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Homemade Samoas Cookies Recipe

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4.2 from 2 reviews

These Homemade Samoas Cookies are a delightful copycat of the famous Girl Scouts treat, featuring a buttery shortbread base, toasted sweetened coconut caramel topping, and a rich dark chocolate bottom. Perfectly balanced with a tender cookie, chewy caramel coconut, and a smooth chocolate finish, these cookies are an irresistible indulgence for any occasion.

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut Topping

  • 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Caramel Sauce

  • 15 ounces store-bought or homemade soft caramels
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate

  • 8 ounces dark chocolate (chips or chopped)

Instructions

  1. Make the cookies: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. This step helps to aerate the dough for a tender cookie.
  2. Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to ensure even distribution of the leavening and seasoning.
  3. Mix dough: Gradually add the flour mixture in three increments to the creamed butter and sugar, mixing on low speed between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the milk and vanilla extract and blend until the dough begins to form large pieces and is combined.
  4. Chill dough: Divide the dough into two equal halves and press each half into a disk shape. Wrap both disks securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. This step makes rolling easier and prevents spreading during baking.
  5. Preheat oven: Heat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) to prepare for baking the cookies and toasting the coconut.
  6. Roll and cut cookies: On a lightly floured surface, roll each chilled dough disk to about 1/8-inch thickness. Use a doughnut-shaped cookie cutter—or two round cutters (such as 2-inch and 1-inch) to create ring-shaped cookies. Place cut outs on a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet.
  7. Bake cookies: Bake for 10–12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until cookies are pale golden brown. They should remain very light to keep the shortbread texture. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Toast coconut: Spread shredded coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 350ºF for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until coconut is toasted golden and aromatic. Remove and set aside.
  9. Melt caramel topping: In a double boiler setup (a medium saucepan placed over simmering water), melt the caramels with whole milk and salt, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and combine about 3/4 of this caramel mixture with the toasted coconut in a large bowl.
  10. Assemble caramel coconut topping: Spread the remaining approximately 1/4 cup caramel onto the cooled cookies as a sticky base, then press a generous amount of the caramel-coconut mixture onto each cookie. Allow to set and cool for about 30 minutes. If the caramel mixture becomes too thick during this process, gently warm it again in the double boiler.
  11. Melt chocolate: Using a double boiler or microwave in short bursts, melt the dark chocolate until smooth for dipping and drizzling.
  12. Finish cookies: Dip the bottoms of each cookie into the melted chocolate and lay them on wax paper-lined baking sheets. Use a fork to drizzle the tops with remaining melted chocolate. Let cookies rest at room temperature until the chocolate hardens fully, approximately 30-60 minutes.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a doughnut-shaped cookie cutter, use two round cutters of different sizes or even spice jar lids to create the hole.
  • If the dough is too firm after chilling, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling.
  • Underbake the cookies slightly to keep the shortbread pale golden and tender.
  • Watch the coconut carefully while toasting as it burns quickly; stir frequently for even color.
  • Spreading caramel on the cookie before pressing the coconut topping helps it adhere better and prevents topping from falling off.
  • 8 ounces of dark chocolate chips is roughly 1 1/3 cups if using chips instead of bars.

Find it online: https://cookedbysarah.com/homemade-samoas-cookies-recipe/