MY Girl Scout Cookie is Better Than YOUR Girl Scout Cookie!



There is something you need to know about this sinfully delicious dessert-oh by the way, they're called Carmelitas. I am offering up my dignity to illustrate just how addicting/scrumptious/worthy-of-committing-homicide they are. As I'm sure all of you know, I'm eight months pregnant. I made these chocolatey caramel bars about three weeks ago, after discovering the recipe on Pinterest. Girl Scout Cookie Selling Season is upon us, but since I was 98% sure I was going to give up sweets for Lent, I didn't want to buy 25  3 boxes of Girl Scout cookies and stick them in the freezer where they could taunt me for forty days. Nope, I did the full-on responsible adult thing and found a recipe as close to GS cookies as possible, and made it one Friday evening while Will took Tony to the park. I was a little hesitant about this dessert at first, because I was afraid it would be too sweet. There's really nothing worse than combining a bunch of tasty ingredients together and biting into something so sweet it feels like your teeth are going to fall out. I wanted an honest opinion, but seeing as how I'm married to the man who makes late-night Target runs to buy cookie dough, I decided I needed a more discriminating participant. I called our good friend/neighbor Stephen, and told him to come over for dinner and dessert in a few hours. 

Well, as it turns out I had nothing to worry about. I thought the Carmelitas were amazing, but very filling. I was positively stuffed after eating two, and I called it a night. Will and Stephen, on the other hand, ate five each. FIVE. Admittedly, they were both looking slightly ill as they stuffed the last chocolate caramel bar in their mouths, but I'll give them credit; they were determined to let me know that I made a winning dessert. So the next day, we have a relatively quiet morning, got some quality "family time" in, and we put Tony down for a nap around 12:30. Will is hanging out in the kitchen (that should have been my first warning) for a little while, and then he informs me that he's going to take a nap while Tony is napping. No problem. I told Will I wanted to go to confession at 3:00, and I would wake him up before I left. Around 2:30, I start thinking about how much I really wanted a Carmelita. Just one. It sounded SO good, and I decided that would be my one indulgence for the day. I head to the kitchen, and...gone. All of them. Will ate the remaining Carmelitas, without so much of a word of warning to his pregnant wife. I was livid, no, enraged. The world slowly began turning red, and I purposefully made my way up the stairs to our bedroom (yes, this is the part where I offer up my dignity). I stormed into our bedroom, and found Will curled up on the bed, sleeping the sleep of the pure, the innocent. I angrily shook him awake, and demanded to know what the HELL he was thinking, eating the last of the desserts. JUST WHO DID HE THINK HE WAS? It didn't occur to him that his very pregnant wife might want just ONE more piece of dessert from the night before? How dare he be such a selfish, inconsiderate ass??!!! The whole time, I was waving my arms around like a crazy person and shaking my finger in his face. Will, having been rudely torn awake from a deep slumber, had the look of abject terror in his eyes, and I'm pretty sure he kept backing away from me, getting closer and closer to the headboard. The *cough* conversation ended with me grabbing my sweater and yelling, "it's a good thing I'm Catholic, because I'm going to confession to admit to thoughts of wanting to murder my husband!" Seriously. 

About an hour later, after having received the sacrament of confession and feeling slightly ridiculous that I made death threats to my husband over a piece of dessert, I called Will on my way home and apologized. (I believe I used the phrase "slight overreaction"). Will felt terrible as well, and apologized for being a glutton and consuming nearly all of the treats without asking me if I wanted any. When I got home, I found Tony eating lunch and Will in the kitchen making...something. It sort of looked like chocolate. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he felt so badly about being selfish with the desserts that he was making me a treat to make up for it. Apparently, Will rummaged through our cupboards and found a box of instant chocolate creme brulee mix. Which we received as a gift at my bridal shower. Back in 2006. 

So! I think it goes without saying that these treats are well worth the trouble. A word of warning, ladies...make a double batch. You're welcome. 

Source: Lulu The Baker

Ingredients:

32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. 

2. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. 
3. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. (This wasn't included in the original recipe, but I sprayed the pan with butter cooking spray first).
4. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust.
5. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips.
6. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. 
7. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.
*A stint in the fridge will help them cool off if you're pinched for time. They shouldn't be served cold, but all of that molten caramel takes a long time to cool down. They should be stored and served at room temperature.

Comments

  1. Those look amazing! We try not to buy Girl Scout cookies, so this might finally satisfy my craving for Samoas. My husband has been warned, though, to not finish them off without me! :-)

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  2. Samoas!!! That's the cookie I was trying to describe, and for the life of me I could not remember the name. So thanks! :) And good luck keeping your husband at bay!

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  3. Glad I didn't raise a daughter who over-reacts! Poor Will! I'm seriously making these, though!

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  4. Overreact??? ME??!!! ;) Don't expect those to last too long around Mark and Dad!

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  5. Hilarious. I've always wanted to take on an imitation-Girl Scout cookie recipe, since I feel better knowing what ingredients I'm eating and since Girl Scout troops in some communities have sketchy affiliations (but seriously, no judgment--they're delicious!). These look like an excellent first attempt for me!

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