Super Size Samoa Cookie

My daughters are Girl Scouts, and our troop leader's birthday was this week so I promised her an oversized Samoa Girl Scout cookie to celebrate.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep my promise, since my oven was broken, but thankfully it was fixed today.  After eating a couple of Samoa cookies for testing purposes, I was able to pinpoint the flavor components.  Then I thought about how to execute my giant cookie recipe and well I think I might have created a monster cookie to end all cookie cravings.  This is for our troop leader Meredith, who whole heartedly agreed with my crazy plan to super size a Samoa cookie in honor of her birthday.

This is the ultimate Samoa cookie!

Ingredients for Shortbread:

2 cups 00 Tipo flour (or Cake flour)
1 cup (2 sticks) Butter
1/2 cup Cane Sugar (or white granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon Lemon Extract
1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

Preheat Oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Beat the butter and sugar in stand mixer with beater attachment until combined.

Mix in flour and salt.

Divide batter into two 9 inch cake pans and press down flat.  I used a piece of plastic wrap to push flat.  

Bake for 15-20 minutes or lightly golden brown.

Allow shortbread to cool in pans for 10 minutes in pan.

Remove shortbread from pans and place on parchment paper.

Ingredients for Coconut Caramel Topping:

1/2 Half & Half
1 cup Turbinado Sugar (or Brown sugar)
4 tablespoons Butter
Pinch of Sea Salt
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
3 cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes

Toast coconut on sheet pan for up to 10 minutes in 350 preheated oven.  Be sure to stir coconut every two minutes to help evenly cook.

Pour half & half into medium sauce pan, add sugar and butter.

Cook over medium/low burner.

Whisk occasionally and cook for 7 minutes.

Add vanilla and cook for another 1 minute.

Turn off heat and add coconut, stir.  Allow to cool.

Ingredients for Chocolate Base & Topping:

2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Place a small sauce pan on stove with two inches water, then set a small metal or glass bowl over pan.

Set burner to medium on stove.

Pour chocolate chips into bowl.

Stir chocolate chips occasionally until melted.

Using a spatula spread a thin layer of chocolate on parchment paper the size of the cookies.

Place cookies on chocolate.

Spread equal amounts of coconut caramel on top of both cookies.

I put the remaining chocolate in a squeeze bottle for this next step,  I kept the chocolate squeeze bottle in warm water to keep it from getting solid and cold.

Squeeze chocolate or drizzle chocolate with a spoon onto cookies.  I tried to be traditional and make them like the actual Girl scout Samoa cookies but you may decorate with the chocolate however you wish.

Refrigerate cookie until chocolate becomes solid.

Enjoy!

Super Size Samoa Cookies

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients for Shortbread:

2 cups 00 Tipo Flour (or Cake flour)

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter

1/2 cup Cane Sugar (or White Granulated Sugar)

1 teaspoon Lemon Extract

1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

Process:

Preheat Oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Beat the butter and sugar in stand mixer with beater attachment until combined.

Mix in flour and salt.

Divide batter into two 9 inch cake pans and press down flat.  I used a piece of plastic wrap to push flat.  

Bake for 15-20 minutes or lightly golden brown.

Allow shortbread to cool in pans for 10 minutes in pan.

Remove shortbread from pans and place on parchment paper.

Ingredients for Coconut Caramel Topping:

1/2 Half & Half

1 cup Turbinado Sugar (or Brown sugar)

4 tablespoons Butter

Pinch of Sea Salt

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

3 cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes

Process:

Pour half & half into medium sauce pan, add sugar and butter.

Cook over medium/low burner.

Whisk occasionally and cook for 7 minutes.

Add vanilla and cook for another 1 minute.

Toast coconut on sheet pan for up to 10 minutes in 350 preheated oven.  

Be sure to stir coconut every two minutes to help evenly cook.

Turn off heat and add coconut, stir.  Allow to cool.

Ingredients for Chocolate Base & Topping:

2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Process:

Place a small sauce pan on stove with two inches water, then set a small metal or glass bowl over pan.

Set burner to medium on stove.

Pour chocolate chips into bowl.

Stir chocolate chips occasionally until melted.

Using a spatula spread a thin layer of chocolate on parchment paper the size of the cookies.

Place cookies on chocolate.

Spread equal amounts of coconut caramel on top of both cookies.

Drizzle melted chocolate using a spoon or squeeze bottle onto cookie in either lines or a pattern of your choice.

Refrigerate cookie until chocolate becomes solid.

Enjoy!

French Toast

I learned that French Toast could be amazing, verging on bread pudding amazing.  To make amazing French toast, you will need some good bread, (I used my not your average white bread from yesterday), half and half, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla. Yes you can make French Toast with these ingredients, and it is yummy.

Do you like French toast?

 Ingredients for this recipe are: 4 egg yolks, loaf of bread, 2 cups half and half, 1 tablespoon sugar
(I used Turbinado), and 2 teaspoons Vanilla.

 Mix the ingredients together.

 I put my sliced bread in two sheet pans and poured the milk mixture on them and turned the bread
over after a couple of minutes.  I let the bread soak up the milk mixture for five minutes.

 Place bread on a rack placed in sheet pan and allow them to drain for another five minutes.

 Preheat griddle to medium low.

 Brush griddle with your choice of grease or spray with oil.  Cook French Toast until 

golden brown and flip and repeat.

Enjoy!