I remember memories of my childhood where I wished I was a Girl Scout. Not because I wanted to wear the earth tone brown uniforms adorned with tens of merit badges awarding me for such accomplishments as successful knot tying, mind you, but because I wanted to sell Girl Scout Cookies. I wanted to be the type of door - to - door sales girl that people were thrilled to see, as I toted around a bag filled with green boxes decorated with photos of smiling girls and delicious cookies. Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Lemon Cream, even the boring Shortbreads were the items beloved by all, but my favorite were Samoas. The chewy cookies covered in caramel and toasted coconut and drizzled with chocolate were a cookie-lover's dream.
Unfortunately, as a child, I was... how do you say it nicely? Fat. And if I was allowed boxes of cookies, you'd be sure that I'd eat them all and the only thing I'd have to show for it would be plenty of empty boxes and a hefty bill to the Girl Scouts.
Maybe it was a better thing that I wasn't a Girl Scout.
You can imagine the wheels that were turning when I decided to turn this coconut tart into a giant Samoa Cookie. I recently saw a post on Baking Bites linking to YumSugar's take on Samoas, turning them into an ice cream treat. I knew that Dorie's creamy coconut tart would have been a perfect drawing board to turn them into my favorite childhood treat.
Instead of the Sweet Tart Dough, I used Dorie's Chocolate Tart Dough. I kept the rest of the recipe the same, but I drizzled the top with both chocolate and dulce de leche atop the tart.
This tart was HEAVEN. Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight heaven. The rich chocolate tart was the perfect vessel for the creamy, crunchy coconut custard, the pillowy whipped cream, and the delectable duo of caramel and chocolate. Incredible. And a fun little take on a classic cookie.
Check out Beryl of Cinemon Girl for the recipe and check out the rest of TWD for more tarts!
Mmmm... messy, delicious tart.
that looks amazing! sad i didn't bake along this week :(
Posted by: sarah | March 02, 2010 at 08:22 PM
I have boxes and boxes of GS cookies at my house right now. You're welcome to them.... Your tart looks delicious!
Posted by: Julessomeone | March 02, 2010 at 08:32 PM
My goodness! that looks delectable..
Posted by: Elli | March 02, 2010 at 09:16 PM
Oh my gosh! Fabulous! I keep hearing about Girl Scout cookies, but no one asked me to buy any this year. Oh well, less calories!
Posted by: Jill | March 02, 2010 at 10:19 PM
What? I love samoas! I need a piece of this!
Posted by: Jodie | March 02, 2010 at 11:19 PM
Samoas are my son's favorite, so I guesss I need to make him a tart like this.
Mimi
Posted by: Mimi | March 03, 2010 at 12:55 AM
What a fantastic combination - a bit of "nostalgia"! I'll have to try this combination. Hm... did I miss the GS this year too? Haven't seen them around...
Posted by: Mike | March 03, 2010 at 01:13 AM
WOW! Samoas are my favorite! Having one big Samoa cookie is just a dream come true...I need to eat this! Now! :-P
Posted by: DailyChef | March 03, 2010 at 02:55 AM
you were plump? no way. meh, most kids are, and think of all the tasty food you scarfed down. :)
i really like your take on this tart, teanna--it's lovely!
Posted by: grace | March 03, 2010 at 07:40 AM
Those cookies are like crack ~ dangerous. And seriously, this tart looks like a close second..like the big girls version of the cookie!
Posted by: shelly (cookies and cups) | March 03, 2010 at 08:39 AM
Wow, my favorite GS cookie in tart form? Yum! I used to be a NYC Girl Scout too, and now I've got a daughter who's doing Girl Scouts -- she starts selling cookies next year, so I'm in for it. BTW, I found out recently that Samoas are sold in some parts of the country as Caramel Delight cookies. I had no idea!
Posted by: Liren | March 03, 2010 at 11:10 AM
Samoas are delicious! What a great idea!
Posted by: Jen | March 03, 2010 at 04:08 PM
Lord! That looks so amazing. I just might have to head to the kitchen and make one of those myself. Samoas have always been the only Girl Scout cookie for me!
Posted by: Susan | March 03, 2010 at 04:47 PM
Oh my gosh, this looks soooo luscious! Unfortunately I have no idea what Girl Scout Cookies taste like, we don't have them here....
Posted by: Marthe | March 04, 2010 at 02:33 AM
What a great idea!! You're tart looks wonderful, but now I've got a hankering for some Girl Scout cookies. Mmm....girl scout cookies...
Posted by: Christina | March 04, 2010 at 09:23 AM
Selling GS cookies was no fun. Be glad you missed out on the experience! You worked your butt off selling those cookies and ended up with very little money back in your pocket for whatever activity we were raising money for.
I admit I'm not fond of the cookies. Partially it's due to bad memories, and partially it's the quality. I like them in THEORY because they have great flavors. Samoas are chocolate and caramel-yum, but are sort of cheap tasting.
That's why I love desserts like this. Delicious homemade samoa-like desserts give everything I hope to get from the cookie, but taste so much better. This tart looks beyond awesome.
Posted by: Rachel (S[d]OC) | March 04, 2010 at 10:33 AM
Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! You have brought a little piece of heaven to earth. I want a slice of this right now!
Posted by: Cheri | March 04, 2010 at 03:32 PM
Lol! I made my parents buy the cookies from me so I could eat them. Thin mints and Samoas were my absolute favorite. Too bad there aren't any Girl Scouts in my neighborhood. They would've make a killing off me!
Posted by: Chaitali | March 04, 2010 at 05:49 PM
You are a genius. I think I would have liked this tart 2 million times better if I added chocolate and caramel! Next time call me when you get a good idea like this, missy!
Posted by: Elizabeth - Cake or Death | March 05, 2010 at 01:27 AM
just saw this on dessert stalking...this is brilliant! i LOVE samoas :)
Posted by: Natalie (The Sweets Life) | March 05, 2010 at 08:50 AM