homemade samoas
You either love Samoas or you hate them. There’s no in between when it comes to these cookies. I personally love them. If you're a fan, you'll be thrilled to know that you can now make your own homemade version that's gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, and paleo-friendly.
As a kid, I always loved eating Girl Scout Samoas frozen. The solid caramel and frozen chocolate created an even more delightful texture. While some may find frozen chocolate a bit controversial, if you're weird like me, you'll be happy to know that these homemade Samoas have the same effect!
The flavors and textures of these cookies are simply perfection. The smooth chocolate and date caramel pair so well with the crunchy toasted coconut and shortbread cookie base. I'm so proud of these homemade Samoas because they taste very close to the real deal, but without any of the questionable ingredients found in the original. They do take a little but of effort, but I promise they are so worth it.
Tips for Making the Best Homemade Samoas:
Making the Cookie Dough
I highly recommend using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer to make the cookie dough. This will make the process much easier and less time-consuming. If you don’t have a mixer, you can mix the dough by hand, but it will require much more effort. I personally prefer using a hand mixer and mixing on speed 1 or 2, as it doesn’t require high speed.
When you mix in the maple syrup and vanilla extract into the flour, the dough will look very crumbly, and that’s exactly what you want. It will also look crumbly after the coconut oil has been mixed in, but that’s okay. Once you start to roll the dough into a ball using either your hands or a rubber spatula, it will become smoother.
Make sure your coconut is solid before using it in the dough. If you use melted coconut oil, it will change the consistency of your dough and the texture of your cookie once baked.
When mixing in the solid coconut oil into your dough, make sure to break up all the big clumps and mix them into the dough. A few tiny clusters are okay, and they won’t change how the cookie bakes.
Chilling the Cookie Dough
Chilling the cookie dough is a crucial step in the process of making homemade Samoas. Don’t skip this step, as it will further solidify the coconut oil and help the ingredients bind to each other. This will make it much easier to roll out and cut the cookie dough, ensuring a smooth and consistent texture.
Rolling the Cookie Dough
When rolling out the cookie dough, make sure to do so between sheets of parchment paper. This prevents the dough from sticking to your work surface and rolling pin, making the process much easier. Additionally, the coconut oil will melt slightly as you roll, and using parchment paper will make cleanup a breeze.
The ideal thickness for your cookie dough is approximately 1/4 of an inch. If the dough is too thin, your cookies may burn while baking. On the other hand, if the dough is too thick, it will take longer to bake and result in cookies that are too soft. Additionally, if the thickness is off, the ratio of cookie to caramel to coconut to chocolate will be affected, potentially altering the overall flavor and texture of your Samoas.
Cutting Out the Cookies
To create the center hole in your homemade Samoas, I recommend using a glass smoothie straw. This tool works perfectly for cutting out the center while maintaining the overall shape of the cookie. However, if you don’t have a smoothie straw, you can use any other small, cylindrical object you have on hand, such as a regular straw, a chopstick, or a wooden skewer. If using something with a smaller diameter, after making your initial hole, gently stretch it by making small circles, slowly moving outward, until you have your desired size.
When there’s not enough dough left to roll out after cutting out the cookies, don’t let it go to waste. Take the leftover dough, roll it into a small ball, and press it down to 1/4 inch inside your cookie cutter. Lay the pressed dough on the baking sheet upside down so the flat side is facing up. While this cookie may not look as perfect as the others, it still serves its purpose. Once it's covered in caramel, toasted coconut, and chocolate, no on will be able to tell the difference.
The amount of cookies you’ll end up with will depend on the size of your cookie cutter size. My cookie cutter is 2 1/2 inches in diameter and yields 18 cookies. Keep in mind that when choosing your cookie cutter, the size of your baked cookies will be very similar to the size of the cutter itself, as the cookies won’t change significantly in size during baking.
Applying the Caramel Layer
When assembling your homemade Samoas, it’s crucial to apple a generous layer of caramel to each cookie. Aim for about 1 1/2 teaspoons of caramel per cookie. Smooth out the caramel to ensure an even layer covers the entire surface of the cookie before dipping it in the toasted coconut.
Coating with Toasted Coconut
After applying the caramel layer, make sure to completely cover the caramel with toasted coconut flakes. This will create a delicious and textured coating that compliments the other flavors in the cookie.
Dipping in Chocolate
To finish off you homemade Samoas, dip the bottom of each cookie in melted chocolate. Allow any excess chocolate to drip off before placing the cookie parchment-lined baking sheet. If there is too much chocolate on the bottom, it will spread onto the parchment paper, leaving you short of chocolate to drizzle on top of the cookies.
Chilling to Set
Once you’ve assembled all the layers, place the cookies in the freezer to set. This will help the chocolate, caramel, and coconut adhere to the cookie base, creating a cohesive and delicious treat.
Proper Storages
Store your homemade Samoas in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
nourish your body.
Homemade Samoas
Prep time: 10 minutes Chill time: 50 minutes Bake time: 15 minutes
Total time: 65 minutes
ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
2 Tbsp arrowroot flour
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp coconut oil, solid
1/2 cup date caramel
3/4 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 Tbsp coconut oil
directions:
In a bowl, mix together almond flour and arrowroot flour.
Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract to the same bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix until well combined.
Mix in the solid coconut oil until the dough starts to come together.
Form the dough into a ball using your hands or a rubber spatula and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough (about 1/4 inch thick) between two sheets of parchment paper.
Using a cookie cutter, cut into circles and cut a small hole in the middle (using a straw). Gather and reroll the dough until you’ve used it all up.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
Once the cookies are cooled, dip them in the date caramel and smooth it using a spoon.
Dip the caramel coated cookies into the toasted coconut flakes.
Chill the dipped cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes.
While the cookies are chilling, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over a double boiler.
Dip the bottom of the cookies in melted chocolate. Place them back onto the lined baking sheet. Drizzle the top of the cookies with the leftover chocolate.
Chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Enjoy :)
