Its that time of year again, when little girls trap you at the exit of the markets, at the doorstep of your house, and even at your work.  With their big smiley face they ask you to buy boxes of cookies and you end up buying multiple boxes… from every girl scout girl you see…ok maybe not that bad.  Its the time of year when we can stock up on our favorite Girls Scout Cookies.  Some boxes are eaten immediately, and others get comfortable in the freezer.  My favorite by far has to be the Samoas (Caramel Delights)..[who decided to change the name of these cookies anyways]? Last Saturday, I woke up with a craving for some caramel/coconut/chocolate perfections.  Not wanting to drive out to a market in search for some GS girls selling them, I decided to bake some of my own (or at least something similar).  They definitely taste healthier and are less sweet when compared to the Samoas.  They’re a bit time consuming and can get a little messy, but they’re definitely worth it.

Side note: I thought I had all the ingredients at home, however I ended up asking my brother to go to the market for me because I was missing the main ingredient [coconut flakes]…and he came back with boxes of Samoas… -__-

ingredients:
-1 cup soften butter
-2/3 cup white sugar
-1/2 tspn vanilla extract (or almond extract)
-2 cups all purpose flour

-toasted coconut flakes (about 6oz) can use more based on how much coconut you want on your cookies
-12oz caramel balls (i found these at the market, they’re easier for
-2 tbsn milk (or more)
-pinch of salt
-melted chocolate

directions:
-preheat the oven to 350F
-in a mixing bowl, mix together butter and white sugar until smooth
-add vanilla extract and flour and mix until mixture combines into a ball
-scoop cookie dough onto baking pan and flatten top 1/4in  in height
-bake for 8-10 mins (until lightly brown)
- melt caramel and milk in a small sauce pan (add more milk for thinner consistency) over med heat. (turn off once ready)
-mix in salt and toasted coconut flakes
-spoon caramel mixture on top of each cookie
-drizzle melted chocolate on top

here’s another dessert with some thin mints i bought.  Made mini ice cream sandwiches, wrapped them individually and placed them in the freezer. Entire box of Thin Mints yields 16 sandwiches.