Chocolate Caramel Coconut Bites

The dog days of summer arrived in central Missouri this week. Every day this week ended with temperatures in the mid nineties. Ninety degree weather and baking do not pair well in my opinion, so I decided to make this Samoa-like, no bake cookie.

I adapted the original recipe by changing the shape of the cookies and adding the chocolate bottom.

Bill and I love the rich sweetness of the chocolate caramel sauce combined with the flaked coconut and oat mixture. Even though one or two bites get eaten immediately by Bill and I, we are in agreement that the bites taste even better the day after I make them.

The lusciousness of the chocolate caramel sauce gets absorbed into each strand of flaked coconut. Then, the coconut caramel flavor creates the perfect union of sweet coconut and chocolate caramel goodness. 

Chocolate Caramel Coconut Bites Recipe

Quick Oatmeal and Sweetened Flaked Coconut

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 cups quick oatmeal
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 squares chocolate almond bark from a 24 oz package
• optional: semisweet chocolate chips for decorations.

Directions

• Place liners in a mini muffin pan.

• Set aside

• Bring butter, evaporated milk, sugar, and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. This is your caramel sauce.
• Boil gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in the cocoa with a small wire whisk. This can take a minute or two. Now you have chocolate caramel sauce. Yum!
• Cool slightly.
• Stir in flaked coconut, oats, and vanilla.
• Stir until mixture is blended well.
• Set aside.

• Place 3 squares of chocolate almond bark in a pastry bag, or zip top bag.
• Place the open bag of chocolate into the microwave.
• Microwave for 30 seconds.
• Gently squeeze, or smoosh the chocolate squares in the bag. Leave the top of the bag open so the air can escape.
• Microwave for 15 seconds.
• Gently squeeze, or smoosh the chocolate in the bag again until the lumps are gone.
• Microwave for another 15 seconds if necessary.
• Gently squeeze the chocolate into the bottom of the pastry bag, or corner of the zip top bag.
• Close the bag.
• Snip the end off of the pastry bag, or zip top bag. 
• Squeeze about 1 tsp. of chocolate into the bottom of each mini muffin liner, until the chocolate is gone.
• Stir coconut oat mixture. 
• Spoon the mixture into each muffin liner, packing lightly, until full.
• Place pan into the freezer for five minutes to set the chocolate in the bottom.
• Ready to eat while soft, or allow to dry overnight. Bill eats one or two soft, but we prefer to wait until the next day when the coconut caramel oat flavors have blended and the bites are firm.

I only have one mini muffin pan and have extra coconut oatmeal mixture left.

I make 10-12 cookies with the extra mix. 

• Place rounded Tbsp. of mix onto a wax paper lined pizza pan. 
• Gently flatten.
• If desired, melt one square of chocolate almond bark in a zip top bag.
• Snip bottom corner.
• Drizzle cookies with chocolate.

Drizzled with chocolate bark and ready to eat.