I think my all time favorite cookie has to be the Girl Scout’s Samoa Cookies. They are the perfect combination of crunch, chewy, chocolate and just the right amount of coconut.
I’m not going to lie, I signed my oldest daughter up for Girl Scouts last spring just to ensure that I wouldn’t miss out on my chance to buy some. Only later I found out that Moms are asked to volunteer and run most of the show… pass.
Sometimes my time is better spent in the kitchen actually making cookies and cake. Or in this case, a combination of the two.
These Gooey Samoa Cake Bars have all the elements of the Samoa cookies smashed right in the middle of it all. What’s better than that?
Oh yeah, did I mention these are extremely easy to make?
To start off mix a chocolate cake mix, a stick of softened butter, and an egg in a bowl.
Mix it all up until it’s cookie dough texture.
Cut the dough in half and press it into the bottom of a foil lined cake pan. Be sure to get the foil up all the sides…it’s going to be full.
Grab some shortbread cookies and lay them out over the cake dough.
These cookies remind me of those ones that you get during Christmas time in a tin, with paper cups, and coarse sugar sprinkled all over them… you know the ones right??
Top the cookies with toasted coconut.
Then throw on top these cute little caramel bits from Kraft. They are just like those wrapped caramels but they are recipe ready! AWESOME!
Top with a little bit of chocolate chips…
Then with the remaining half of the cake dough cover the whole thing. Try and piece it together as best you can.
Drizzle on a little sweetened condensed milk and throw it in the oven!
Once it’s cooled remove it from the pan, cut and enjoy!
If you eat it while it’s still hot the cookie has a cake texture to it, but if you let it cool, the cookie crisps up again and it’s incredible! These are by far my favorite treat I’ve made in a long long time! You have to try these!!
Thanks for the inspiration Girl Scouts!
Gooey Samoa Cake Bars
Ingredients
- 1 chocolate cake mix
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup butter , softened
- Shortbread cookies
- 1 1/2 cups toasted coconut
- 1 cup caramel bits
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8×8 cake pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl combine cake mix, butter and egg until dough forms. Divide dough in two and press one half into the bottom of the cake pan.
- Layer shortbread cookies over cake dough.
- Toast coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Sprinkle over shortbread cookies.
- Next add the caramel bits and chocolate chips.
- With the last half of the dough top the cake and try to cover it as best as possible.
- Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk and bake for 30 minutes.
- Once cooled, remove from pan and cut. Enjoy!
looks nice but poorly written recipe so am going to find another one.
these sound amazing! Buying ingredients today!
These sound very good,samosa are my fav girl scout cookie.
oh my goodness, these are delicious, another new favorite!!
Shawn! What are you doing to me?? This must be how college students gain so much weight!
Amber- I found them in the baking isle, next to the chocolate chips and nuts. I have seen them at both grocery stores and even WalMart! Hope you can find them! 🙂
i can't find the carmel bits, where did you buy them?
Just ate one! I can only speak for 4 out of 5 doctors, but I definitely recommend!
Laugh out loud Shawn (about the girl scout cookies/volunteering). Agreed though, I LOVE SAMOAS! I can't believe you came up with this recipe! You are a genius! I will surely be making these next time there is a gathering (heaven forbid I make these with just the 3 of us in the house). Hey- didn't Grandma always have those cookies in the tin? I remember her always having those…