babble » food » Family Kitchen
Family Kitchen
Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas or Caramel deLites
Is it Girl Scout Cookie time already?
The biggest problem with my favorite Girl Scout Cookies, Samoas (or newly named Caramel deLites, for whatever reason), is that there simply aren’t enough in the box. You eat them, and when you go and try to buy more, Girls Scout Cookie Time is over. Of course, it’s probably an act of kindness, on the part of the Girl Scouts, that there aren’t too many in one box. Surely any cookie dipped in thick caramel and then drizzled in chocolate can’t be great for anyone, especially when eaten by the dozen.
But that doesn’t stop me from loving them—or wanting to eat dozens of them, for that matter.
Here is a recipe for homemade Samoas that are easy to make—maybe a little time consuming—but absolutely worth it. And these will make enough that you won’t run out quickly. You may even want to share some.
Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup superfine sugar (or granulated)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
Dipping Caramel (recipe follows)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (available at health food stores)
12 ounces of chocolate chips
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in egg and beat until well incorporated, scraping down the bowl, if necessary. Add in vanilla. Beat until smooth. With mixer on low, add in salt and flour. Mix until completely incorporated and dough is uniform. Pull dough together and shape into a cylinder with a diameter of about 2 1/2 inches. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze for at least 25 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough into 1/8 inch disks and place on baking sheets, about an inch apart. Once you have made 30 cookies, wrap up the cookie dough, freeze, and save for another time. Use a tiny circle shaped cookie cutter or a large round cake decorating tip to cut a hole in the center of each disk. Refrigerate for an additional 10 minutes. Bake for 8 minutes, or until crisp. Let cool completely.
3. Add coconut into the caramel. Warm the caramel in the microwave for about 10 seconds if necessary. Take cooled cookies and gently dip them completely in the caramel. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Freeze until set, about 5 minutes.
4. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring well after each interval, until fully melted. Place the caramel coated cookies in the chocolate. Use a fork to pull them out of the chocolate and place them on a parchment line cookie sheet. Use the chocolate still on the fork to drizzle stripes over the top of the cookies. Refrigerate until set.
Dipping Caramel
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar)
4 tablespoons corn syrup
6 tablespoons water
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons heavy cream* (DO NOT use plain whipping cream)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan with high sides, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt. Whisk until combined, and set over medium-low heat. Swirl the pan every now and then to help distribute the heat. Use can use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush the sugar crystals down the sides of the saucepan. When the sugar dissolves completely, raise the heat to medium. When it comes to a boil, watch very carefully for the bubbles to become more viscous (this means that the water has evaporated and that it is ready to go through the candy stages). As it is bubbling away, you want it to turn a deep amber color. When it does, remove the heat and, working quickly, use the spoon to scoop up a small amount of the candy and drop it into the small glass of water. If the blob turns hard like lollipop, then it is ready. If the blob is still soft, put the pan back on the heat. Keep testing until the candy is hard. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk in butter, 6 tablespoons of cream, and vanilla (Careful here, as the mixture should bubble violently for about 10 seconds). If the caramel isn’t smooth right away, return the pan to low heat and whisk until smooth.
*To clarify, this cream should be heavy cream, or heavy whipping cream, not whipping cream.
Go Back To Family Kitchen
85 Comments
[...] I saw this recipe on the Yahoo main page. You can find it here. [...]
Samoa Sunday « Life Undeveloped. commented on Jan 23 11 at 4:37 pm[...] samoas: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/01/04/homemade-girl-scout-cookies-samoas-or-caramel-deli… [...]
for the rescue of us all that we may live commented on Jan 24 11 at 4:26 am[...] Recipe description: Not for the faint of heart, whether you are eating the real deal or these delicious copy cat Samoas! Originally posted on Babble. [...]
Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas | scrinkalicious RECIPES commented on Sep 06 11 at 12:22 pmAnna@Tallgrasskitchen commented on Jan 04 11 at 4:51 pmThese look very naughty and delicious. Could you clarify what type of cream you should use? Heavy cream/whipping cream is usually all that I see at the store.
Jamie | My Baking Addiction commented on Jan 04 11 at 4:59 pmThese look sinfully delicious!
Celia commented on Jan 04 11 at 5:15 pmBeen meaning to try this since The Kitchn posted a recipe…yours looks lovely!
Jaime (sophistimom) commented on Jan 04 11 at 6:40 pmAnna–almost all the cream in the store says the word “whipping.” That’s okay. It just needs to say “HEAVY Whipping Cream.” If it only says “Whipping Cream,” Then it usually has plain milk in it as well. When that’s what you’re using, the cream will separate into water when you stir it into the caramelized sugar. Heavy cream shouldn’t do that. Of course, once I bought heavy cream that did do that to me—>
If that happens. Don’t cry. Set the caramel over very low heat, and use a whisk to work it together. Stir quickly, and until it becomes cohesive. It should come together—it make have some sugar crystals when you’re done if the cream wasn’t thick enough, but it will taste great anyway.
Vicki @ Wilde in the Kitchen commented on Jan 05 11 at 1:12 pmSamoas are my favorite too. I usually buy at least four boxes and put them in the freezer! Thanks for the homemade version. The reason you’ll find Samoas and Caramel De-lites is because there are two cookie factories and each has a different set of names.
Ashley commented on Jan 05 11 at 1:25 pmOh, wow.. just look at those..
One of these days I have to get around to baking a batch… and then promptly give at least half the batch away so I don’t eat them all, lol.
YUM!!
Thanks for sharing :)
Elizabeth commented on Jan 05 11 at 9:56 pmSo i just made the dough for this and it was SUPER crumbly… is it supposed to be and that’s why it requires freezing time? Also, any tips/tricks on how to shape the dough into a uniform log? With it being crumbly it was kind of a tricky thing to do!
Jaime commented on Jan 06 11 at 4:03 pmElizabeth—Huh, I’m so sorry it turned out crumbly. How soft was the butter when you put in? That may be a factor.
Of course, if for whatever reason, you don’t want to—or can’t seem to—shape it into a cylinder, you can always roll it out and then use circle cookie cutters.
If THAT doesn’t work, you can try lining a 13×9 inch pan with parchment paper and then pressing the dough in like that. Then you could bake the whole thing, carefully pull the cookies out with the parchment paper while it’s still warm and cutting it into squares—I don’t think anyone would mind square cookies, right?
Elizabeth commented on Jan 06 11 at 7:49 pmI ended up putting the dough into a 9×13 pan, which worked perfect! I had some trouble with the caramel though, due to my own technique, not the recipe! I figured i’d try and use a candy thermometer and make the caramel stiff enough to just pour on and cut into squares after that. Baaaad idea on my part, it just didn’t work, haha. Bake, candy make, and learn! right?!
So what, i made a huge mess! They still taste super yummy!
Elizabeth commented on Jan 06 11 at 7:57 pmP.S. If anyone decides to go an alternate route like i did, I suggest pressing it out into a jelly roll pan, cut in squares, punch the holes, then proceeding with the rest of the recipe. The 9×13 dish made the cookies super thick and would have had a better crispy texture if thinner.
Jarod commented on Jan 20 11 at 4:21 pmJust because it’s a pet peeve of mine…samoas and caramel delites are not just 2 different cookies from different bakeries, they are also slightly different. Caramel delites are milk chocolate; samoas are dark chocolate.
I can’t wait to give this recipe a shot this weekend after I’m done shoveling snow for the umpteenth time this winter.
Amber commented on Jan 20 11 at 4:50 pmThese look amazing!!! I’ll be sure to make sure my friends get their hands on this delicious recipe!
Steve commented on Jan 20 11 at 4:58 pmJust wondering, is there any store bought cookies that are similar to Samoas/caramel delites? I’d love to know because these things are beyond addicted…one of life’s little pleasures is the Samoa.
Edith commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:05 pmSteve,
Good news…there ARE store bought cookies similar to the Caramel Delites!! They’re from Keebler. I don’t remember exactly what they’re called, but I think it’s something along the lines of Coconut Dreams….
valerie commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:06 pmI am going to try to make this gluten free and see if they still taste good…also, I am going to substitute the corn syrup since my husband is allergic to corn AND gluten AND…everything else that has flavor…
Stacie commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:07 pmKeebler now has some that are like samoas
LK commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:10 pmKeebler makes a similar Fudge Shoppe cookie now. They are called Coconut Dreams.
Malinda commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:13 pmSteve,
I don’t know if you have a Dollar General Store near you, but they sell a knock-off. They have a thin mint, caramel delite and the choc covered peanut butter one too!
Jen commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:13 pmThere are some very similar Samoa cookies in the stores made by Keebler. I believe they are called Coconut Delights. Very good substitute for the Girl Scout cookie, but I still ordered 4 boxes from the darling girl scout that came to my door last week.
Kendra commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:16 pmThese look AMAZING!! After Reading the comments and seeing you suggesting making them in a 13×9 pan I was wondering if these were easy to cut when done. I would like to make them into bars by cooking them in a pan and pouring the caramel/coconut mixture over the baked cookie in the pan. Do you think this will work or will the caramel make it too difficult to cut. Thanks for the help and amazing recipe.
Jennifer commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:20 pm“Samoas (or newly named Caramel deLites, for whatever reason)”
Jaime, Little Brownie Bakers calls them Samoas ABC Bakers calls them Caramel Delights. Some of the other cookies have two names also, so what they are called just depends on which baker is the one that was contracted to make the cookies for your area that particular year, the recipie doesn’t change from baker to baker, and these two are the ONLY companys who may make them. On another note…I am pretty sure you are practicing copyright infringment!
Lindsey commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:22 pmSteve – You can buy somoa-like cookies at the grocery store. I’ve bought them at both Wal-mart and our small town grocery store. I believe it’s Keebler brand. They are amazing as well :)
Trish commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:23 pm@Steve
Keebler makes a similer cookie under their Fudge Shope line called Coconut Dreams.
http://www.keebler.com/#/cookies/product/detail/
marlak commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:24 pmi don’t care for coconut but i think i may try substituting pecans for the coconut! or, at least cut the amount of coconut down and replace with pecans!
Kelly commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:24 pmSteve, I recently bought Keebler cookies that were just like the Samoas. It has been a year since I’ve had the Girl Scout brand, so I’m not really sure if they were better….but they were very yummy, and there were more in the box!
Cynthia commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:28 pmAMBER- I buy cookies at Dollar General that taste just like Samoas. I can’t remember the exact name, but they are just as good. They are Clover Valley brand. The nice thing about them is that I can buy them year round!
Cynthia commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:31 pmSorry, I think Steve actually asked about where to get something similar to Samoas. :)
Bailey commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:35 pmyes keebler makes almost an exact replica of the samoas
Pat commented on Jan 20 11 at 5:36 pmYES! There are store bought cookies that taste & look just like Samoas. I buy them at the Dollar General all the time – when they’re not out of em – costs abouts $1.75 a box and to me they”re just as good as GS cookies. You get about the same amount if I remember correctly.
Michele commented on Jan 20 11 at 6:18 pmThe reason there are two different names for various GS Cookies is that they come from two different bakers. Depending on your region they will be named differently.
Jen commented on Jan 20 11 at 7:00 pmI can’t imagine why you’d want to make your own cookies when the Samoa base cookie is just the plain cookie from Sunday school that looks like a flower and is readily available in stores. We used to stick them on our pinkies for some weird reason. Suck all the caramel and chocolate off a Samoa next time and you’ll see the shape I’m talking about.
Summer commented on Jan 20 11 at 7:53 pm@ Jennifer, I bet you copied the recipe even though you are pretty Jaime is practicing copyright infringement! Oh yeah, I added the extra “e” in infringement that you forgot.
dkzody commented on Jan 20 11 at 7:58 pmKeebler uses a preservative in EVERYTHING they make that makes me sick. I feel foolish asking, “is this a Keebler product?”, but if it is and I eat it, I will be in the bathroom within 15 minutes. Same thing with Costco baked goods. Wish these companies would leave out the preservative.
bookladyDavina commented on Jan 20 11 at 8:41 pmregarding copyright.. this issue was brought up for me elsewhere recently.. there are no copyrights on recipes. They are considered instruction lists and can not be copyrighted. This is why KFC works so hard to keep their recipes a secret, if anyone were to find out all the details there would be nothing they could do to legally prevent the spread of it, thereby damaging their company’s profits (there might be other charges that could be filed, but not copyright infringement..) or even trademark. So no, there is nothing illegal with passing on copy cat recipes.
oh yes, I’m also a librarian, so do occasionally have use for this sort of knowledge..
Sara commented on Jan 20 11 at 9:24 pmHi, Thank you sooo much for the recipe! I will def try this for sure!!! Samoas are my FAVORITE cookies! But as a past Girl Scout, I will still try to support the Girl Scouts by me and buy a box or two, although I can understand why people cannot buy a lot these days, the prices of cookies have gone up and you do not get as many per box now a days, but those who are less fortunate might be able to make these with joy as they can get more for their money!
Rose commented on Jan 20 11 at 9:34 pmIt says do not use plain whipping cream. Then what type do I use?
Rose commented on Jan 20 11 at 9:37 pmoh, I see, HEAVY
Vixen commented on Jan 20 11 at 9:47 pmI was wondering the same thing about the copyright stuff. Girl Scouts is very picky about their name. You are not even allowed to use the words Girl Scouts on a troop banner or t-shirt. (this is from National Girl Scout Office—spoke to them directly about this subject for something else) Even for personal use. (like they are going to come to my house but still)
While they might not have a copyright on the recipe as per BookLady’s comment, they DO have a copyright on the name. Reading this directly from the bottom of a box of Trefoils….
“Baked by authority of Girl Scouts of the USA.
Owner of the trademarks Girl Scouts with Trefoil, Scout Cookies, and Girl Scout Cookies.
This product is distributed and marketed exclusively through Girl Scouts”All said, I still want to try the recipes. LOL I have a month to wait till cookies come in YUM!
Kate commented on Jan 20 11 at 9:55 pmSamoa’s have dark chocolate, Caramel delites milk chocolate…
ANN commented on Jan 20 11 at 9:56 pmI loved the Keebler knockoffs, but no store in my area sells them now. I will look in the Dollar General next time I pass one and purchase a few. Thanks for the info. This recipe is a little too involved for me to make unless it snows 5 or 6 inches!
Ash commented on Jan 20 11 at 10:01 pmThey are named by the 2 bakeries that put them out. They were always called Caramel Delights here until we switched bakeries in this service unit. They are now Samoas. If they have switched names there it is because your bakery distribution has changed.
pinkelefuntz commented on Jan 20 11 at 10:17 pmOne tip I might mention is how you cream the butter and sugar together. Sometimes if it dosent get cream together jsut right or for long enough, it could mess up the recipe. There is a great article to tell you all about at PaulaDeen.com check it out!
sharonp commented on Jan 20 11 at 10:22 pmbookladyDavina thankyou.
someone (aka jennifer in this case)always has to try to ruin things for other people.
dorothym commented on Jan 20 11 at 11:17 pmI would love to try this recipe because I’m a huge fan of chocolate and caramel. However, I hate coconut. Any suggestions on a substitute?
gluten-free girl commented on Jan 20 11 at 11:53 pmMy daughter is a girl scout, selling tons of these every year… We are both gluten-free and remember the days when we could eat them. I am certainly going to try making these with our GF flour. Yummmm! Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
C commented on Jan 21 11 at 1:20 amCarmel de lites is not a new name! They were called that back in the early 80′s when I was a Brownie and actually sold Girl Scout Cookies door to door!!!
Sara commented on Jan 21 11 at 2:48 amThanks for the awesome recipes!!!! I will definitely have to try them.
Margaret commented on Jan 21 11 at 4:17 amAs a former girl scout from the 1st grade all the way up to the 12th – I for one am glad that this site posted the recipes for these cookies. I’ve always wanted them (the cookies) all year long and they never seem to last that long:( at least not in my house, we are lucky if they last one month! Even if I buy several cases of each from my neice a current GS.
Deacon commented on Jan 21 11 at 7:49 amI dunno….Samoas are my favorite, but these kinda look like diarrhea lumps drizzled with chocolate.
Zakiyyah commented on Jan 21 11 at 8:13 amsamoas are supposed to have coconut in them
i used to be a girl scout and my mom bought me a ton of the even though im not really a big fan of them (their supposed to have coconut ) im gonna try the recipe anyway cuz my mom loves em :)
Cheryl commented on Jan 21 11 at 8:53 amFamily Dollar also has the knock off by Clover Valley in case your town doesn’t have a Dollar General, they do taste just like the Girl Scout Cookies. They do taste just like the real thing they look different but still taste as good. I try to buy a couple of boxes from the girls scouts but when I run out I buy these but now that I have a recipe that makes so many more I can make them when I run out of the ones I buy from the Girl Scouts.
Sheraton commented on Jan 21 11 at 8:56 amI have found that when the Samoas run out (and the GS Cookie sale is long over). Little Debbie “German Chocolate Cookie Rings” provide enough of a fix to satisfy my craving. Its a chocolate cookie covered in caramel, coconut, and fudge. They are not EXACTLY the same, but do have that chocolate/coconut/caramel fantasticness. They are also triple the size of a Samoa. :)
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Tracy commented on Jan 21 11 at 9:44 amThank you so much for posting this recipe! I love Samoas but have to avoid chocolate right now (boo!). I was so disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy Samoas this year but now I can make my own version!!!
Gina commented on Jan 21 11 at 9:46 amWe just found a healthy version of the samoas. It is the new Fiber One bar with Coconut, caramel and fudge. They are hard to eat just one, cause they remind you of the wonderful cookie. But I am now having one with my coffee every morning for breakfast. What a way to start the day :) Hope you all get to find them in your grocery store..they are in a purple lined box.
Stacey Hart commented on Jan 21 11 at 10:21 amYou can find heavy table cream at wall mart. This should work for these yummy cookies.
Robin commented on Jan 21 11 at 11:00 amI’m not a fan of coconut. Would toasted sliced/food proceser-ed almonds work?
Dan commented on Jan 21 11 at 11:32 am@Steve
Little Debbie makes something similar to Samoas but I can’t remember the name off hand. They even have the hole in the middle.
Roberta commented on Jan 21 11 at 12:08 pmCheck out the website about Girl Scout cookies – http://www.girlscouts.org/ – for lots of interesting facts and history notes.
The first cookie fundraiser was in 1917, just 5 years after the founding of the organization. Girls baked their own cookies to sell until 1934 when Greater Philadelphia held the first commercial cookie sale. Until the 1950′s the only variety available was the shortbread cookie (original recipe is on the website). As noted in several other posts – there are currently 2 bakers licensed to bake cookies for the Girl Scouts (there were 29 bakers licensed in 1948). There are 3 mandatory varieties – the Thin Mint, Peanut Butter Sandwich, and the Shortbread cookies – the rest are the choice of the bakers.
Yes, GS cookies seem expensive for the amount of product received – but keep in mind that approximately 70% of the funds received go directly to the local council and troop for Girl Scout program, only about $1.20 ($4/box) goes to the baker for the actual cost of the cookies.
This is a MAJOR fundraiser for the Girl Scouts – so please support your local Girl Scout program during the annual cookie sale! Thank you from a long-time Girl Scout…
Millicent commented on Jan 21 11 at 12:19 pmFamily dollar has their version of the cookies for under 2$ a box. They pass for the real thing and arent time consuming to make
Pippin commented on Jan 21 11 at 12:23 pmLittle Brownie Bakers is owned by Keebler/Kelloggs. That’s why Keebler has so many GS Cookie “knock-offs”. Like the other posters said though – don’t forget in your baking frenzy to support your local Girl Scout Cookie Sale!
Renee commented on Jan 21 11 at 1:00 pmThanks so much for this recipe! The reason I DON’T buy the girl scout version is because I absolutely, positively, HATE coconut. I will try these without the coconut. As Robin asked, would chopped almonds or something work well?
Christine commented on Jan 21 11 at 1:11 pmThe difference between “Caramel delites” and “Samoas” is that one is made by Little Brownie bakers, the other is made by ABC cookies. That’s why different troops sell different cookies – it depends what distributor you buy them from.
Thanks for the recipes! I can’t wait to try some. (Even though I am a scout mom and buying boxes myself)
Judith commented on Jan 21 11 at 1:55 pmThanks so much for posting this recipe! These are my favorite and I have already ordered 7 boxes of them, and will continue to support my friends in girl scouts, but now I can enjoy them year round! Yummo!
oi commented on Jan 21 11 at 7:17 pmbull S_HIT the way this page prints with comments.
Kelly commented on Jan 21 11 at 8:02 pmI’m not sure if I’m missing it on the page or not, but does anyone know how many calories this recipe is?
Kristen commented on Jan 21 11 at 8:04 pmCaramel deLites and Samoas are made by different bakers but are also different cookies! Samoas have dark chocolate, and Caramel deLites have milk chocolate!! Samoas ftw! I wish we could buy them here, but my area’s Scouts sell Caramel DeLites
Lyn Colton commented on Jan 22 11 at 6:08 amTo Kelly’s question on calories, I would guess they’d be similar to Keebler’s coconut Dreams, which two cookies contain 140 calories, 8g total fat: 6g saturated, 0g trans, and 17g of carbs.
I too love these cookies & buy the Keebler coconut dreams at Stater Brothers Grocery store. I believe they’re around 2 for $5 on sale in Southern CA. I’m an ex-girl scout troop leader and served on our Service Unit Counsel, and a majority of the girls in my troop would have not been able to participate in events without the funds we received through cookie sales. In addition to individual orders, we held 15 booth sales at grocery stores and sold over 1,000 boxes there alone. These girls had never cooked a meal or spent a night away from home, let alone gone camping. We taught them everything. 15 years ago 50 cents of every box sold went DIRECTLY to MY TROOP. So as much as I love these cookies, I will NEVER stop supporting the local troops. I buy 10-20 boxes from the various troops nearby. For every batch of this recipe you bake you should buy 1-2 boxes of girl scout cookies, so that future generations of girls can learn to do new things the don’t do at home. MAKE A DIFFERENCE, CHANGE THE LIVES OF GIRLS in your neighborhood, BUY cookies NOW…. bake them after April!
Patty commented on Jan 22 11 at 8:30 amWhen I was a child, Sunshine Bakeries made these cookies and they were called “Yum Yum’s”… They were little bar cookies… Hey Sunshine… bring ‘em back!!!
muggs commented on Jan 22 11 at 8:33 amThese cookies are yummy but certainly not new. My Grandmother had a recipe almost identical to the Samoa” recipe. It was called “South Sea Delite” My Grandmother was born in 1880 so these are hardly new. My own grown grandchildren love them as much as I did. I must say your caramel dip is easier to make than Grandmas. :-)
jason commented on Jan 23 11 at 12:40 amjust made them and they taste nothing like samoas. Carmel recipe is not very good and not creamy or sticky like carmel. don’t waste your time
Kelly commented on Jan 23 11 at 4:20 pmI tried this recipe and my dough was too crumbly also. I know my butter was not too soft so im not sure why that happened. I have baked them into a 13X9 and cut them into squares and im hoping for the best. Wish me luck!
Ashlee commented on Jan 23 11 at 9:02 pmCan I use the store bought caramel dipping?
chefbna commented on Jan 27 11 at 1:13 pmThese sound good, but I make something similar that is so much easier. Buy (gasp! yes BUY) the little butter cookies mentioned above. Melt a bag of caramels in the microwave, adding 2 T butter and a T of water. Dip cookies while caramel is hot, and immediately sprinkle with the tiny dessimated coconut that is toasted (buy it at candy supply stores or in the bulk food section), let cool. Dip bottoms and drizzle tops with melted semi sweet chocolate.
Camille commented on Feb 02 11 at 1:46 pmI just tried these cookies. My dough was not too crumbly but the butter cookies turned out very hard – almost crunchy. I used a store-bought dipping caramel that was too thin. I agree with Jason. They do not taste like Samoas. :(
Celsis commented on Feb 27 11 at 2:46 pmI just made these yesterday and they were great! I would though take some things into consideration and change a few things when I make them next time, which I probably will.
Concerning the crumbly dough, I also had a bit of a tough time making the dough stick completely together but it wasn’t incredibly crumbly. I’m thinking it’s best to keep the dough as dry as possible without making it crumbly in order to have a crispy and crunchy cookie. There could be several factors in the crumbly dough but I think two of them are probably more important, one being as some have said, the butter not being soft enough, as the softer it is the more flour it will take in, therefore it’s really important to have soft butter. The other possibility is the measuring of flour since flour is more accurately measured by weight than volume. But make sure the dough either way is dry enough but still sticks together or you probably won’t have as crunchy of a cookie. Once you let the dough rest a bit in the fridge some of the flour will have time to gather up the moisture from things like the egg as well, but not by much, it’s probably better to let the butter get soft in the dough if it’s not as that will absorb the rest of the flour. The cookies keep their size and shape almost exactly as they are made in the dough since it’s so dry, in case one might think they may change a lot while baking.
Concerning the caramel and coconut mixture, I think it’s best to keep the caramel hot but not bubbling after making it since mine got pretty thick even when really warm for dipping which made it a lot more difficult to cover the cookies (maybe it was just my technique, but the caramel tasted great). Just be careful about touching the caramel then, because it is really burning hot. I had to keep it on the stove on low to keep it loose enough and take it on and off the heat. With that, I think I would have added more coconut, because I don’t think there was enough coconut at all in the recipe, but I didn’t have room for more coconut in a thicker mixture since I dipped a lot of my cookies in it before adding more heat to make it thinner. I also ran out of caramel before I ran out of cookies, but that was probably because I had covered the cookies with a thicker amount of caramel, which is not a bad thing in my opinion, except I didn’t have enough caramel for the rest of the cookies. So if you like more caramel, I’d probably make a half batch more and dip it when it’s thicker.
Alex commented on Mar 02 11 at 9:42 amInstead of rolling out the dough and using a small round cookie cutter to create the ring shape could you instead use a cookie press?
Celsis commented on Mar 12 11 at 6:21 pmThe dough is dryer than most other cookie recipes so it may be a tad more difficult to push through a cookie press even when not refrigerated and will keep its original shape a lot more even when soft. Although I have not tried to put it through a cookie press, I have a feeling it may not turn out as desirably. I simply just rolled it into a cylinder when chilled, cut it with a knife and reshaped it a bit more until it was circular. If you somehow manage to put it through a cookie press though you still definitely have to chill it for probably longer to harden the butter back up before putting it in the oven.
On another note, no I don’t suppose these taste exactly like Samoas, but I like them better because they taste more homemade and less processed in a factory, which to me is just a bonus.
Sarah Donovan commented on Apr 02 11 at 11:13 pmTHANK YOU for the awesome recipe!!!
http://fiftytinytoes.blogspot.com/2011/04/joyeux-kitchen-ooooooh-samoa.html
Betsy commented on Dec 24 11 at 7:27 amI made these last night & they turned out great!! I am adding them to my ” Make every year” list of fabulous cookies. The only thing I will do different next year is to make a double batch. Thanks so much:))
Meg commented on Feb 26 12 at 3:07 pmCan I use shortening or margarine as a substitute in either recipe? I only have 2 sticks of butter in the house.
Jaime (sophistimom) commented on Feb 27 12 at 9:46 amDefinitely don’t use shortening in the caramel. That has to be butter. The cookie recipe makes more dough than you might need. I would cut the recipe in half and just use a whole egg. Hope that helps!
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Shaina Olmanson 
Kelsey Banfield 
Brooke McLay 
Angie McGowan 
Paula Jones 
Kathy Patalsky 
Elizabeth Stark & Brian Campbell 
Julie Van Rosendaal 
Macki West 
Sara O'Donnell 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
85