Samoa (Caramel DeLite) Cupcakes

When I was growing up, we didn’t often have Girl Scout Cookies, but when we did, my absolute, uncontested favorites were the Samoas. While there are some new flavors to choose from these days, I’m still a die hard fan of the Samoas (now also known as Caramel DeLites).

Back when I first started Chocoholic Anonymous, there was a growing trend of creating other desserts with flavors and textures inspired by the more popular Girl Scout Cookie flavors. It seemed that every time you turned around, you would stumble over another recipe for Thin Mint, Samoa, Tagalong cupcakes, brownies, bars, etc. Is it any surprise that I decided to jump on the bandwagon with a riff on my own favorite cookie flavor?

These cupcakes were adapted from another Samoa Cupcake recipe, but, unfortunately, the Sugar Duchess baking blog appears to be offline so I can’t tell you exactly what changes I made to adapt from the original. What I can tell you is that these cupcakes are moist, chocolatey and really deliver on that toasted coconut and caramel flavor and chew. If you can’t get your hands on the Girl Scout cookies, you can at least enjoy every bit of the flavor by making a batch of these cupcakes.

Samoa Cupcakes

This recipe is adapted from the Samoa Cupcakes recipe on the Sugar Duchess blog.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: caramel, chocolate, coconut, cupcake, dulce de leche, frosting

Servings: 12 cupcake

Equipment

• muffin tin
• 5 Mixing bowls (assorted sizes ranging from small to large)
• saucepan
• whisk
• Electric mixer
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• piping bags
• piping tips (large round for filling, decorative for frosting)

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cup milk boiling
• 1/2 cup coconut shredded
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 2 cup cake flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder unsweetened
• 4 eggs large, room temperature

For the Filling

• 13.4 ounce dulce de leche one can
• 3 cup coconut shredded, toasted

For the Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4-5 cup powdered sugar

For the Topping

• 4 ounce dark chocolate coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
• toasted coconut for garnish

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
• In a small bowl, combine the boiling milk and the shredded coconut; set aside to infuse for at least 30 minutes.
  1 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup coconut
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and coconut extract until fluffy and light.
  3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder.
  2 cup cake flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4 eggs
• Slowly blend one third of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, then half the milk and coconut mixture, another third of the flour, the remaining milk and coconut, and the remaining flour. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally throughout this process.
• Scoop the batter into each liner, filling about 1/2 to 2/3 full.
• Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven. Tilt each cupcake in the muffin pan so it sits at an angle. Cool like that for 10 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

For the filling:

• Heat the dulce de leche in the microwave in 20-30 second intervals, mixing after each interval, until it is smooth and slightly thinned.
  13.4 ounce dulce de leche
• Combine the toasted coconut with the dulce de leche.
  3 cup coconut
• Fill a piping bag fitted with a wide tip with the caramel and coconut mixture.
• Press the tip of the piping bag into the center of each cupcake and pipe about 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp of the mixture into the cake. Be careful not to overfill the cake as it will crack and break the cake.

For the Frosting:

• Melt the butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan.
  1 cup unsalted butter
• Stir in the salt and brown sugar and heat the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly.
  1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cup brown sugar
• Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar is totally dissolved. Stir in the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly.
  1/2 cup milk
• Remove the pan from the heat and cool to lukewarm (30-40 minutes) stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the vanilla, then gradually beat in the powdered sugar using an electric mixer. Adjust consistency with a little more milk or sugar, if necessary. The frosting should be smooth, creamy and thick enough to hold its shape when piped.
  2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4-5 cup powdered sugar
• Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.

For the topping:

• Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
  4 ounce dark chocolate
• Bring the cream to a simmer, pour over the chocolate and let stand for about a minute. Whisk until smooth.
  3 tablespoon heavy cream
• Immediately whisk in the butter, just until incorporated.
  1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Allow mixture to cool slightly, then drizzle over the top of the cupcakes.
• Finish each cupcake with a sprinkle of toasted coconut.
  toasted coconut