No-Bake Samoa Cookie Bars

One of the beautiful things about working where I work is that I am among ladies who love love love love to eat. Contrary to what one might think based on the LARGE amounts of cookies, dips, pies, mochi, cakes, baked brie, breads, salads, tarts, leftovers and soups us ladies ARE NOT the size of houses! Shocking!!

Another great thing about working here is we can usually talk the doctors into buying us all of the above treats, or at least the ingredients so I can make something. I have to say the only down fall to working here is that we don’t have an oven. I have however been known to ask Murphy’s Market, the store across the street from us to bake and make us our “must have” snacks. Yes, I have even had them deep fry candy bars for us. That’s how we roll!! Today, FOOD FRIDAY we persuaded, bribed and threatened Dr. Appy, until he bought the ingredients for my much needed FOOD FRIDAY dessert! NO BAKE SAMOA COOKIE BARS!!!

We could not wait for them to “set” so we had the first bites via a spoon. If we had straws we would have used them too. This is divine, and that’s putting it lightly.

No-Bake Samoa Cookie Bars

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate chips ( I used 1 bag, reserving some for the drizzle.)

1 stick butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups (app. 20 cookies) sugar cookies…I USED COCONUT MACAROONS

1/4 cup sugar

55 caramels, unwrapped

1/4 cup milk

1 cup coconut, sweetened, finely shredded

Directions

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons of butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds, just until the chocolate chips are melted. Stir until smooth. Spread all the chocolate in the bottom of a 9×9 parchment paper lined pan. ( we didn’t have parchment paper @ work, so I used butter, that worked well)

Work quickly so the chocolate does not harden, place the cookies in a food processor (ya, we don’t have one here so I crumbled, crushed and ground with my hands! ) and pulse until finely crumbled. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a medium bowl, then stir in the crumbs and 1/4 cup of sugar until very well mixed. Press on top of the slightly melty chocolate crust.

In a large bowl, place all of the unwrapped caramels and milk. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, until the caramels are warm and melty. Stir until the milk is fully incorporated in the caramel. Stir in the coconut. Spread on top of the cookie crust, pressing it firmly into place with clean, slightly wet fingers.

Heat the remaining chocolate. Transfer to a plastic ziplock bag, snip off the tip of the bag and drizzle over the caramel-coconut layer. Allow chocolate to harden before cutting with a very sharp knife.

~Have a happy mouth!