Samoa Bars

I want to go on record by stating that Girl Scout Samoas are a thing of beauty and I would never say these are better than the original, but I will say that they are pretty damn good. You have a flaky shortbread crust, mountains of toasted coconut smothered in caramel, all drizzled with a little semisweet chocolate. This makes a 9x13 pan, so it's plenty to share (or not share; I won't tell you how to live your life).

For the Shortbread:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract if you don't have it)

3/4 tsp salt

2 c all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare 9x13 pan with parchment paper and non-stick spray. 

2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add in vanilla bean paste and salt. 

3. Slowly incorporate flour. The mixture will be sandy, but you should be able to push it together in your hand and have it clump. Press dough firmly into prepared pan. 

4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. 

5. Allow to partially cool before adding the coconut layer.

For the Coconut Layer:

2 c sweetened shredded coconut 

11 oz bag of caramel bits

3 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

4 oz semi sweet chocolate chips. 

1. While the shortbread is baking, put 2 c sweetened shredded coconut into a pan to toast. Make sure to stir frequently. When it gets slightly toasted and fragrant, remove to a bowl for later. 

2. Once the shortbread has come out of the oven, you can combine caramel bits, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla into a heat-safe bowl and microwave for 30 second intervals. It will look like it's not going to come together, but it totally will. 

3. Toss in the shredded coconut and mix to coat. 

4. Spread out evenly onto the shortbread crust. 

5. In a small heat-safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips in 15 second intervals until smooth. Put into a piping bag (or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off), and pipe lines onto the top of the bars. 

6. Allow to cool completely before cutting. *If you wanted to, you could dip the bottoms of the bars into chocolate as well once they're cut- this will be more reminiscent of the real deal, but it will also be a hot mess, so you do you, boo.