Homemade Girl Scout Cookies

 

This week’s bake are Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas from Joshua Weissman.  They are vanilla cookies coated in caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut and laced with chocolatey stripes.  

Girl Scout Cookies are cookies sold by Girl Scouts in the United States to raise funds to support Girl Scout councils and individual troops.

The first known cookie sales by an individual Girl Scout unit were by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in December 1917 at their local high school.  In 1922, the Girl Scout magazine The American Girl, suggested cookie sales as a fundraiser and provided a simple sugar cookie recipe from a regional director for the Girl Scouts of Chicago.  In 1933, Girl Scouts in Philadelphia organized the first commercial sale, selling homemade cookies at the windows of the Philadelphia Gas and Electric Company (PGE). 

From 1933 to 1935, organized cookie sales rose, with troops in Philadelphia and New York City using the cookie-selling model to develop the marketing and sales skills of their local troops.  In 1936, Girl Scouts of the USA began licensing commercial bakers to produce cookies, in order to increase availability and reduce lead time, starting with Keebler-Weyl Bakery.

Today, during an average selling season (usually January through April), more than one million girls sell over 200 million packages of cookies and raise over $800 million.

Here is the recipe:

Making Girl Scout Cookies At Home: Samoas from  Joshua Weissman

INGREDIENTS:

Cookie Base:

2 cups (300g) of all-purpose flour 

1 cup (225g) salted butter 

3/4 cup (167g) white sugar

1/2 teaspoon (4g) fine sea salt  

1 egg white 

3/4 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon (2g) almond extract 

Caramel Coconut Topping & Dipping :

2.5 cups (175g) unsweetened shredded coconut 

1 cup (208g) white sugar 

1/4 cup (59ml) water 

2.5 tablespoons (54g) light corn syrup 

4.5 tablespoons (64g) cold unsalted butter 

1/2 cup (118ml) heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon (4g) fine sea salt 

2 teaspoons (13g) vanilla bean paste 

12oz (340g) 60 pct dark chocolate, melted

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cookie Base:

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium-size bowl, add flour and mix in salt; in a separate bowl, add butter and begin beating it with a hand mixer till evenly distributed in the bowl; while beating on medium speed, add in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until everything gets added. 

Then mix in egg white until thoroughly incorporated, followed by vanilla extract and almond extract; mix until combined. To your mixture, add flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until fully incorporated. 

Divide your cookie dough into 2 pieces, place between 2 pieces of parchment paper, roll it out about ¼” thick and place onto a sheet tray; repeat with the other piece of dough and place in the fridge overnight to firm. 

Using a 2.5” donut cutter, punch out as many donut-shaped rings from your dough; place those rings onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about ¾” apart. Place in the oven for 15 - 18 minutes or until golden brown, let it cool slightly, and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. 

Caramel Coconut Topping & Dipping:

Pre-heat oven to 350F. On a baking sheet, add coconut, and place in the oven, stirring often for 

3 - 6 minutes or until a toasted golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on another baking sheet to cool down completely. 

In a medium-size sauce pot, add sugar, water, and light corn syrup; lightly mix that, set up over medium-high, let it dissolve, and come to a boil. Once boiling, let it cook (swirling around if necessary) until your sugar turns into an amber color. 

Then whisk in butter; once melted and emulsify, add heavy cream; whisk together until combined. Next, add salt and vanilla paste. Pour that into a separate container and cool to room temperature. 

Place your toasted coconut in a medium-sized bowl, then add ¾ of your caramel and toss together until thoroughly combined. For the remaining caramel, spread it evenly on the base of your cookies.

Mount your coconut on top of your ring, nice and evenly, to cover the entire ring. Repeat that with all your cookies. 

Pour ¾  of your melted chocolate into a medium-size bowl, then place your cookie in the chocolate, leaving the coconut exposed. Next, drain your cookie with a fork and put it on a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Repeat with the rest of your cookies, and finally, do a fine drizzle on top of your cookies. Let it solidify at room temperature and enjoy. 

Here are some pictures from the bake:

Have a great day !