Samoas Cookies

My copycat Samoas are a gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free take on the Girl Scouts classic! They’re AIP, Paleo & Top 8 friendly.

Samoas are my all-time favorite Girl Scouts cookie. With the GS cookie season upon us, I wanted to create a recipe for my top indulgence pick that’s compliant with a wider range of diets. I use coconut cream to make them dairy-free, coconut flour so they are gluten-free, and substitute carob powder in lieu of chocolate for AIP! Made with all-natural ingredients, these are a deliciously guilt-free way to get your Samoas fix. Seriously…give these a try. Your tastebuds (and gut!) will thank you.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Storage
• Top tip
• Recipe

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie

• Unsweetened coconut flakes or shreds
• Medjool dates
• Coconut flour
• Arrowroot starch
• Coconut oil (refined, hardened version)
• Honey
• Salt

Chocolate + Caramel Layers

• ⅔ cup coconut cream
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp carob powder (after ¼ cup caramel for cookies has been removed)

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

1. Add dates to hot water and let soak for 15 minutes. Drain then add them to a food processor.
2. While the dates soak, add 2 cups of coconut flakes to a saute pan on medium-low. Toast for ~5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning, until flakes have turned a nice golden brown. Transfer 1 cup to the food processor and the remainder to a small mixing bowl.
3. Set the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
4. Add the remaining cookie ingredients to the food processor and pulse until a ball forms, scraping down the sides if necessary. Taking small bits of dough with your hand, create 18 small cookies, first rolling them into a ball, then flattening a bit and placing them onto the lined baking sheet.
5. Using a chopstick (or something similar) poke a hole in the middle of the cookies. Reform the cookie, if necessary.
6. Bake for ~12 minutes. The cookies should still be somewhat soft when you remove them. Let them cool while you make the caramel layer.
7. Add coconut cream, sugar and salt to a small saucepan on medium heat. Allow to come to a simmer, stirring to fully mix together. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the cream starts to thicken into a more caramel-like consistency, stirring frequently.
8. Remove from heat and transfer ¼ cup of the caramel mixture to the mixing bowl with the extra toasted coconut shreds. Combine the coconut and caramel well. Scoop caramel/coconut mixture onto the tops of the baked cookies.
9. Add carob powder to the remaining caramel mixture and stir well. Dip the bottom of the cookies into the chocolate layer and transfer to parchment-lined Tupperware. Drizzle the now chocolate syrup on top of the cookies.
10. Divide each layer of cookie with parchment paper then pop in the refrigerator to set (~4 hours). Keep stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Hint: Be careful not to overcook the caramel/chocolate. You want it still a bit runny to drizzle on top of the cookies.

Substitutions

You can sub maple syrup for honey to make this recipe vegan friendly.

Storage

Keep stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Top tip

Toasting the coconut flakes really does give the cookies extra flavor! Do not skip this step.

Recipe