Healthier Samoas

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 350F
2. 2
   In a large mixing bowl, cream together margarine and sugar substitute.
3. 3
   Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and water, adding in the water as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky.
4. 4
   The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball.
5. 5
   Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.
6. 6
   Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds.
7. 7
   Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole.
8. 8
   Repeat with remaining dough.
9. 9
   Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set.
10. 10
    Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. 11
    Take oven temperature down to 300.
12. 12
    Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden.
13. 13
    Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally.
14. 14
    Set aside.
15. 15
    Place caramel sauce in a large microwave-safe bowl and fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
16. 16
    Spread the topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie.
17. 17
    While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl.
18. 18
    Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching.
19. 19
    Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper.
20. 20
    Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
21. 21
    Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.