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Giant Coconut-Caramel Shortbread Cookie

By Kelly Song

Published on October 29, 2024

Time

1½ hours, plus 2 hours 10 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 10 to 12

Giant Coconut-Caramel Shortbread Cookie

Ingredients

Crust

1⅔ cups (8⅓ ounces/236 grams) all-purpose flour ⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon table salt 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Filling

½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) brown sugar ½ cup (7 ounces) sweetened condensed milk ¼ cup heavy cream ¼ cup corn syrup 4 tablespoons unsalted butter ¾ teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1½ cups toasted unsweetened shredded coconut, divided

Chocolate

10 ounces/284 grams bittersweet chocolate (8 ounces/227 grams chopped fine, 2 ounces/57 grams grated)

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe with Bob's Red Mill Unsweetened Shredded Coconut. To toast the coconut, spread it evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake it at 325 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through baking. Grate the chocolate on the small holes of a box grater.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heatoven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch springform pan and ovensafe 2-inch round cutter with vegetable oil spray.
  2. for the crust

  3. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl. Add melted butter and vanilla; stir with silicone spatula until evenly moistened. Crumble dough over bottom of prepared pan. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press dough into even layer. Using fork, poke dough all over.
  4. Press 2-inch round cutter into center of dough. Keeping cutter in place and using small spoon or offset spatula, gently remove center round of dough; discard or bake separately. Bake crust until edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, gently press on entire surface of warm crust to compress. Let crust cool for at least 20 minutes.
  5. for the filling

  6. Meanwhile, combine sugar, condensed milk, cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt in small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently with silicone spatula, until mixture registers between 236 and 239 degrees (temperature will fluctuate), 16 to 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in vanilla and 1 cup coconut. Pour caramel mixture over crust and, using silicone spatula, spread to even thickness (mixture will be very hot). Sprinkle evenly with remaining ½ cup coconut. Let cool completely, at least 1½ hours. (Cookie can be loosely wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours.)
  7. for the chocolate

  8. Microwave chopped chocolate in liquid measuring cup at 50 percent power, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted but not much warmer than body temperature (check by holding in palm of your hand), 1 to 2 minutes. Add grated chocolate and stir until smooth, returning to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time to finish melting if necessary.
  9. Remove side of pan and cutter in center of dough; invert cookie onto inverted rimmed baking sheet. Pour ¼ cup melted chocolate onto cookie in even band around hole in center, about ½ inch from hole. Using small offset spatula, gently spread chocolate to completely cover cookie. Repeat with additional ¼ cup chocolate. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, 20 to 25 minutes.
  10. If remaining ½ cup chocolate has hardened, microwave until just remelted, stirring every 10 seconds. Transfer chocolate to pastry bag or small zipper-lock bag and snip off corner, making about ⅛-inch hole. Invert cookie, chocolate side down, onto wire rack. Carefully place rack in now-empty rimmed baking sheet. Pipe remaining chocolate in zigzags across caramel layer. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes. Using large offset spatula, transfer cookie to cutting board. Using chef's knife, cut cookie into 2-inch wedges. Serve. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 4 days.)
Giant Coconut-Caramel Shortbread Cookie
Styling by Ashley Moore.

Giant Coconut-Caramel Shortbread Cookie

Save

Time

1½ hours, plus 2 hours 10 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

Crust

1⅔ cups (8⅓ ounces/236 grams) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Filling

½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) brown sugar
½ cup (7 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup corn syrup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups toasted unsweetened shredded coconut, divided

Chocolate

10 ounces/284 grams bittersweet chocolate (8 ounces/227 grams chopped fine, 2 ounces/57 grams grated)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Crust

1⅔ cups (8⅓ ounces/236 grams) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Filling

½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) brown sugar
½ cup (7 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup corn syrup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups toasted unsweetened shredded coconut, divided

Chocolate

10 ounces/284 grams bittersweet chocolate (8 ounces/227 grams chopped fine, 2 ounces/57 grams grated)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Crust

1⅔ cups (8⅓ ounces/236 grams) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Filling

½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) brown sugar
½ cup (7 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup corn syrup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups toasted unsweetened shredded coconut, divided

Chocolate

10 ounces/284 grams bittersweet chocolate (8 ounces/227 grams chopped fine, 2 ounces/57 grams grated)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Our large-format treat is inspired by the Girl Scouts' Samoas cookies, which are also called Caramel deLites. Instead of making individual cookies, we opted for the convenience of a bar cookie built in a round springform pan to capture the charm of the original version. The pat-in-pan crust comes together easily with melted butter and, once baked, yields a crisp yet tender vanilla cookie base. For the caramel, we took a note from the original recipe and used sweetened condensed milk, which we combined with brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla to create a chewy, balanced layer. Off the heat, we stirred in a generous amount of toasted unsweetened coconut (which has more concentrated flavor than sweetened varieties) and topped the caramel layer with even more. After the cookie had cooled and we had unmolded it from the pan, we spread bittersweet chocolate on the bottom and piped bold stripes on top; tempering the chocolate beforehand yielded a shiny, snappy finish that stored well. We served the cookie on a decorative board and sliced it into wedges. Each bite was sweet, chewy, and full of nostalgia.

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe with Bob's Red Mill Unsweetened Shredded Coconut. To toast the coconut, spread it evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake it at 325 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through baking. Grate the chocolate on the small holes of a box grater.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heatoven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch springform pan and ovensafe 2-inch round cutter with vegetable oil spray.
  2. for the crust

  3. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl. Add melted butter and vanilla; stir with silicone spatula until evenly moistened. Crumble dough over bottom of prepared pan. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press dough into even layer. Using fork, poke dough all over.
  4. Press 2-inch round cutter into center of dough. Keeping cutter in place and using small spoon or offset spatula, gently remove center round of dough; discard or bake separately. Bake crust until edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, gently press on entire surface of warm crust to compress. Let crust cool for at least 20 minutes.
  5. for the filling

  6. Meanwhile, combine sugar, condensed milk, cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt in small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently with silicone spatula, until mixture registers between 236 and 239 degrees (temperature will fluctuate), 16 to 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in vanilla and 1 cup coconut. Pour caramel mixture over crust and, using silicone spatula, spread to even thickness (mixture will be very hot). Sprinkle evenly with remaining ½ cup coconut. Let cool completely, at least 1½ hours. (Cookie can be loosely wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours.)
  7. for the chocolate

  8. Microwave chopped chocolate in liquid measuring cup at 50 percent power, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted but not much warmer than body temperature (check by holding in palm of your hand), 1 to 2 minutes. Add grated chocolate and stir until smooth, returning to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time to finish melting if necessary.
  9. Remove side of pan and cutter in center of dough; invert cookie onto inverted rimmed baking sheet. Pour ¼ cup melted chocolate onto cookie in even band around hole in center, about ½ inch from hole. Using small offset spatula, gently spread chocolate to completely cover cookie. Repeat with additional ¼ cup chocolate. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, 20 to 25 minutes.
  10. If remaining ½ cup chocolate has hardened, microwave until just remelted, stirring every 10 seconds. Transfer chocolate to pastry bag or small zipper-lock bag and snip off corner, making about ⅛-inch hole. Invert cookie, chocolate side down, onto wire rack. Carefully place rack in now-empty rimmed baking sheet. Pipe remaining chocolate in zigzags across caramel layer. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes. Using large offset spatula, transfer cookie to cutting board. Using chef's knife, cut cookie into 2-inch wedges. Serve. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 4 days.)

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