Description

These homemade Samoas cookies capture the beloved flavors of the classic Girl Scout treat with buttery shortbread, toasted coconut, caramel, and dark chocolate. This recipe walks you through making the cookies from scratch, toasting coconut for a rich flavor, melting smooth caramel for the perfect sticky topping, and finishing with a decadent chocolate dip. Perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth or sharing during gatherings, these cookies combine textures and flavors for an irresistible dessert experience.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Dough

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut Topping & Caramel

3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
15 ounces store-bought or homemade soft caramels
3 Tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Coating

8 ounces dark chocolate (chips or chopped bars)

Instructions

Make the cookies: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This step ensures the cookies have a tender, buttery texture.
Prepare the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. This helps evenly distribute the leavening and seasoning through the dough.
Combine wet and dry: Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter in three increments, mixing between each addition and scraping the sides as needed. Then add the milk and vanilla extract, blending until the dough forms large pieces.
Chill the dough: Divide the dough into two disks using your hands, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. This step makes the dough easier to roll and cut.
Preheat oven: Set your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) to start warming while the dough chills.
Roll and cut cookies: On a lightly floured surface, roll each chilled disk 1/8-inch thick. Use a doughnut-shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Place them on a baking sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Repeat for all dough.
Bake: Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until edges are pale golden. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
Toast coconut: Spread coconut flakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast in the 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Remove and cool.
Melt caramel: In a double boiler, heat caramels, milk, and salt until fully melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
Mix caramel and coconut: Combine three-quarters of the melted caramel with the toasted coconut in a large bowl.
Assemble topping: Spread the remaining 1/4 cup of caramel directly on cooled cookies, then press the caramel-coconut mixture onto each cookie. Let them rest for 30 minutes to set. If the mixture thickens, gently warm it again in the double boiler.
Melt chocolate: Use a double boiler or microwave to melt the dark chocolate slowly until smooth.
Dip and drizzle cookies: Dip the bottom of each topped cookie into the melted chocolate and place on wax paper-lined sheet. Use a fork to drizzle melted chocolate on the tops. Allow chocolate to harden completely before serving.

Notes

If you don’t have a doughnut-shaped cookie cutter, use two circular cutters (2-inch and 1-inch) or spice jar caps to create the ring shape.
If dough is very firm after chilling, let it soften 10 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
Underbake slightly if unsure; shortbread should be pale golden, not brown.
Keep a close eye on coconut while toasting; it burns quickly, stir often.
Applying the reserved caramel before the coconut mixture helps it stick better to the cookies.
If the caramel-coconut mixture thickens too much, warm it gently again before pressing onto cookies.
8 ounces of dark chocolate chips is roughly 1 1/3 cups.

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Samoas, homemade cookies, Girl Scout cookies, caramel coconut cookies, chocolate dipped cookies, shortbread