Samoas Scones

Over the weekend Shane and I popped into Lowe’s to grab some supplies for a project (“pretty nice little Saturday” – Old School, anyone? 🙂 ) As we were walking out, I saw them – the Girl Scouts were there selling cookies! Every spring when Girl Scout cookies become the “it” thing, I always wonder where the heck people are finding these cookies. I’ve never had anyone come to my door selling them (maybe they don’t even do that?) and though I’d heard rumors, I’d also never seen the Girl Scouts sitting outside my local grocery store with boxes of cookies either. But there they were at Lowe’s, and as we walked by, my initial instinct was to stop and grab one of everything. Who knows when or if I’d have the opportunity again? As tempted as I was, I knew it would require way too much willpower when we got home, so we only grabbed one box (Thin Mints, if you’re curious).

Aside from Thin Mints, my other favorite Girl Scout cookies are Samoas. A few days before we’d run into the Girl Scouts at Lowe’s I’d actually made a batch of these Samoas scones, so that’s the only reason a box of Samoas didn’t come home with us too 🙂 If you’ve never had Samoas, they’re buttery vanilla cookies that are topped with caramel and coconut, and then striped with a chocolate coating. The combination of flavors is completely irresistible, and they work just as well in scone form!

Though scones are usually breakfast fare, these are a little too decadent even for me, so I like to have them for dessert instead. All of the flavors from the Samoas cookies are represented – start with a buttery, light scone (probably among the most fluffy I’ve made), coat the bottom with a layer of semisweet chocolate, then top with a combination of caramel and coconut before finishing it with a drizzle of chocolate. They might sound like a lot of work, but they really come together quickly and easily. We happened to have some store-bought caramel sauce in the fridge so I used that, but it wound up being a little too thin and was running off the sides of the scones a bit. Definitely more of an appearance issue than a taste one, but nonetheless I’ll make the caramel from scratch next time. I’ve made a few recipes inspired by the Girl Scout Samoas, but this one is definitely my favorite thus far, and it completely satisfies my craving when I can’t actually find the cookies!

Samoas Scones
from Baking Bites

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup milk (I used whole)
6 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup prepared caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade)
3/4 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to cut it into the dry ingredients – keep working it until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and use a fork (or your hands) to gently bring the mixture together. There may still be a few dry bits in the bottom of the bowl, that’s fine.

Turn the dough out onto your work surface and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a disk about 1/2-inch thick. Cut each disk into 4 or 6 pieces, depending on how big you want your scones – I did six. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet. (You can bake the scones immediately, but I like to refrigerate or freeze mine briefly so the butter is really cold when it hits the oven.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the scones begin to turn golden brown around the edges and are slightly firm to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the scones cool for a few minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (pick one that’s big enough to fit your scone so you can dip it). Microwave in 30-second bursts at 50% power, stirring in between each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Gently dip the bottom of each scone into the chocolate so you have a thin layer across the bottom and just barely up the sides. Set the dipped scones on a piece of wax paper and let the chocolate set (you can pop them in the fridge to speed things up).

Stir the caramel sauce and coconut together in a small bowl. Spread some of the mixture onto the top of each scone to create a thin layer. Drizzle the remaining melted chocolate over the top of the scones. Let the chocolate again set before serving.

Makes 8-12 scones