This decadent recipe comes from the lovely Melinda Strauss over at Kitchen Tested. The pastry features a fun twist to the hamentasch — a traditional Jewish pastry featuring a distinct three-cornered shape. Strauss’ recipe swaps the usual poppy seed fillings with caramel and shredded toasted coconut. For those Samoa addicts that hoard all the Girl Scout Cookies, this one’s for you.

_____

Girl Scout Samoa Hamantaschen

Serves: 30-40 cookies

What you’ll need

• 4 sticks (2 cups) margarine
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 (8 oz) container whipping cream
• 6 cups flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup caramel (homemade or store-bought melted caramels)
• 1½ cups shredded toasted coconut
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 egg white

How to make it

1. Start with the dough, which needs some time to chill before baking. Beat together the margarine and sugar then add the whipping cream and vanilla extract. Once everything is combined, slowly add the flour until the mixture is completely combined. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 10 minutes. You can also place in the fridge for up to 3 days before using.
2. While the dough is cooling, prepared the caramel. You can either make your own caramel or melt store bought caramels.
3. While the caramel cools to room temperature, make the toasted coconut. All you do is spread out the coconut on a flat plate, cook for 30 seconds in the microwave, mix the coconut and follow the process a few more times until your coconut begins to brown and get crunchy. You’re done!
4. Stir together the caramel and 1 cup of the toasted coconut. Place the mixture aside.
5. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes, just to warm it up a bit. It’s much easier to roll out at room temperature. Lightly floured (and I really mean lightly flour) the counter and roll out the dough. Don’t make the dough too thin or it won’t hold together while it bakes. Cut out rounds of dough using a cookie cutter. You can pretty much use whatever size cookie cutter you want based on the size of the hamantaschen you are looking for!
6. Move the dough rounds to a parchment lined cookie sheet, brush the edges with egg white then add the filling and pinch the edges together to create a triangle. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
7. While the cookies cool, melt the chocolate chips until they are smooth. You can either use a double boiler or you can carefully microwave them. Just place in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds and mix. Cook for another 30 seconds and mix. Then cook one last time for 30 seconds and mix.
8. Place a small amount of chocolate in a sandwich bag for the drizzle. Once the hamantaschen are cool, dip the bottom of each cookie in the melted chocolate, let the excess chocolate drip off then place on parchment paper to set.
9. Cut a small piece out of the corner of the chocolate-filled sandwich bag and drizzle over the cookies. There is no right or wrong way to drizzle the chocolate! Just have fun.
10. Sprinkle the rest of the toasted coconut over the chocolate and let the cookies and chocolate set for a bit. Enjoy!

Check out more sweet treats like this over at Kitchen Tested!