Homemade Samoas

Homemade Samoas have all the iconic flavors of the original. A buttery chocolate dipped shortbread base, chewy caramel coconut topping, and a drizzle of chocolate. Swoon.

Why this recipe works

Homemade Samoas do require quite a bit of work, but if you’re craving a coconut-topped caramel cookie out of season, there’s truly nothing that can stop you. You only need a handful of ingredients to make the shortbread base, plus the ingredients for that iconic chocolate-caramel-coconut topping. Once you nail how to make them yourself, you’ll no longer have to hide a box in your dresser drawer. Or was that just me?

Now, before anyone says anything, I purchase Girl Scout cookies every single year. I used to be a Girl Scout leader, and my daughter was a Girl Scout herself when she was young. We’ve been supporting their cookie selling endeavors for as long as I can remember, and I don’t plan on stopping. However, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at probably one of the most difficult-to-make cookies they offer. And if I don’t say so myself, they came out incredible. Were they worthy of all the prep? Yep.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

SHORTBREAD – Be sure to weigh your flour with a kitchen scale for the best results. Too much flour can make shortbread crumbly and dry, which happens often when you overmeasure finicky flour. Pull out your butter and let it sit at room temperature 30 minutes to an hour before you begin.

TOPPING – You can use either sweetened or unsweetened coconut, though I prefer to use unsweetened as the caramel it’s mixed with is sugary enough. Toasting the coconut is optional, but recommended to help cut the sweetness (it also adds a lot of flavor!). For the caramel, the store bought wrapped caramels work really well. Kraft, Werthers, and Brach’s are all great options, so long as you grab the chewy caramels and not hard candy. Kraft caramel bits will also work!

CHOCOLATE – Semi-sweet or even dark chocolate chips are preferable for homemade Samoas. Milk chocolate would work in hindsight, though the cookies might be a tad too sweet. It all depends on preference.

How to Make Homemade Samoas

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed. Next, add the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.
3. It’s easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner). You can optionally chill the dough for an hour or up to overnight if needed.
4. Use a 2 inch cookie cutter to make the rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip (#12) to make the small hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it’s okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)
5. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.
6. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Preheat oven to 300F.
8. Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.
9. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

To Make the Topping

1. Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
2. Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.
   
   TIP – To make it a little easier to spread the topping on, you can smear some reserved caramel on top of the cookies. Then, add the caramel-coconut topping using clean fingers. Wet your fingers with water to help prevent the mixture from sticking. See photos below for reference.
   
   
3. While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.)
4. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)
5. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Samoas and Caramel deLites are the same cookie, just sold under different names depending on the bakery that supplies local councils for the Girl Scouts in your area. Councils supplied by Little Brownie Bakers use the name Samoas, while those supplied by ABC Bakers call them Caramel deLites. There are very minor differences in appearance and texture, but the flavor is the same!

Nope. This is totally optional, but we chose to do so to mimic the look of the classic cookie. I think these would be fantastic as a circular cookie without a hole, or even shaped into bars.

Toasting the coconut isn’t mandatory, but it does add a lot of flavor and helps cut down the sweetness in the caramel topping.

Absolutely! To freeze, allow the prepared cookies to fully cool before placing them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flash freeze the cookies until solid. Once solid, transfer them to an airtight container with layers separated by parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Store the fully cooled homemade Samoas in an airtight container kept at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can separate the layers with parchment paper to prevent the cookies from sticking together.

Serving Suggestions

Homemade Samoas are best enjoyed at room temperature. If you end up with far too many cookies to eat within the next couple of days, pop half of the batch into the freezer for later.

It’s really no wonder Samoas (or Caramel deLites) have a cult following. Hope you love them!

More Cookie Recipes

• Icebox Cookies
• Coconut Macaroons
• Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
• Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I originally baked and shared these cookies here back on November 26, 2008. Original recipe credit goes to Nicole at Baking Bites.