Samoa Baked Donuts

This week has been crazy.  I had two birthday cakes to bake, decorate (posts about these to come soon so keep a look out for them) and do all the other mommy jobs I do.  I probably shouldn’t complain because my husband is pretty awesome but anyway I was tired after everything was said and done so I don’t know where the energy came from and why I would have the urge to bake when I spent every moment I could in the kitchen this week. But I did, and I am glad I did!

Every year I ask my sister to bring me some goodies from Canada for my Christmas gift.  This year my mom added in some goodies while she was in the States in November and gave it to me as part of my Christmas gift (she gave me a Slow Cooker..I love my mom!!)  In my collection of yumminess she gave me bags of Kraft Caramels.  Now since in Sweden they don’t have much selection when it comes to baking ingredients, I am quite stingy when it comes to what I use my caramels and otherbaking chips in recipes.  The recipe has to be just right!  And I have quite the collection of recipes to go through before I find the right one for my butterscotch chips and andes mints chips but now I am just rambling and we are here to talk about donuts!

It has taken me ages but I finally let the purse strings loose and bought a donut pan.  And boy am I glad I did, I no longer have to zoom past recipes that look devine but can’t use because I don’t have the proper pan.

Now we come to this recipe.  Everyone knows the Samoa Girl Guide Cookie, if you don’t well it is a cookie covered in caramel and coconut then dipped and drizzled with chocolate.  How does that sound???  Well how about it in a donut form??  Even better right!  Oh man, I am so glad I made these for my first donut!!

Recipe:
Samoa Baked Donuts
(recipe adapted from Top with Cinnamon)
makes 12 mini donuts or 6 regular donuts

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp active dry yeast

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of baking soda

1/4 cup (2oz) butter

6 tbsp sugar

1 small egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp yogurt
1/4 cup milk

Caramel coconut topping

From Baking Bites

6 oz soft caramels

1-2 tbsp milk

1/4 desiccated coconut

3.5 oz dark chocolate

Stir together the flour, yeast, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a small bowl, set aside.  Or if you are like me just dump them in the bowl and give it a good whisk 😉

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180C) and grease donut pan

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and yogurt.

Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then mix in half the milk. Repeat this until you’ve added all of the flour mixture and the milk.

Pipe the mixture into the prepared donut pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes while you put everything away.

Bake the donuts for 10-15 minutes until puffy and golden brown. Remove the donuts from the pan after 5 minutes, and put them on a cooling rack.

For the caramel coconut topping

Put the unwrapped caramels and milk in a small sauce pan and heat gently whilst stirring until the caramels have completely melted.

Spread the coconut out on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes, until it becomes a slight golden-beige colour. Stir the toasted coconut into the caramel. You might have to gently reheat this mixture to keep it fluid enough for dipping.

Dip the top of a donut (carefully! My first one broke because I was to anxious to get it done) into the caramel topping, turn it right side up, and place on the cooling rack.  Repeat until all the donuts have been dipped. Whilst the caramel cools, melt the chocolate.
Melt it in the microwave, in a microwave safe bowl, for about 1 minute, stirring it every 30 seconds.

Line a cookie sheet with grease proof paper. Dip the very bottom of each donut into the chocolate and place them on the lined cookie sheet. Drizzle them with the remaining chocolate. Let the chocolate cool and set at room temperature, then store in an airtight containerEnjoy!  Your Samoa just got better.