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You will love these Coconut Chocolate Caramel Cookies! This recipe is a sumptuous twist on the iconic Girl Scout Samoa cookies. Each cookie is a little parcel of joy, blending the comforting flavors of chocolate and caramel with the exotic flair of toasted coconut. These homemade treasures are not just cookie; they’re an edible homage to nostalgia, reimagined with a gourmet touch.
Samoa Cookies have always been my favorite Girl Scout cookie, the only bummer is you cannot buy them year round! But now you can make them any time you want. The same amazing flavors in a new twist.
The Chemistry of Cookies
The allure of these cookies lies in their delicate chemistry. Baking powder, our leavening agent, plays a pivotal role, ensuring the cookie rise gracefully. The duo of butter and shortening is meticulously chosen to strike a balance between flavor and texture. Butter imparts a rich, unmistakable taste, while shortening contributes to the cookie’s tender crumb. The addition of cornstarch is a little baking secret, softening the dough to prevent an overabundance of gluten. When these cookies hit the oven, a series of Maillard reactions begin, transforming them into golden-brown delights with a complex flavor. The chocolate and caramel center, with their precise melting points, become delightfully gooey, creating a heart of sweetness.
Why combine butter and shortening in cookie recipes?
This blend is a baker’s trick for achieving cookies that are both flavorful and tender. Butter brings its rich taste, while shortening ensures a soft, delicate texture.
Can these cookies be made in advance?
Definitely! Prepare the dough, shape your cookies, and refrigerate them overnight. This not only simplifies your baking process but also allows the flavors to meld beautifully
How should these cookies be stored?
To maintain their freshness, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, they can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can I use different chocolate for the dipping process.
Yes! Experimenting with various types of chocolate, like dark or white, can add a unique twist to your cookies, tailoring them to your taste preferences.
What is in coconut chocolate caramel cookies?
Unsalted Butter
It is always important to use unsalted butter when baking. If you use salted butter, you have no way of knowing how much salt you are adding to your dough or batter and it will result in an overly salted treat.
Butter adds fats to your dough or batter which helps with moistness, flavor and texture. Butter melts at body temperature, which creates a ‘melt in your mouth’ sensation.
When baking with butter the temperature is important. If the butter is too warm your treat will melt down too fast and overspread in the oven, leaving you with a greasy, flat mess. If your butter is too cold it will have the opposite problem and not melt down enough, leaving your treat too thick.
Shortening
Being 100% fat, it provides a flakier texture and prevents spreading because it does not melt down in the oven.
Granulated Sugar
Adds sweetness, provides a caramelized flavor and crisp texture. Sugar assists with rising when creamed with butter. It helps add moisture to your treat and helps it evenly spread as it melts into a liquid in the heat of the oven. Sugar also helps with naturally preserving your baked treat.
Vanilla Extract
When using pure vanilla extract, as opposed to imitation flavoring, it will add the deep rich flavor that everybody wants in a treat.
Almond Extract
Adds a unique sweet and nutty flavor to your dough.
Egg Yolks
Adding extra egg yolks to your batter will add extra richness and chewiness to your cookie or brownie.
Eggs
Adds both a protein (egg whites) and fat (egg yolks). The egg whites help with rising because, when foamed, little air pockets get trapped inside the egg white mixture. The water content in egg whites encourages steam while baking, which helps with gluten formation, resulting in nice and thick treats. Egg yolks have emulsifying properties that bring batters and doughs together and help them from collapsing. Unless otherwise specified, always use large eggs.
Cornstarch
Helps create a crumbly tender texture to toppings. Softens cookies, brownies and cakes. And it can also thicken sauces and fillings.
Baking Powder
Puffs up your batter or dough instead of spreading it out. Baking powder contains a little bit of baking soda, an acid & cornstarch. Because of this, it only needs a liquid to react. It also consists of two different acids, so it’s double reacting. It reacts as soon as it’s mixed with a moisture and then again when it’s heated up.
Fine Sea Salt
Enhances flavor, adds balance, masks any bitter flavors. Salt is the most powerful and oldest preservative. Always make sure to use fine sea salt so it melts down at the right speed in the heat of the oven. If you use larger granule salt, it will not melt down fully when baked and will leave salt crystals throughout your treat, making it crunch like you dropped it into sand.
All-purpose Flour
Builds structure as it absorbs liquids and expands. All-purpose flour falls in the middle of bread flour (high in gluten) and cake flour (low in gluten). It’s exactly what it is named, all-purpose, the most universal flour that can be used in most baked goods.
Chocolate Chips
Is a form of chocolate. Chocolate chips are not pure chocolate, they are typically made up of cocoa, sugar, emulsifier and vanilla.
Toasted Coconut
Adds a crunchy, nutty element that’s irresistibly good.
Rolos
These hidden gems offer a delightful surprise with their chocolate and caramel core.
Storage Tips
Store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days to maintain their freshness and flavor. They can refrigerate these for up to a week. For long-term storage, you can freeze these cookies for up to a month. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply thaw at room temperature and experience the freshly-baked treat.
Making Ahead
The beauty of these cookies lies in their make-ahead convenience. Prepare the dough a day in advance and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. This not only enhances the flavors but also makes the baking process more manageable and enjoyable, especially for those with a busy schedule.
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Why make coconut chocolate caramel cookies?
These coconut chocolate caramel cookie are the ideal treat for various occasions. Whether it’s a leisurely weekend baking project, a delightful addition to a school bake sale, a festive treat during the holiday season, or simply when the craving for a nostalgic yet sophisticated sweet strikes, these cookies are sure to impress.
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Coconut Chocolate Caramel Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups toasted coconut
- 24 rolos
- 1 cup chocolate **melted**
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- In a standing mixer cream your butter, shortening and sugar together until lighter in color and texture. This takes about 2 full minutes of whipping on high, scrapping down the bowl down every 30 seconds.
- Add the extracts and stir until combined
- Add the eggs and egg yolks, stir until just combined
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt
- Turn the standing mixer on low, slowly pour the dry ingredients in. As soon as the cookie dough comes together, stop the mixer.
- Fold in the toasted coconut. If you cannot find toasted coconut, buy sweetened coconut flakes and toast yourself. You can toast by pouring into a large skillet and cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it is golden brown.
- Scoop the dough onto a light metal cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
- Take each dough ball and flatten your hands, place an unwrapped Rolo in the middle and wrap the dough around the chocolate. Place back onto the cookie sheet
- Bake for 8 minutes
- Allow the cookies to cool, then melt the chocolate in the microwave. Melt slowly, 30 seconds at a time, stirring thoroughly in between each heating. You want to be careful to not burn your chocolate.
- Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, dip the bottom of each cookie into the chocolate and place back down on the parchment paper (chocolate side down). Allow to cool until set. The cookie and chocolate will come off of the parchment paper perfectly.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
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