Samoa Truffles

14 Samoas Girl Scout Cookies (one box minus one cookie)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup coconut milk cream (the thick cream on the top of a can of coconut milk)
3 strips smoked bacon
8 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate

1. Heat a medium skillet
over medium heat and add the shredded coconut.
Toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown—this will take about five
minutes. Coconut can burn quickly and
easily, so keep an eye on it. Once
toasted, pour the coconut in a bowl to cool and return the pan to the heat and
add the bacon.
2. Cook the bacon until browned and crispy. Place the crisped bacon on a paper towel to
drain and let cool. Once the bacon is
cool to the touch, crumble into small pieces and set aside.
3. While the bacon cooks, add the cookies to the bowl of a food
processor and pulse until the cookies are finely chopped. Add the coconut milk and 1/3 cup of the
toasted coconut to the bowl and pulse until fully combined.
4. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop (or a large melon-baller)
portion the truffle filling onto a parchment-lined baking tray and once all the
filling has been scooped, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Once the truffle filling has firmed-up, remove from the
refrigerator and prepare the chocolate.
Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and microwave on high in
one-minute increments until almost fully melted, and then stir until smooth.
6. To coat the truffles, take one ball and roll lightly between
your palms to smooth any rough edges, then place in the chocolate and quickly
roll to coat with a small fork. Using
the fork or a toothpick, pick up the truffle and briefly let any excess drip
back into the bowl, then place on a piece of parchment. Sprinkle with the reserved toasted coconut
and place a couple bacon pieces on the top.
7. Repeat the chocolate coating and garnishing for all remaining
truffles. You will likely have leftover
chocolate, so scrape the remaining chocolate onto an open spot of the parchment
you are using and top with the remaining coconut and bacon for a bonus treat
(also add crumbled bits of the extra Samoa cookie if it’s still available, wink
wink).
8. Chill the finished truffles to set and serve as soon as the
chocolate has hardened.