, I would use semi-sweet choco, and less of it - more coconut extract in the cookie and in the caramel. Caramel mixture could be thinned and the cookie could be crunchier. However, this C-amoa is it's own cookie and doesn't need to become a Samoa to taste good or be addictive. Sheryl

i tested your cookie first and first noticed the different chocolaty taste when you then explained it was dark chocolate. it made me realize it was a less processed cookie then the ever so sweet girl scout cookie. so i'm thinking im not a fan of dark chocolate because seriously chocolate isnt really chocolate without all the sugary goodness but i thoroughly enjoyed the not so sweet factor of your overall cookie. the minute i ate the girl scout cookie, my stomach did a little summersault because it was even sweeter compared to what i remembered especially after eating your less sweet cookie. i feel like i could eat more servings of your cookie in one sitting versus me being sick to my stomach after eating just one girl scout version. i think i like the chewy consistency of the GSC and your cookie was more flaky/cookie like and less of a caramel gooeyness. but i like your cookie appearance versus the GSC, there's too much coconut-ty flakes on the GSC version and i liked your melted bottom. hmm and i think that's my first impressions. now my tummy feels all sicky poo from eating that second cookie, the GSC cookie is really too sweet. i have a request for a semi sweet chocolate version of your cookie =). not so dark. =P

Yana

So here's the comparison. The original is crunchier and the coconut taste is much stronger. All I can really taste is "caramely" coconut and the crunchy texture, and it all hits me at once.Yours is softer and I can taste more of the cookie itself, less of the coconut and caramel. The experience is gradual - I taste the cookie dough first, then the chocolate, and then there are distant coconut and caramel flavors, but they are not very strong. These two are somewhat different cookies. Personally - and I am probably cutting myself off your supply of yumminess as I say this - I like the original girl scouts cookie...

Some thoughts about making the cookies....

Starting with a sugar cookie base I cut out O shapes and baked until barely golden. After they cooled, I mixed caramel with toasted coconut, spread it on the tops, and let it set. Then I melted some dark chocolate and dipped the bottoms of each cookie into the chocolate and piped the rest of the chocolate in strips on top. This whole process (including waiting time) took about 4 hours, which is a really long time to make 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

They turned out really pretty, and although they don't taste much like the Girl Scout Samoa, I think they are tasty cookies. In order to make them taste more similar, they need to be more coconut-y which I could solve by adding coconut extract to the cookie dough instead of vanilla and adding a little to the toasted coconut-caramel mixture. Also, based on the reviews the cookie is a little too buttery - so I would reduce the amount of butter and make them a bit crispier. I would also advise making your own caramel sauce. I cheated and used the store bought caramel squares (because they have been taking up space in my baking cabinet for too long). And finally using a mixture of dark and semi-sweet chocolate.

I also believe strongly that the processed food ingredients help give the Samoa a weirdly distinct flavor. Maybe it is the TBHQ or the hydrogenated palm kernel oil that make these cookies unique and irreproducible -- or maybe it's because I don't have an army of girl scouts working for me.... Except for the corn syrup I know resides in those caramel squares, my cookies are a little more whole, maybe even healthy if you use the term loosely, and I may give them another try in the near future. Until then, I will (with the help of my husband) will finish off the rest of the Samoas with a little guilt.

Just in case you were wondering about the extra processed flavoring ingredients...(directly from the Little Brownie Bakers website)

INGREDIENTS: Sugar, vegetable oil (palm, partially hydrogenated palm kernel, soybean and/or cottonseed with TBHQ to preserve freshness), enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate [vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), corn syrup, coconut, sweetened condensed milk (condensed milk, sugar), sorbitol, contains two percent or less of cocoa, glycerin, invert sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, cornstarch, salt, caramelized sugar, dextrose, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, carrageenan, leavening (baking soda, monocalcium phosphate).

Also, since this recipe is not from any published source I decided to share it here so you can take the Challenge yourself . I'd love to hear your results!

Enjoy

Homemade Samoas

Cookies 1 cup butter, soft (recommend using less butter)

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or coconut extract)

up to 2 tbsp milk (or coconut milk if you have it)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.Roll the dough out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-oz good-quality chewy caramels (or about 1 1/2 - 2 cups home made caramel)

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk (coconut milk would be better)

8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (a mixture of dark and semi-sweet chips would be great)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined 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.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.