Samoa Cupcakes

Does it get better when you transform your favorite Girl’s Scout Cookie into cupcake form? I mean can you really go wrong with anything in cupcake form? I don’t think so! My cousin requested Samoa cupcakes for her graduation party and I delivered these bad boys. They’re everything you want in a cupcake; sweet, salty and savory all in one bite. My frosting fell all because I was impatient with getting them done, but they still tasted delicious. Haidyn loved helping out making these while I enjoyed devouring 'em. 

INGREDIENTS

For the Cupcakes:

•  1 box of Devil’s food cake and all ingredients needed to make cake
•   1 ¼  box of Keebler Coconut Dream Cookies

  

For the Salted Caramel Frosting:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 
•  1/2 cup caramel sauce 
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
•   4 cups powdered sugar
•  1 tsp salt

For the topping:

• 1 cup) sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
• Chocolate sauce
• Caramel sauce

DIRECTIONS

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin tins with paper liners. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients needed for the boxed cupcake mix.
2. Beat all ingredients together until smooth. * You may add coconut to the batter if you’d like more coconut. *
3. Place 1 coconut dream cookie at the bottom of each cupcake liner.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Spoon batter into cupcake liners and bake for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs or clean.
   

For the Toasted Coconut Topping:

1. Place shredded coconut onto a lightly greased pan under the broiler. Watch carefully as coconut becomes toasted approximately 5-10 minutes.

For the Caramel Frosting:

1. Allow butter to set out at room temperature about 15 minutes.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth.

3. Add cream cheese and continue to beat until fully smooth and well incorporated.

4. While slowly mixing, pour in caramel sauce (should not be warm).

5. Add vanilla to the mixture and continue slowly mixing .

6. Add in powdered sugar (one cup at a time) allowing the sugar to blend a bit before adding each    additional cup.

7. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and then blend the frosting an additional 30 seconds. * The frosting should be fluffy mine was not since I didn’t let the butter sit out as I should have L .

Frost cupcakes for assembling:

1. Frost cupcakes with salted butter cream
2.  Drizzle caramel sauce and chocolate sauce over the cupcakes.
3. Sprinkle toasted coconut to finish off. * If you’d like you may take the other cookies and place them on top of every cupcake for decoration as well.