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.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.
- 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.
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- 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.
- Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
To Make the Topping
- 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 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.
- 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.)
- 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.)
- 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!
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Homemade Samoas Recipe
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 cup butter softened at room temp
- 4 ounces granulated sugar 1/2 cup
- 9.8 ounces all purpose flour 2 cups
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- up to 2 Tablespoons milk
Topping:
- 8.3 ounces shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened. 3 cups
- 15 ounces good-quality chewy caramels
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate chocolate chips will do
Things You’ll Need
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Before You Begin
- 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.
- You can use either sweetened or unsweetened coconut, though I prefer to use unsweetened as the caramel it’s mixed with is sugary enough.
- 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. Even the Kraft caramel bits will work!
- Semi-sweet or even dark chocolate chips are preferable for homemade Samoas. Milk chocolate would work, though the cookies might be a tad too sweet. It all depends on preference.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- 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.1 cup butter, 4 ounces granulated sugar, 9.8 ounces all purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, up to 2 Tablespoons milk
- 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.
- 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.) I used the small end of a large round piping tip (Wilton #12). Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.
- 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.
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- 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.8.3 ounces shredded coconut
- Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
To Make the Topping
- 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.15 ounces good-quality chewy caramels, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3 Tablespoons milk
- 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 first 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.
- 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.)8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate
- Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. 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.)
- Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
I originally baked and shared these cookies here back on November 26, 2008. Original recipe credit goes to Nicole at Baking Bites.
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jo says
Amanda how about creating a samoas bar cookie recipe. I would love that.
Deb K says
I just made these up tonight , they were easy and tasted really great. I’m a huge fan of coconut and chocolate and in Canada we can not get this flavour of girl guide cookies . Happy to have a recipe to mimic them. I found using clean fingers and a stainless steel spoon with cold water the easier way to get the topping on. The back of spoon works well to spread it out.
Amanda Davis says
These look great! Wish I had one right now :)
Jenna says
What if you just covered the cookies in caramel without the coconut and while the caramel was still sticky, dip them into coconut so you don’t have to de with spreading it?
April says
These cookies turned out great everyone loved them… but using almond bark would probably work better the chocolate chips stuck to the paper not the cookie.
Amanda Formaro says
Glad you liked them April!
April says
How many calories per cookie anybody know??
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry, I didn’t calculate this recipe as that was long before I knew how to do that. I wouldn’t be able to give you an accurate number as I don’t know how many cookies it made, it’s been that long. Sorry!
Corinne Smith says
I can’t find a way to print this out???????
Amanda Formaro says
I have updated the post so that there is now a printable version :)
Denise says
How would you make the bar cookie instead would the ingredents for the cookie be the same?,and just press dough down in a baking dish and bake then cool the put on toppings?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes! There are actually some recipes out there for bars as well :)
Lois Fitzgerald says
some gourmet cookies have gotten so expensive. The D G stores sell these in case you haven’t noticed
Libby says
I am definitely making these-yum! For those who don’t care for coconut, my Mom used to substitute oatmeal when she couldn’t afford coconut in a bar recipe that we loved. It was a caramel topping similar to this one and tasted just fine to us.I would think you start with a lesser amount, adding more until it looks right.She toasted it just like the coconut, as well.
Amanda says
Great tips about the oatmeal Libby!
Julie says
SERIOUSLY– people ridicule for making you own GS cookies??? GEEZE!!!! Theses look delicious!!!
Kristen @ Dem Golden Apples says
I cannot wait to try these! Thank you SO much! :)
Marla says
If you use “Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel Topping”, it works great. It even tastes better than Kraft caramels. I LOVE Samoa’s. They are about the only cookie I buy from the Girl Scouts. But now that Keebler makes some just like them, I don’t have to always wait for the cookie drives.
Amanda Formaro says
Great tip, thanks Marla!
Melissa know that says
Did you know that the Keebler elves figured out this recipe too?
Amanda says
It sounds like your caramel cooked too long, I'm surprised they were bubbling after only one minute. Sorry it didn't work out for you :(
Anonymous says
I was so excited to make this recipe, but I have to be honest: this recipe sucks. I only nuked the caramels for a minute and they were boiling when I went to stir them. Then when I mixed the coconut in, the mixture turned incredibly stiff and nuking the mixture longer still did not make it spreadable. I even added more caramel. I had to use my fingers to press the caramel topping onto the cookie (which broke several cookies). The end result inedible rocks; you could not even bite through it! I spend two hours on this recipe. Make these if you want to break someone's teeth!
Sarah Menser says
I can’t wait to try these!!! thank you
cnthia says
thes ARE THE BEST
Manger La Ville says
I used to be a girl scout and I all say, is go for it. All the corn syrup and additives, I feel guilty I sold them. But I do love the taste, so I can’t wait to make these.
gaga says
This is my absolute favorite girl scout cookie. Now I can enjoy it all year long, thanks!
Annette says
OMG! I am so making these in the future. They’re my favorites so thank you for sharing the recipe. I was a Girl Scout growing up, was a leader in my early 20s and even worked for my local council for 2 years. I’m not offended. Making them ourselves isn’t going to put GS Cookies out of business. :)
Bunny says
Don’t these look good! I’d love to try and make these but my family doen’t like coconut….can you imagine!