Sunday, November 18, 2012

Dairy-Free Samoa-ish Cookies (a.k.a. Caramel deLites)


Remember these really expensive cookies of delight? (for a good cause!) Well, if you want a blast from the past you can make these dairy-free ones. To make them gluten free I added GF flour and xanthan gum to the recipe. As my friend says, "Awesomesauce!" Go here to see the recipe at GoDairyFree.org

photo from godairyfree.org

This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, and I suppose you could make it Gluten-Free by using your favorite GF flour blend in place of the plain flour.
Shortbread Cookies (Adapted from Baking Bites)
  • 1/2 Cup Dairy-Free Margarine (I used Earth Balance Soy-Free)
  • 1 Tablespoon Milk Alternative (I just used a little of the coconut milk that I had opened for the caramel topping, but use whichever plain or vanilla milk alternative that you like)
  • 1/4 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 to 1-1/4 Cups GF Flour
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the margarine, milk alternative, sugar, and vanilla, until creamy. Add 1 cup of the flour, the baking powder, and the salt, and mix until well combined. Add in up to 1/4 cup of additional flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
Roll or pat the dough out on a floured surface until it is 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 1-1/4-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the cookies out and move to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. I actually (gently) cut the cookie dough right on my silicon baking mat, since the cookie dough can be hard to move.
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they just begin to brown around the edges. Let cool while you prepare the caramel topping.
Caramel-Coconut Topping (Adapted from the Dulce de Coco recipe in Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook)
  • 1 Cup Regular Canned Coconut Milk (I use the full-fat version, not light)
  • 2/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 Cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (or use sweetened coconut if you prefer a more sugary treat)
Combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer or low boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Keep an eye to be sure it doesn’t threaten to boil over. Uncover and continue to let it slowly boil / simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should become somewhat thick, like a caramel sauce … but keep in mind, it will thicken more as it cools and when you add all of that coconut!
Remove the caramel mixture from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, followed by the coconut. I used all of the coconut, which made it very thick, and almost dough-like to handle.
Samoa Assembly
  • 1 Cup Dairy-Free, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips(I used Dream Chocolate Chips – these do contain soy lecithin, use Enjoy Life brand if lecithin is a problem for you)
  • 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil (optional)
Top each shortbread cookie with the caramel-coconut mixture. I use it all up, making a fairly thick layer of topping. My topping was thick, so I wet my hands (to prevent sticking) and pressed it down to evenly cover the tops of the shortbread.
Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil, if using. I place them in a bowl and put them in the microwave on high for 1 minute, then stir vigorously until smooth. You may need more or less time in the microwave … just make sure you do not overheat the chocolate … it burns easily.
Dip the shortbread bases in the chocolate. You can either coat just the bottoms, or submerge up to the caramel layer. I tried both, the submerged picture is above, and the “just coated” version is below …
Place them chocolate side down on parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to firm up. Then, somehow drizzle the tops of the cookies (over the caramel layer) with chocolate. I’ve read that you can do this with a fork … but that didn’t work for me. For the pretties results, piping the chocolate on would work best. I just sort of drizzled it on.
Let the cookies sit in a cool area so that the chocolate can set up. Usually this will happen at room temperature, but my husband had our heat set on “melt chocolate” that day (15 degrees outside, well over 70 degrees inside), so I placed them in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Makes 2 dozen cookies

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