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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: A shortbread cookie, dipped in chocolate and topped with toasted coconut that you think about all year long, just like the iconic cookies you would get from the Girl Scouts.
While I fully think you should support your local Girl Scout troop and buy a few boxes — the money is used to fund local education programs and community projects or is donated — I also highly endorse making this recipe when you can’t. After all, not everyone knows someone in a troop, and Girl Scout Cookie Season only lasts about six to eight weeks a year. The rest of the time these cookies are totally fair game!
While there is some debate on which Girl Scout cookie is the best, it usually comes down to two teams: Thin Mint versus Samoas/Caramel deLites. (Why not both?) Today, I’d love to show you how I make homemade copycat Girl Scout Samoas. Check back here soon to get a link to my Thin Mints as well.
These addictive cookies are made with a shortbread cookie, dipped in chocolate, and then topped with toasted coconut. They are a bit of a project — but so worth it!
What Type Of Caramel Should I Use For Copycat Samoas?
I love to use my Homemade Chewy Caramels for this recipe. The texture is out of this world, and I love the sweet-to-salt ratio for that recipe. If you’re not in the mood to mess around with caramel (and don’t bother if it is too humid, you may end up so frustrated you will never try again), store-bought is fine. Kraft Baking Caramels (soft caramels) are great for baking and are available in your baking or candy aisle.
It won’t have that high-quality homemade taste, but it’ll work just fine.
What Type Of Cookies Are Samoas?
The base of Girl Scout Samoas cookies is shortbread. It’s a buttery, almost crumbly cookie that pairs perfectly with caramel and coconut. It’d be easy to make these cookies way too sweet, but the cookie itself and the bitter chocolate really do a great balancing act. You can learn more about Shortbread Cookies here.
What Type Of Chocolate Should I Use To Make Homemade Samoas?
For my recipe, I’m using semisweet chocolate; however, if you have more of a sweet tooth, you could use milk chocolate. Likewise, if you prefer darker chocolate, feel free to use that as well — it will go perfectly with the sweet coconut and caramel.
Tools You Need To Make Homemade Samoas
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Stand mixer or handheld electric mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- 2-inch (5-cm) round cookie cutter
- ½-inch (12 mm) round cutter
- Double boiler or microwave-safe bowl
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Homemade Samoas
- The end of a piping tip can be used to make the center holes in the cookies if you don’t have a ½-inch (12 mm) cutter. But, for an equally delicious but less authentic shape, you can keep these cookies whole (without the center cut out). The cookies will still bake up fine!
- Sweetened coconut will burn easily and quickly when toasting in the oven — be sure to check and stir frequently!
- I made my own Homemade Chewy Caramels for this recipe. But you can use store-bought soft caramel candy if you don’t have time to make the homemade candy.
- Dipping the entire cookie in chocolate is necessary — the caramel topping won’t stick to the cookie without the chocolate.
- The tiny amount of oil in the chocolate will keep the chocolate from drying too hard or blooming after setting, but it will set a bit softer than chocolate melted without oil — so be sure to serve with napkins handy!
Don’t Miss More Cookie Recipes:
- Best-Ever Peanut Butter Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Crazy Cookie Dough: One Base Dough, Endless Flavor Possibilities
- 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies
Try These Recipes!
Homemade Samoas Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) butter (softened)
- ¼ cup (2 oz/71 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Coconut Topping
- 2 ⅔ cups (8 oz/227 g) shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 ⅔ cups (18 oz/510 g) Homemade Chewy Caramels
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups (9 oz/255 g) semisweet chocolate
- ¼ teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
Make The Cookies
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the milk and vanilla extract until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then switch the mixer to low and combine with the butter mixture until evenly mixed. Shape the dough into a flattened disc, wrap well and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, toast the coconut: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the coconut in an even layer and bake, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the coconut is evenly golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl to let cool. Leave the oven on.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment and set them aside. On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to ⅛-inch-thick (3 mm). Using a 2-inch (5-cm) round cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. (You can gather and re-roll any scraps.) Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch (2½ cm) apart.
- Using a ½-inch (12 mm) round cutter, cut a small circle out of the center of each cookie (these small cutouts can be gathered and rerolled into more cookies.)
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until very lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and set your parchment-lined baking sheets aside.
Make The Topping
- In a double boiler or in a microwave-safe bowl, combine the Homemade Chewy Caramels and cream and heat very gently until melted. Pour the melted caramel into the toasted coconut and mix to combine.
- In a microwave-safe bowl or double boiler, combine the chocolate and oil, and stir gently until melted.
Assemble The Cookies
- Dip a cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Before the chocolate is set, scoop about 1 ½ tablespoon of the coconut mixture on top of the chocolate. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Once all of the cookies are dipped and topped, drizzle the remaining chocolate over the cookies.
- Let the chocolate set before serving, for at least 2 hours, or refrigerate for 30 minutes to set quicker. Serve at room temperature.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
As you are a fan of Samoas, the taste is fantastic. But beware! Very time consuming recipe. Would not use cookie cutter as dough gets warm for cookie. Dough needs to go in freezer to be cool and able to cut. Didn’t have enough time to make my own caramel. Difficult at best to work quickly with the caramel and coconut. Have another pair of hands working with you. I ended up putting cookies in freezer once prepped to set up. If you have plenty of time, then you will be fine.
There’s 8 ounces in a cup, not 5. I made the recipe based on the weights listed instead. The dough was difficult to roll out. It’s possible the butter/flour ratio is off. The cookies tasted good though!
Hi! I’m allergic to coconut, can I make this with chopped pecans instead?
You could use a donut cutter with a hole to save cutting time?