Description
Delicious homemade Samoas Cookies, a Girl Scout favorite copycat recipe featuring buttery shortbread cookies topped with sticky caramel, toasted coconut, and rich dark chocolate drizzles. Perfectly balanced with sweet, crunchy, and chocolatey flavors, these cookies make a delightful treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp. whole milk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
Coconut Topping
- 3 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut flakes
Carmel Mixture
- 15 oz. caramels (soft caramels such as Werther’s recommended)
- 2-3 Tbsp. heavy cream
Chocolate Coating
- 10 oz. bag Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers
- 1 tsp. oil (canola or vegetable)
Instructions
- Make Shortbread Dough: Cream the butter and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 2-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add granulated sugar, powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract and beat again for 1-2 minutes until well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add the flour and baking soda to the mixer on low speed just until the dough comes together and no dry flour remains.
- Roll and Chill Dough: Form the dough into a disk, sandwich it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out evenly to about 1/4 inch thickness. Transfer to a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the cookies and toasting coconut.
- Toast Coconut: Spread shredded coconut evenly on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Remove and transfer to a parchment-lined sheet to cool and prevent further toasting from residual heat.
- Cut Out Cookies: Remove dough from fridge, peel back top parchment, and cut out 2-inch circle cookies. Use a piping tip or small cutter to create a small central hole to form rings. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake Cookies: Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until edges just start to turn golden. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Re-roll Dough Scraps: Gather scraps, re-roll between parchment paper, chill again until firm, and cut additional cookies to yield approximately 22-25 cookies total.
- Melt Caramel: Unwrap caramels and place in microwave-safe bowl. Add heavy cream and melt in microwave in short increments, stirring between, until smooth and spreadable. Add more cream if needed to adjust consistency.
- Mix Coconut with Caramel: Pour most of the melted caramel into the toasted coconut and mix thoroughly until sticky and combined. Reserve about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of caramel for cookie assembly.
- Assemble Cookies: Spread a thin layer of reserved caramel on each cooled shortbread cookie to act as glue. Using a spoon or fingers, mound the caramel-coconut mixture over the cookie rings, pressing gently to adhere. Let set for 15-30 minutes.
- Melt Chocolate: Microwave the dark chocolate wafers with 1 tsp oil in short bursts until smooth and melted.
- Dip and Decorate: Dip the bottom half of each cookie into the melted chocolate, tapping off excess chocolate. Place dipped cookies on a Silpat-lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle Chocolate: Transfer remaining melted chocolate to a ziplock bag, cut a small corner, and drizzle fine lines over the tops of the cookies for decoration.
- Set and Serve: Allow the chocolate to set completely at room temperature before serving. Enjoy your homemade Samoas Cookies!
Notes
- Use soft caramels like Werther’s for easier melting and handling.
- Keep a close eye on the coconut when toasting to prevent burning; stirring frequently is key.
- If you don’t have a donut-shaped cutter, use a round cookie cutter and a small piping tip to cut the center hole.
- The caramel spread can be sticky; washing hands between cookie topping helps the assembly.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- For best results, allow the chocolate to fully solidify before stacking or packing cookies.
