Samoa Cookie recipe (girl scout copycat)

Chewy, crunchy healthy Samoa girl scout cookies might just be your new favorite treat! combine sweet caramel, rich chocolate, & toasted coconut to create the perfect marriage of flavors! You will be SHOCKED at how minimal ingredients and time are required to make these homemade girl scout cookies – the whole family will love! Best part, they’re naturally vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.

Whether you call them Caramel DeLites or Samoas, they are arguably the best Girl Scout Cookie. They’re so good that it’s criminal they’re only around for a short time. A few years ago I set out to create a super easy homemade version and I couldn’t be happier with these! Each cookie has a crisp shortbread base generously coated with a layer of rich, chewy coconut caramel. Then, just the bottom of the cookies gets dunked in chocolate and drizzled with a little of that smooth, creamy chocolate – perfection!!

If you love Girl Scout Cookies, try my no-bake Samoa cookies or these homemade Tagalongs!

Why You’ll Love This samoa cookie Recipe

• Insanely delicious – They have so much flavor and texture in each bite, and in my opinion, they’re better than the real deal! Even though this recipe is made with more wholesome ingredients like almond flour, real coconut, quality chocolate, and naturally sweetened, they are so much more flavorful than the packaged classic!
• Dietary friendly – these girl scout cookies can be made nut-free and are grain-free, dairy-free and vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.
• Wholesome – made with just 6 wholesome ingredients, these cookies are quite lower in sugar than the classic version and contain no preservatives or artificial flavorings!
• Easy to Make: No complicated steps or equipment required! These come together in one bowl in 15 minutes (collectively!).

Homemade Samoa Cookie recipe video

What are samoas cookies?

Samoas cookies, also known as Caramel deLites, are a popular Girl Scout cookie. Each cookie has a buttery shortbread base, with a slightly crunchy and chewy toasted coconut caramel topping. The bottom of the cookies are dunked in chocolate and then a little is drizzled on top!

Are Samoa Cookies Vegan?

Classic girl scout Samoas cookies, or Caramel DeLites, are not vegan as they contain sweetened condensed milk. They also contain tons of preservatives and artificial flavors. Some of their ingredients include things like corn syrup, caramel color, and carrageenan.

This recipe is VERY simple and wholesome containing just the following – almond flour, chocolate, maple syrup, coconut, almond butter, and coconut oil. So yes, my homemade Samoa cookie recipe is vegan!

How to make this homemade samoa cookie recipe

Samoa cookie Ingredients

For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is!

• Almond flour – for a nut-free option, Tiger nut flour works great! You can also use cashew flour, but these are the only two flours that will work as a 1:1 substiute!
• Maple syrup or honey
• Coconut oil – just a tad is used to help the caramel coconut layer firm up!
• Almond butter or cashew butter – I would stray away from using peanut butter as it will overpower the flavor of the coconut filling. You can use granola butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option!
• Chocolate – The cookies are dunked and drizzled with smooth, creamy chocolate, adding a touch of indulgence and balancing the sweetness of the caramel and coconut. You can use dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, or even get a little spicy and use white chocolate 😉
• Vanilla extract & sea salt

Step by step instructions

• Make the dough – In a bowl, combine the almond flour, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and splash of water. Mix well until a slightly sticky dough forms. It may seem like your dough is too dry, but I promise it will come together! Drop the dough by spoonful (I like to use a cookie scoop!) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten the dough into a flat disc, then use something circular (a straw, chop stick, etc) to create the center hole.
• Bake – Bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes until golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. I like to pop the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes or so to speed up the process!
• Add the caramel coconut filling – In a small bowl combine all of the coconut caramel ingredients until well combined. Then add a bit of the mixture to the top of each cookie. Place the pan back in the freezer for 45 minutes or so until it’s firm enough to be able to dip in chocolate.
• Dip in chocolate – Melt the chocolate until smooth. Dip the bottom of each cookie into the melted chocolate and return to the cookie sheet. Then drizzle a little over the top.
• Firm up – Return the cookies to the freezer for 10-15 minutes until the chocolate is firm. Then move the cookies to an air-tight container. These need to be stored in the fridge or freezer (I prefer them in the freezer!).

Expert tips

• Allow ample time for each step, especially for chilling the caramel and chocolate layers. Rushing can lead to a messier appearance and less optimal texture!

Storing samoa cookies

I love storing these cookies in the freezer and popping one or two out when my sweet tooth hits! They don’t get super hard and stay perfectly crunchy, however you can store them in the fridge. Store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze the cookies in a sealed container for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.

More cookie recipes to try

• No-bake Samoa Cookies
• Homemade Tagalong cookies
• 3 Ingredient fudge stripe cookies
• Cinnamon Pecan sticky bun cookies
• Banana caramel cookies
• Frozen protein S’mores
  

Samoa Cookie recipe (girl scout copycat)

Chewy, crunchy healthy Samoa cookies might just be your new favorite treat! combine sweet caramel, rich chocolate, & toasted coconut to create the perfect marriage of flavors! You will be SHOCKED at how minimal ingredients and time are required to make these homemade girl scout cookies – the whole family will love! Best part, they're naturally vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 9 cookies

Ingredients

  

Cookie base

• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract & pinch of sea salt

Toasted coconut topping

• 3/4 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup almond butter or cashew butter
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract & good pinch sea salt

Coating

• 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Make the dough – In a bowl, combine the almond flour, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and splash of water. Mix well until a slightly sticky dough forms. It may seem like your dough is too dry, but I promise it will come together! Drop the dough by spoonful (I like to use a cookie scoop!) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten the dough into a flat disc, then use something circular (a straw, chop stick, etc) to create the center hole.
• Bake – Bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes until golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. I like to pop the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes or so to speed up the process!
• Add the caramel coconut filling – In a small bowl combine all of the coconut caramel ingredients until well combined. Then add a bit of the mixture to the top of each cookie. Place the pan back in the freezer for 45 minutes or so until it's firm enough to be able to dip in chocolate.
• Dip in chocolate – Melt the chocolate until smooth. Dip the bottom of each cookie into the melted chocolate and return to the cookie sheet. Then drizzle a little over the top.
• Firm up – Return the cookies to the freezer for 10-15 minutes until the chocolate is firm. Then move the cookies to an air-tight container. These need to be stored in the fridge or freezer (I prefer them in the freezer!).

Video

Notes

Storage – I love storing these cookies in the freezer and popping one or two out when my sweet tooth hits! They don’t get super hard and stay perfectly crunchy, however you can store them in the fridge. Store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze the cookies in a sealed container for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.

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