Caramel Delights!

The Girl Scouts' Caramel Delight Cookies, aka Samoas, were my favorite cookie to eat (and sell!) when I was little. It would just be a crime if I couldn't eat them anymore just because I'm vegan now!! I still have yet to try the Lazy Samoas in Isa and Terry's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, but I think these are pretty darn good! They are based on the Scout Cookies I had at Watercourse Foods when I was in Denver--I kind of asked a worker what was in them and made up the recipe from there! It worked out perfectly, too! The addition of sweet potatoes give these a really lovely flavor, some added natural sweetness, and a great texture. I made these with whole wheat pastry flour, but they would totally work with either brown rice flour to make them gluten-free. You seriously have to try them for yourself! Vegan Caramel Delight Cookies (makes 3-4 dozen cookies)
3 cups shredded (raw) sweet potatoes
3 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 Tbs sea salt
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 Tbs coconut extract
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup Ener-G egg replacer (ground flaxseeds would also work)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1 cup warm water

16 oz. vegan chocolate chips
2 Tbs soy creamer

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease cookie sheets and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, coconut, nuts, flour, sugar, egg replacer and salt. Stir to combine. Add the extracts, oils, molasses, brown rice syrup, and water. Mix well with your hands to completely combine.
Scoop dough by 1/2 cup measurements and form into 3" rounds. Slightly flatten the tops to make into disc shapes. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely before adding chocolate.
While cookies cool, set up double boiler to melt the chocolate chips. Melt chocolate chips and whisk in the soy creamer. Drizzle over cooled cookies (in whatever pattern you like), or spread over the tops of the cookies like a frosting, and allow to set before serving. If you would rather have the chocolate on the bottoms, like the Girl Scout cookies, dip the bottoms into the melted chocolate and set on parchment paper to cool until set.
These are super fantastic with a big glass of soy milk!!