Girl Scout Samoa Bars.

For the year round girl scout in you!

Cookie base:
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Working at low speed gradually add flour and salt until crumbly. Pour crumbly mixture into 9x13 pan lightly greased or lined with parchment paper and press into an even layer. Bake 20-25 minutes until base is set and edges are brown. Cool completely.

Topping:
3 c shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12 oz chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
10 oz dark or semi sweet chocolate (I used milk chocolate chips)

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.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Note: You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if you’re looking for yet an easier way to finish these off. You won’t need quite as much chocolate as noted above, and you won’t quite get the Samoas look, but the results will still be tasty.

(If you are really want the original Samoa cookie, the recipe is found here. Both recipes were found on bakingbites.com)

Enjoy!

Cookies

Sometimes you find a good recipe on the internet than you can't relocate it Here are some links to the above cookies. Nestle's White Chip Chocolate Cookies (right) and Hershey Kiss Cookies. Jeremy loved this dough! One thing I loved about the Kiss recipe that I had never seen before is that you put the kiss in the cookie after it is mostly done, then put it back in the oven for 2 minutes. The kiss still keeps its shape.

Soft Ginger Molasses Chews.

I haven't tried these yet, but the picture makes them look delicious!

image and recipe found here.

1 banana mashed
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/2 light brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour
1 TB baking soda
2 TB ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine banana, molasses, brown sugar, oil and eggs. Beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients and blend again until well combined. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto a large, ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 min. until the tops of the cookies are well crackled and just slightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

Yields: 34 cookies.

Chocolate chip oatmeal raisin Cookies

2 cups sugar
6 cups oatmeal
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 cups raisins
2 cups chocolate chips

Mix together the following and then add to the dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup milk

Stir well. Chill several hours or overnight. (Can skip this part and it still turns out great) Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375*F for 12-15 minutes.

Yield: 8 dozen
If you don't have time to bake them all, the dough can keep in the fridge for several days and you can make cookies on demand.

Homemade Oreo Cookies (Revised-not replacing)

I just realized that this has already been posted. Even though both recipes are a little different they have the same theme and I am sure that both are very good. I am just trying to clean out my file box and posting as many recipes as I can so I don't have to save a million papers.

Cookies

2 pkgs. chocolate cake mix
4 eggs
2/3 c. canola oil

Mix the ingredients and roll into balls. I had to finish mixing with my hands as it was a little stiff. Cook 7-10 minutes at 350*. Cool.

Frosting

1 (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cube butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
5 c. powdered sugar
1 (8oz.) container of cool whip...save the empty carton.

Mix all ingredients together with a mixer. Frost middle of two cookies and put together. Enjoy!

There will be extra frosting so store it in the empty cool whip container in the freezer for more oreos at a later date.

Makes approximately 24 oreos.

No Bake Chocolate Toffee Cookies

The measurements are a little weird just because it was converted from serving 100 people to 25 people. It is a girls camp recipe. Sorry the picture looks like mush.

3/4 c. +2 TBS. Unsalted butter
1/4 c. +# TBS. cocoa
3 1/8 c. Sugar
3/4 c. + 2 TBS. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 c. quick cooking oats
1 3/4 c. toffee bits

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a soft boil. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, then oats, then toffee bits. Crop by tablespoonfuls on wax paper and let harden. Serves 25.

Neiman-Marcus Cookies

(Recipe may be halved)
2 cups butter
24 oz. Chocolate chips
4 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. Soda
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp. Vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar, and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie Sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
Makes 112 cookies.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Sugar
Hershey’s candy kisses (optional)

In a bowl, cream together butter or margarine, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture and beat together. Roll dough into 11⁄2-inch balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, place Hershey’s candy kiss on top, if desired. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Homemade Oreos

I am not sure if this has been posted or not, so if it has, so sorry!

1 box devil's food cake mix (Betty Crocker or Pillsbury brand)
3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 TBSP vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix the cake mix, 3/4 cup butter and eggs and set in fridge to chill for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter together and add vanilla and powdered sugar. Set aside. Roll the chilled dough into small balls and place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes. When cool, frost half the cookies with the frosting and top with another cookie. Enjoy!

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe that I have found. It does make a lot but freezes well and is great if you just want to eat the dough with a glass of milk.

1 pound butter (or margarine, I use Imperial)
1 1/2 c. White sugar
2 c. brown sugar

Cream for 10 minutes. It is important that you cream these 3 ingredients for at least 10 minutes. (I usually use my kitchen aid and do a load of laundry after I get this part going)

3 eggs

Cream for another 2 minutes

2 Tbsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. Baking soda
6 c. flour
3-6 c. chocolate chip cookies(depending on how chocolaty you like your cookies)
2 c. chopped nuts(optional)

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Use and ice cream scooper to drop on an UN- greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350*F for 12-15 minutes. Let sit on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes to cool. Then remove to cooling rack. Enjoy with a big glass of milk!

Tara's Magic Cookie Bars

Tammy, this one's for you.

1 cube butter
1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. butterscotch chips
1 c. chocolate chips
1 1 /3 c coconut
1 c chopped nuts

melt butter in 9 X 13 pan in oven. Sprinkle crumbs over butter. Pour milk over crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients in order. press down firmly. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Enjoy. Try to share with others.

Sugar Cookies

Quintin's Soft Sugar Cookies
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter
7 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt

Mix sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in rest of ingredients. Sit dough out for an hour. Roll out thick on floured surface with a rolling pin.

Bake 375F for 8-10 minutes.

OK now here's what I did. I messed up, when I made these I halved the recipe except the baking soda, so I added a little extra baking powder too. It still turned out pretty good. I rolled them to about 1/4" thickness. These are soft sugar cookies so if you don't like the cake like this is not for you.

PHILADELPHIA Sugar Cookies
1 pkg (8oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
Colored sugar, sprinkles and colored gels

Mix cream cheese, butter, 2/3 cup of sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Mix in flour. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. sprinkle with colored sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Decorate as desired with colored sugar, sprinkles and colored gels.

Snickers Surprise Cookies

1 yellow or chocolate cake mix (I used chocolate and it was yummy)
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 bag snack-size Snickers bars (or the mini ones)

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil in a bowl until all the cake powder is absorbed.

Cut small Snickers bars in half (unless you are using the minis). Place a half in the center of a ball of dough. Make sure the candy bar is completely covered with dough.

Bake cookies 8 - 10 minutes, or until done.

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies

I found this delicious recipe from Nestle.

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
(I used Andes mint chips instead and they were "dreamy")

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are puffed.
Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!!

Linda Doll's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cream together the following:
1 1/2 C. Country Crock Soft Margarine
1 1/2 C. Shortening
3 C. Brown Sugar
3 C. White Sugar
6 eggs
3 tsp. Vanilla

Slowly add the following:
11 C. Flour
3 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Baking Soda

Mix well.
Stir in 1 large bag of Chocolate Chips

Place onto cookie sheet.
(To make them even more yummy place 5 to 6 more chocolate chips on top of the cookie before baking.)
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until edges are light brown.

You can also add chopped nuts, raisins or butterscotch chips.

Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is from Betty Crocker's Kids Cook
1 egg
1/2 cup brown cugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened a little
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix the first four ingredients until well blended, add the next three. Finally add chocolate chips (or favorite candy ie M&Ms, Reeses Pieces, Mini Peanut Butter Baking cups...)
Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes depending on your oven.
Note: If dough is soft put in the refridgerator for about 30 minutes, cold dough makes thicker cookies.