Homemade Samoas

So I found this recipe at Once Upon a Plate. They are delicious. I decided to make mine into small heart shapes for V-day.... but I wouldn't recommend you do this unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

FYI: By three cups of coconut they mean three cups of shredded coconut not tightly packed.

Servings: 3 1/2 - 4 dozen cookies 

The Cookie:1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
up to 2 tablespoons milk 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2..Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all).
4. The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.
5. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness - It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches between pieces of wax or parchment paper.
6. Cut out in 2-21/2 inch circle and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)
7.Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.
8.Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Really Tasty Part
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips will do)
If you prefer milk chocolate, then that works too. 

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)
2. Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.
3.Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
4.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.
5.Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again. (This part was somewhat frustrating as the caramel is a little sticky, but it is worth it.)

6.While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl on High in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. OR you can use a double broiler, which I did.
7.Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead).
8.Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
9. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Final Step... PIG OUT