Many a phone call later…

This is Girl Scout season, people.  You know what that means.  The hoarders and the indulgers have come out to play.  Yes, there are two types of people when it comes to Girl Scout cookies.  There are those who buy 50 boxes, cram them into the nooks of their freezers, and then proceed to ration the cookies so as to preserve a precious few boxes for rainy days.  These people are the hoarders.  Then, there are those who buy 50 boxes and promptly begin, well, indulging.  Conjure a picture of a squirrel piling nuts in its mouth, cramming and cramming even though there’s no space left, and then, you’ll understand the indulgers.  Now, my problem remains that I like to hoard and indulge simultaneously.  Yes, I literally like to have my Girl Scout cookies and eat them, too.

So, when one of my best friends Lindsay asked me to make a Samoa-inspired dessert, I couldn’t refuse.  This challenge provided me with a perfect way of having my Girl Scout cookies and eating them, too—you see, you can make this dessert anytime you like (no need to hoard)!  Lindsay and I have discussed ideas for this dessert at length.  We wanted to move beyond a bar cookie because, well, Risa already covered the bar cookie  so well!  (Check out her fabulous blog.  So much yummy stuff!)  I talked to Lindsay and to Risa about a potential cake, but at the end of the day, we all agreed that the cake couldn’t evoke the quintessential Samoa flavors and textures.  Yes, fluffy cake doesn’t have the proper texture!

So, I got on the phone with my wonderful sister Jessie.  (Sidebar: I need a whole post dedicated to Jessie.  Talk about an amazing person.  Everyone say congrats to Jessie; she’s a high school senior who just decided she’s going to UGA for undergrad!)  The understatement of the year would be to say that Jess is artistic.  This girl has real talent, and it’s not just limited to oil paints and canvases.  She conjures the most creative and beautiful ideas—especially when it comes to food.  So, Jessie and I created an idea for a Samoa cheesecake!

We’re talking coconut macadamia shortbread crust.  Tender, crispy, flaky shortbread.  Then, a thin, creamy layer of sea salt caramel.  Top that off with a mascarpone caramel coconut cheesecake layer.  And the figurative cherry on top?  A chocolate coconut ganache.  Words cannot do this dessert justice.  It is pure heaven.  Heaven, I tell you!  (Hence the excessive pictures…that’s my attempt to show you how amazing this dessert is.)

 

Now, don’t be scared.  This recipe contains many a-step.  First of all, I made 12 mini-cheesecakes and 1 large cheesecake.  You could, of course, just make one large cheesecake (my cheesecake was rather short because of the batter that went toward the minis).  Or, if you’re really patient, you could make multiple rounds of mini-cheesecakes (I’m not that patient).  The shortbread recipe makes more crusts/cookies than you’ll need for the crusts.  That’s okay: bake up the rest.  They’re great alone!

Make these!  That’s all I can say.  You’ll never have to hoard a Samoa again (okay, that’s a lie, but you will have a great Girl Scout fix whenever you need it).  Please, please, I beg you.  Try the amazingness that is this treat!

Samoa Mascarpone Cheesecake

 

1 recipe Coconut Macadamia Shortbread (below)

1 8oz package cream cheese, room temperature

1 8oz container of mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1 recipe Salted Caramel (below), divided use

2 large eggs

1 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp vanilla extracts

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, ground in the food processor (you could use sweetened if you wanted; I used sweetened in the other parts of this dessert)

1 recipe Coconut Chocolate Ganache (below)

 

Method:

(1) Preheat oven to 350.  Grease mini-cheesecake pans and/or 9-inch spring form pan, if using.  Fit short bread crusts into bottom of mini-cheesecake pan and/or 9-in spring form pan.  Bake mini-crusts for 10 minutes.  (If making a larger cheesecake, bake larger crust for 15 minutes.)

*After crusts have baked, turn oven down to 300.

(2) Prepare cheesecake filling.  Beat cream cheese and mascarpone until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in 3/4 cup of the salted caramel.  Beat in eggs and vanilla and coconut extracts until combined.  Stir in the food-processed coconut.

(3) Place 1/2 tsp of the remaining caramel mixture on each of the mini-crusts.  Spread caramel to the edge, so that it completely covers the shortbread crust.  (Use remaining caramel to cover your larger crust, if you’re making another cheesecake in spring form pan.)

(4) Place cheesecakes into a water bath and bake in 300 degree oven.  The mini cheesecakes will take approximately 10-15 minutes (do not worry if they are firm when they are removed; mine took 15 minutes).  (If you’ve placed your remaining batter in a spring form pan, this will need to bake in a water bath for approximately 20-25 minutes.)

(5) Let cheesecakes cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate overnight.

(6) Top each mini-cheesecake with 1 TBS of the coconut chocolate ganache.  (Use remaining ganache to top your “leftover” spring form cheesecake.)

Coconut Macadamia Shortbread

From Martha Stewart’s Cookies

 

1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted

3/4 cup plus 2 TBS sugar

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks), plus 1 TBS unslated butter, room temperature

4 TBS cream of coconut OR unsalted butter

2 tsp pure coconut extract

2 cups AP flour, plus more for work surface

1/2 tsp coarse salt

 

Method:

(1) Process nuts and 2 TBS sugar in food processor until finely ground.  Set aside.  Process 1 cup coconut until coarsely ground.  Set aside.

(2) Put butter, cream of coconut (if using), and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment.  Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix in coconut extract.  Reduce speed to low.  Add flour, salt, nut mixture, and ground coconut.  Mix until combined.

(3) Halve dough.  Shape halves into disks, and wrap well in plastic.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

(4) Let dough soften before rolling.  Roll out each disk on lightly floured parchment to 1/4 inch thick.  Cover with plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

(5) Cut dough into shapes to fit your mini-cheesecake pan.  If using a 9-in spring form pan, as well (or in place of the mini-pans), roll dough out and cut to fit the cheesecake pan.  Set aside this portion of the dough.

(6) Cut any leftover dough into 2 1/4-inch square cookies.  Bake at at 325 F for 20-25 minutes (mine took 15 minutes).

 

Salted Caramel Recipe, from previous post

Coconut Chocolate Ganache

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate pieces

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp coconut extract

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

 

Method:

(1) Bring cream to a simmer and remove from heat.

(2) Pour chocolate into the cream.  Let the mixture sit for 1 minute.

(3) Whisk chocolate and cream together until smooth, adding extracts.

(4) Mix in the coconut.  Let mixture cool until room temperature.