Ask a group of women what their favorite Girl Scout cookie is, and chances are, at least 8 out of 10 of them are going to answer with… Samoas.

Continuing on with the Girl Scouts of Western Washington cookie recipe contest, I give you Samoas Nanaimo Bars.

If you have never had a Nanaimo bar, you have not lived.

Lucky for us all, Girl Scout cookies go on sale March 1st and continue on for 17 glorious days.  So, really soon.  I’m such a sweets pusher, I will even provide you a link to this delightful cookie locator. 😉

Oh yes, there is even a cookie locator app for your phone.  I’m sorry, y’all. I apologize in advance if you end up in the Betty Crocker Clinic.

A traditional Nanaimo bar is a Canadian no-bake dessert, and is named after the west coast Canadian city of Nanaimo, British Columbia.  My mom used to make them when I was a kid, so I adopted a fondness for them early on in life. 🙂

It consists of a crumb based, coconut layer (usually made with graham crackers and coconut), topped with a layer of vanilla custard butter icing, which is covered with a rich chocolate ganache.

When I was brainstorming ideas for ways to use Samoas, this dessert instantly came to mind because of it’s chocolate and coconut flavors.  I thought that replacing the graham cracker crumbs with crumbled Samoas cookies would be absolutely amazing.

I was right.

What followed was one of the most mind blowing, rich, and delicious desserts that I have ever made.  I will not lie, I had a hard time not devouring the entire pan.

I hope you go out and grab yourself a box (or two) of Samoas and try this recipe.  You will either throw a parade in my honor, or hate me for introducing you to this high calorie, ever so tempting dessert that is sure to go straight to your thighs.

Trust me, it is worth every single little dimple of cellulite.

You can check out the finalists for this contest and vote for the winner here, starting on March 19th.

Oh, and Check out my other recipes using Girl Scout Cookies- think of the possibilities.  Get them all, make them all, and when you start to feel guilty about all of the tasty confections you are consuming, just remind yourself that you are supporting those adorable little scouts and a fabulous organization.

Click here for Thin Mint Ice Cream Pie

Click here for Lemon Blueberry Buckle with Savannah Smiles Streusel

Click here for Trefoil Raspberry Creme Brulee

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Crumb base:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
1 package of Girl Scouts Samoas cookies
4 graham crackers
1 cup of flaked coconut (I used sweetened)

Custard Layer:
1/2 cup softened butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons custard powder (or instant vanilla pudding mix)
2 cups confectioners sugar

Chocolate Ganache Topping
4 oz milk chocolate chips
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon heavy cream

Directions:

In a food processor combine Samoas cookies and graham crackers and pulse until you have smooth crumbs.  Set aside.

Remove from heat and mix in the cookie crumbs and coconut.

Press into the bottom of an ungreased 8×8 inch pan.  Chill until no longer warm.

For the middle layer, cream together 1/2 cup butter, heavy cream, and custard powder until light and fluffy.  Mix in the confectioners sugar until smooth.

Spread over the bottom layer of the pan.  Chill for 2-3 hours until set.

After second layer has chilled, melt the milk chocolate chips, 2 teaspoons of butter, and cream together in a double broiler over low heat.  Spread over the chilled bars.

Let the chocolate set in the refrigerator before cutting into squares.  Enjoy!