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Homemade Samoas Cookie Recipe

March 31, 2011 By Naomi Robinson | Bakers Royale 40 Comments

Homemade Samoas Cookies ~  Now you can enjoy one of the most popular Girl Scout cookies year around. Keep reading for the homemade Samoas cookie recipe. It’s a lot easier than you might think.

Homemade Samoas Cookies

Homemade Samoas Cookies

I have to admit I’m kind of excited about this recipe. They taste great and appearance wise they are pretty close to looking like the real thing. Ahem, don’t go in for a close up, my chocolate dipping totally gives it away.

Samoas cookies are my favorite Girl Scout cookie and as a whole, they come in right behind the Thin Mints as the second best selling Girl Scout cookie. This surprised me since I would have bet money that Tagalongs were the second most popular (psst. .  check next week’s post for homemade Tagalongs). Luckily I’m not a gambling woman.

But I am an obsessive baker. I have sweet treats in the fridge, half assembled desserts on the countertops and bake sheets full of multi-sized prep bowls full of ingredients for the next recipe. Seriously, I have a problem that I hope never goes away.

Although this past week was a little crazier than usual since I was testing more than a few  recipes along with these Homemade Samoas Cookies.  As many of you know my home is not filled with dessert partakers. Unless its peanut butter, salted caramel or coconut I’m  guaranteed a session of forceful persuasion to get my boys to test anything I make.

Thankfully, Matt loves coconut and was happy to be my tester on this one and he gave it big thumbs up.  After his thumbs up came a few more so I’m comfortable in saying “Whoo-hoo to finally nailing a homemade Samoas cookie recipe!”

A few notes:

  • The cookie portion of the Samoas is a basic shortbread and very forgiving, so don’t worry-it’s not possible to overwork the dough when you are rolling it out.
  • Since the caramel coconut topping is sweet enough on its own, I lessened the sweetness of the short bread cookie portion.
  • Keep a watchful eye when toasting the coconut, as it goes from toasting to burnt quickly.
  • Keep a warm bowl of water and towel near when you are assembling the cookie.  The caramel coconut topping is sticky and will require you to clean your spatula off after a few cookies.

For more Samoas recipes check out:

  • Samoas Cupcakes by Bakers Royale ~ Shameless self-promotion.
  • Samoas Truffles by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen ~ Truffle + Samoas = Happiness
  • Samoas on a Stick by Cookies and Cups ~ Because everything on a stick is just plain better.
  • Samoas Scones by Crustabakes ~ WORD.

Homemade Samoas Cookies

Makes  50-60 cookies

Preparation: Heat oven to 350 Degrees. Line bake sheet with parchment.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb sweetened coconut, toasted
  • ½ cup of confectioner sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 11oz. bag of Kraft Caramels
  • Chocolate Pouring Sauce Click here for the recipe and double it.

Instructions:

  1. Place coconut on bakesheet and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 10-minutes. Make sure to stir the coconut half way through.
  2. Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour and beat until combined. Place dough in refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.
  3. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out the dough to an 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Using a two inch round cookie cutter stamp out cookies and for the center use the wider end of a piping tip if you don’t have a small enough cookie cutter.  Place stamped out cookies on parchment lined bakesheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
  4. Place caramel squares in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat to melt. Once the caramel bits are completely melted  reserve ½ a cup of mixture in a shallow bowl; set aside. Add the toasted coconut to the remaining caramel mixture.  Fill a shallow pan with hot water and place saucepan filled with the finished caramel coconut  in it to keep the mixture at spreading consistency. Reheat mixture as needed to maintain spread consistency during assembly.

Assembly:

  1. Dip tops of cookies into the reserved caramel bowl. This will help the sticky caramel coconut mixture to quickly adhere to the cookie. Place cookie on a flat surface and using an icing spatula or butter knife spread caramel coconut mixture on to the cookie. If necessary, use a spoon to guide the caramel coconut spread off the icing spatula and on to the cookies. Let cookies rest for 30 minutes before dipping the bottoms in chocolate and drizzling the striping on top.

Filed Under: Cookies, Sweet

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Comments

  1. Araba says

    March 31, 2011 at 9:24 am

    Ooh, yum. Yum! But so many steps…*le sigh* lol

  2. a frog in the cottage says

    March 31, 2011 at 10:15 am

    they’re so irresistible !! I wish I could brab one & eat it right away

  3. sweetie says

    March 31, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    naomi, absolutely perfect imitation! could you suggest a homemade caramel recipe instead of the store bought ones?

  4. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says

    March 31, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    I’ve been meaning to make these for seriously over a year. Hubs brought a box home from work that I managed to make disapear pretty fast… will need to make some myself soon!

  5. kate says

    March 31, 2011 at 3:30 pm

    Love these!! This is bookmarked & I am definitely making them! They look even better than the Girls Scouts ones!

  6. Jun says

    March 31, 2011 at 7:46 am

    Love this. Bookmarked!

  7. Amber | Bluebonnets & Brownies says

    March 31, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    Samoas are my favorite too. Other recipes I’ve looked at have been far more intimidating. I’m looking forward to trying this!

  8. Natalie says

    March 31, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    Sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe
    Question: In step number 1 did you mean to say “Place BUTTER and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy?”

  9. Tracy says

    March 31, 2011 at 5:57 pm

    Oh my God. I love you forever and ever!! Samoas are my favorite and I can’t WAIT to try these!!

  10. bridget {bake at 350} says

    March 31, 2011 at 6:14 pm

    Wow…these look awesome!

  11. gretchen says

    March 31, 2011 at 6:33 pm

    Did you mean sugar and butter in a bowl and beat until light and creamy?

  12. Naomi says

    March 31, 2011 at 6:51 pm

    Yes Gretchen, I did. I have updated the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!

  13. Jamie | My Baking Addiction says

    March 31, 2011 at 9:56 pm

    These look absolutely incredible. I love the idea of being able to nosh on Samoas any day of the year!

  14. Maris(In Good Taste) says

    March 31, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    How talented you are! These look incredible

  15. shelly (cookies and cups) says

    March 31, 2011 at 11:16 pm

    those are spot on, really!!
    excellent job. I fear for my waistline being able to eat these year round, though 😉

  16. Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says

    March 31, 2011 at 11:26 pm

    Wow, these are spot on! You’ve really done an amazing job. I like samoas too, but they are actually my husband’s favorite so I think he’s gonna love you when I tell him about these.

  17. Nancy @SensitivePantry says

    March 31, 2011 at 11:50 pm

    These look just like the real deal. You are an artiste, my friend! I bet they didn’t last long.

  18. Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says

    April 1, 2011 at 12:31 am

    These are really perfect! I don’t know about you but I was giggling through the whole time I was making these! Well, except when I was cursing at the caramel sticking to everything.

  19. Aimee @ Simple Bites says

    April 1, 2011 at 12:59 am

    Wow, aren’t you smart! OK, I’ve never had a Samoa. Can we still be friends?

  20. Kimmy @ Lighter and Local says

    April 1, 2011 at 1:02 am

    This is perfect! I didn’t order enough samoas this year and now I can simply make my own. Thank you for breaking down the process for us!

  21. Amanda says

    April 1, 2011 at 2:16 am

    Yay!! Love the picture tutorial… and that you put so much time in and attention to detail!! You are fab girl! I love these cookies with a passion.. and love that now I can make them at home! 🙂

  22. ahnkadragon says

    March 31, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    These look delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe and the photos=)

  23. Robyn | Add a Pinch says

    April 1, 2011 at 11:28 am

    Samoas are my weakness when it comes to Girl Scout cookies. Yours are beautiful, Naomi!

  24. Urvashee says

    April 1, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    Yay! I love samoas. I am always torn between them and thin mints so I always buy both. These look like the real thing. Definitely will be trying these out soon! Can’t wait to see what you do for Tagalongs.

  25. sweetsugarbelle says

    April 1, 2011 at 6:56 pm

    Mouth is watering. thanks for sharing!

  26. Allison @ Alli 'n Son says

    April 1, 2011 at 7:11 pm

    hThese are awesome! THey look just like the real thing.

    I’d like to invite you to share this recipe with my linky, Sweet Tooth Friday. I hope to see you there.
    http://alli-n-son.com/2011/03/31/toffee-snickerdoodle-cookies/

  27. DeNise says

    April 2, 2011 at 2:57 am

    Don’t care how many steps it takes. I’m making these!

  28. Christina says

    April 2, 2011 at 3:41 am

    These look perfect to me! Are you going to re-create all the girl scout cookies? Please say “yes”. =)

  29. Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says

    April 2, 2011 at 3:41 am

    Samoas are my favorite! And these are stunning replicas – beautiful job! (Wish I could have been your taste tester!)

  30. Tickled Red says

    April 2, 2011 at 7:18 pm

    Seriously!! Those are too cool 🙂

  31. Barbara | VinoLuciStyle says

    April 3, 2011 at 12:25 am

    Are we related? They are my favorite cookie too though I think calling them a cookie is a misnomer. Candy is more like it…yummy chocolate, crispy, coconut candy. Ready to rummage now for some caramels.

  32. crustabakes says

    April 3, 2011 at 8:51 am

    Hi! Thanks so much for featuring my samoas scones in here! U make me feel like being a resident in your house with all the sugar going on there! Your samoa cookies look great and thanks so much for “notes” on toasting coconuts and handling caramel.

  33. TidyMom says

    April 3, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    oh Naomi these look to die for!!!! Way better than the ones in the box! haha

    Thanks for linking up! I featured your post in my wrap up today! http://tidymom.net/2011/im-lovin-it-wrap-up-4311/ Have a great weekend!

  34. Katy Lunsford says

    April 3, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    They look super yummy, thank you for sharing.

  35. Dianna@DecorMadeSimple says

    April 3, 2011 at 4:20 pm

    Love these cookies, thanks for sharing. If you figure out how to make the Girl Scout thin mint cookie please let me know.

  36. Shaina says

    April 5, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    Your Samoas look just like the real thing. Gorgeous job, Naomi!

  37. The Nerdy Nurse says

    April 8, 2011 at 1:57 am

    what type of flour does this call for, self rising? or all-purpose, since i don’t see a levening agent otherwise, i assume self rising?

    trying to make these right now, don’t want them to not work

  38. Rose Plated says

    April 9, 2011 at 7:29 am

    This is so mouth watering. I love to make some of this for my girls’ snacks. They will surely love the name of this cookie.

  39. Naomi says

    April 10, 2011 at 4:02 am

    Hi Nerdy Nurse-Actually no leavener in this light shortbread. It’s not self-rising, just regular all-purpose flour.

  40. Ali says

    June 8, 2013 at 4:49 pm

    Attempted to make these. Failed miserably. Caramel gets very hard upon setting after cookies are finished. Must be a skilled baker to pull this off.

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About Naomi Robinson

Welcome to my cozy corner where baking meets random thoughts and musings. I’m a self-taught baker sharing all things sweet (and some savory—okay, and cocktails) with a whisk in one hand and a camera in the other.

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