Samoa Pizookie (Caramel de-Lites)

My boyfriend loves samoa cookies from the girl scouts. The cookies are also known as caramel de-lites now. Regardless of their name, my boyfriend loves these cookies. However, he wanted to be able to 'a la mode' this cookie. Kinda like a brownie a la mode.

The first thing that comes to mind is the pizookie by BJ's Restaurant. So I decided to turn this samoa cookie into a Samoa Pizookie for my boyfriend.

He loved the results. I made it twice now, and each time he and I would eat it all up. =]

Samoa Pizookie (aka Caramel de-Lites)

Ingredients:

For Cookie Base:
1/2 stick of butter, soft
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
up to 1/2 tbsp milk

For Coconut Topping:
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened)
4-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp milk
3 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Be careful not to burn the coconut! Check frequently to make sure it’s not getting too toasted. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (add the milk a bit at a time — you may not need much, or any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.

4. Roll the dough into an 8 inch diameter circle. Spray an 8 inch cast iron skillet with pam (vegetable spray). Place it into the cast iron skillet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. 

5. While the cookie is baking with 5 to 7 minutes left, unwrap the caramels and place in a saucepan. Melt the caramels with milk and salt on the stove-top over low-medium heat. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

6. Remove the cookie from the oven, and spread the coconut caramel mixture all over the cookie.

7. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (or double boiler), and drizzle all over the top of the coconut caramel mixture.

8. Serve with 3 giant scoops of vanilla bean ice-cream. Sprinkle with some shredded coconuts if desired. Enjoy.