Make Your Own Girl Scout Samoas
October 17, 2008 by Heather R.
Filed under Chocolate, Chocolate Links, Chocolate Recipes
Samoas (or Caramel de-Lites, as they’re called now, but they’ll always be Samoas to me) are my absolute favorite Girl Scout cookie. Keep your Thin Mints and your Tagalongs, I want chocolate and coconut!
Now, full credit for these goes to Baking Bites. I didn’t create this recipe, I just stumbled across it and immediately praised the genius mind that came up with it. I love the Internet.
Now on to the fabulousness:
Homemade Samoas
Cookies
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 2 tbsp milk
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.
Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.
Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
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.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.
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. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes about 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.
[image and recipe reprinted with permission from bakingbites.com]
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Great Cookie Recipe!
I suspect that these will taste so much better than the boxed variety – thanks for sharing the recipe.
I love Samoas. I have never thought of making themmyself.
Love these! Thanks for the recipe!
Use organic ingredients to make this even healthier.
I just sent my friend this link… She loves those cookies
Oooh. I’ll get big points with my coworkers!
Yummy – however as my daughter is a Girl Scout – I guess I still have to buy them lol, that’s how they make the money to keep the troops going.
My husband will definitely love these! Thank you!
A little more work than some, but well worth it.
YUM. I will have to try this
These won’t last long around here. They are our favorites!
Oh my gosh this is my favorite Girl Scout Cookie too! I will so be making these TODAY!
I might have to try making some of these.
yummy recipe!
Samoas are my favs! (and the tagalongs – love my peanut butter!
Yum! We usually buy tons when the cookie season rolls around (my daughter is a girl scout and I a leader) but its nice to know there is a recipe for the off season, lol.
The recipe looks delicious.
like to win this
PLEASE COUNT ME IN ON THIS AWESOME GIVEAWAY
wow! this looks so tasty!
I will certainly make these cookies.And thank you for the contest!
My kids are going to nominate me “Mom of the Year” when I make these cookies! Thank you for the recipe.
ty for the contest and great recipes also,
Yes!! I am going to make these for Thanksgiving…perfect while everyone is watching the game.
Finally!! Somebody figured out the recipe to my favorite cookie!! I live in a very rural area and of course support the Girl Scouts when they have a cookie sale, but this is a good way to enjoy my favorite treat any time.
I just printed this reciepe and I am heading to the kitchen now! I can’t wait to see what they taste like, thanks so so so much!!
This contest is cool! I love food and surprises! I would love to win! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
I appreciate this post, because I love Samoas as well and now have the recipe to make them on my own, thanks!
Great recipe, thanks
sounds like fun to me
Love these contests and hope to see more in the future.
Yum!! Looks and sounds delicious!
Are you kidding? Anything with chocolate will do fine
Yes, yes, yes! These and Thin Mints are my families weaknesses! Yummy!
Those look AMAZING
I’ve been wanting to make that recipe for ages! One of these days my fiance and I will sit down and make a ton of pseudo-GS cookies…
Oh my husband will think I am SUPERWOMAN when I make these! Of course I LOVE them as well so that makes it easier to convince me. Thanks for the recipe!
Looks yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
You have no idea kindness you have done for the household that crave the elusive samoa 11 months out of the year!!! I thank you.
great cookies
delicious for when they’re not available!
i was a girl scout and bought countless boxes of these yummy cookies. do the girl scouts make any cookies that i didn’t fall in love with? obviously not. this sounds yummy
Thin Mints and the Peanut Butter-Oatmeal ones are my fav. Samoas are pretty good.
I sold my share of cookies, but the troop gets so little money from each box, I rather just give the troop the money the cookies would have cost.
I love these cookies! There used to be a cookie called Yes Yes, that is just like these. I buy them from Girl Scouts, but never get enough to get through the year. Thanks for the recipe; I’ll by making them soon!
Thin mints are my favorite, but these run a close second, thanks I will try this recipe
It will be great to be able to eat these the other 11 months of the year.