These healthy Samoa cookies are made with dates, almond flour, and wholesome ingredients. Gluten free, dairy free, real food. You and your family will love this better-for-you version of the classic Girl Scout cookie.
Growing up I couldn't wait for Girl Scout cookie season and getting my hands on a box of Samoa cookies (also called Caramel Delights). Gooey caramel, sweet chocolate, and coconut... yum!! But now as a health conscious adult and lover of clean eating, I just don't love the idea of indulging in those overly processed cookies.
Enter my "healthy" Samoa cookies recipe. Traditional Samoas are loaded with refined sugars, processed ingredients, and refined oils. Mine are made with real food ingredients. These cookies offer the perfect balance of chewy, crunchy, and sweet flavors - just like you'd expect in the traditional Samao cookies.
But don't stop with just these! Try my dairy-free coconut macaroons, vegan fruit tarts, vegan chocolate turtles, or healthier scotcheroos for more better-for-you desserts.
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Why You'll Love These Healthy Samoa Cookies
- Gluten free, grain free & dairy Free- Perfect for those with dietary restrictions or those just looking to cut back on gluten and dairy.
- Simple, wholesome ingredients- Made with real food, no artificial additives, or overly processed ingredients.
- Caramel, chocolate, and coconut- You still get the irresistible classic flavors of Samoa cookies but without all the junk.
- Kid friendly- Just like my brownie protein balls, these cookies are a healthier treat the whole family can enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Here are some specific notes to help with selecting ingredients.
- Medjool Dates - You will want to use Medjool (as opposed to Deglet Noor) as they are softer, stickier, and have a more caramel-like taste to them.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips - To keep these vegan, ensure your chocolate chips don't have any dairy in them. If you don't need these to be vegan, any type of chocolate chips will work. I recommend Enjoy Life and Equal Exchange.
- Maple syrup - Be sure to use pure maple syrup, and not the fake imitation stuff!
- Peanut butter - Use natural peanut butter and make sure it's runny and not the hard stuff from the bottom of the jar.
- Unsweetened shredded coconut - Shredded coconut can vary greatly by the brand as far as how fine the "shreds" are. For the best texture, use one with a more medium shred vs. a fine shred. I've used finely shredded, and it turns out just fine, but I much prefer the texture if the shreds are a bit thicker. Terrasoul Superfoods has a great medium shred coconut. Just don't use "flakes" as those will be too big!
- Coconut oil - Refined or unrefined can be used.
Step-by-Step Directions
Follow along as I show you how to make these healthy Samoa cookies. While there are quite a few steps, they are actually very easy to make!
Step 1: Mix together the almond flour, tapioca starch, salt and maple syrup. Dough will be crumbly.
Step 2: Using your hands, form the dough into a ball.
Step 3: Roll dough ball between 2 pieces of parchment paper until dough is about ⅛" - ¼" thick.
Step 4: Remove top piece of parchment paper.
Step 5: Cut the cookies using roughly a 2.5" round cookie cutter or the top of a cup that is the same size.
Step 6: Using a thin metal spatula, carefully transfer cookies to a lined baking sheet.
Step 7: Using a straw, gently create a small hole in the middle of each cookie.
Step 8: Bake at 300-degrees F for 12-14 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
While cookies are baking, make the date caramel coconut filling.
Step 9: Add dates, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt to a food processor. Blend on high just until crumbly.
Step 10: Add coconut to a frying pan heated over medium heat. Stir frequently and toast until coconut is browned (but don't burn).
Step 11: Add toasted coconut to food processor and pulse a few times until coconut is mixed in with the date mix. Mix will be crumbly.
Step 12: Using about 1 ½ tablespoons packed coconut mix, carefully place mix on top of baked cookies. Place cookies in freezer for 10 minutes before dipping in chocolate.
Step 13: Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a small, shallow bowl. Using a fork, dip the bottom of each cookie into the chocolate and place back on lined baking sheet.
Step 14: Lastly, drizzle remaining melted chocolate over cookies. Allow chocolate to set and then store in an air-tight container.
💭Tips & Notes for Making These Cookies
Almond flour dough may get stick. If the dough gets stick as you are rolling/cutting cookies, sprinkle a little flour on our work surface, or between the parchment paper.
Use soft dates. The dates should be soft so they are sticky and blend well. If your dates are hard, place them in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 minutes to soften.
Date/coconut mix should be sticky. After you add the coconut to the date mixture, the mix should easily stick when pressed together between your fingers. If it doesn't seem sticky enough, add another date or two to the mix.
Lightly press mix onto the cookie base. The shortbread base is thin and fragile, so just be careful when adding the coconut/date mix so the cookie base does not break.
Leftover date/coconut mix. If you have leftover mix after making all of the cookies, make a few balls and drizzle those with chocolate for bite-sized Samoa balls.
Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. For a salty sweet treat, sprinkle these healthy Samoa cookies cookies with some coarse sea salt.
Recipe FAQs
They do not taste the exact same, but they have the classic flavors of caramel, coconut, and chocolate. Being they are made with real food ingredients, they are slightly less sweet but have a very similar texture and flavor profile. In my opinion, this recipe is even better than Girl Scout cookies.
You want to use soft dates for this recipe. If your dates are old and are on the hard side, soak them in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 minutes to soften them up. Pat dry before adding to the food processor.
You don't have to, but toasting the coconut does bring out the flavor of the coconut. That said, you can skip that step if you'd like.
Storing
Storing: Store cookies in an air tight container. They will stay fresh at room temp for 5 days. To extend freshness, you can store them in the fridge for 7-10 days.
Freezing: These cookies freeze great! They are actually pretty amazing straight from the freezer as well. Simply place cookies in a freezer safe container (Stasher bags are my favorite) and they will stay good in the freezer for 3 months.
More Cookie Recipes to Try!
If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think! I would so appreciate you leaving a star rating and/or comment below. And don't forget to share a photo on Instagram or Facebook and mention @CleanPlateMama!
Eat Clean.Be Well!
-Sara
Healthy Samoa Cookies
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Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 food processor
- 1 frying pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch (arrowroot starch can also be used)
- ¼ tsp. fine sea salt
- 3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
- 1 ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 10 Medjool dates (see notes)
- ¼ cup runny, natural peanut butter (almond butter can also be used)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (ensure they are dairy free if needed)
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
Instructions
Make the Shortbread Cookie Base
- Start by making the shortbread cookie base. Preheat oven to 350-degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or a silicone mat, and set aside.
- Add the almond flour, tapioca starch, salt, and maple syrup to a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix well until crumbly and maple syrup is well distributed. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball.
- Transfer the dough ball to a clean surface. Place between two sheets of parchment paper and roll the dough until it's about ⅛" thick. You will want this on the thinner side, but not too thin that you can't transfer the dough to the cookie sheet.
- Using roughly a 2 ½" round cookie cutter, or the top of a cup that is about that same size, cut round cookies in the dough. Carefully transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this process until all dough has been used. You should get 12 cookies.
- Using a sturdy straw, carefully create a hole in the middle of each cookie. The hole should be no more than ½" in diameter.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned (do not undercook or it will be too hard to add the date/coconut layer). Remove from oven and set aside. Allow to fully cool before adding the date/coconut layer.
Make the Date Caramel & Coconut Layer
- While the cookies are baking, make the caramel coconut layer. Start by toasting the coconut. Place shredded coconut in a frying pan and heat to medium heat. Stirring frequently, cook until coconut is toasted, but be careful not to burn. Remove from heat.
- Add the dates, peanut butter, vanilla, and a pinch of salt to a food processor. Blend until the dates break down and are crumbly. Add the toasted coconut and pulse a few times until evenly distributed. Mix will be crumbly.
Assemble the Cookies
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons of packed date/coconut mix to the tops of each cookie. To do so, make a ball with the mix and divide into 3rds. Lightly press each piece on the cookie, evenly spreading the mix around the tops with your fingers until you have an even layer on the cookie base (get your fingers wet if the mix is too sticky).
- After you've added the coconut layer to each cookie, place cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes (this will make it easier to dip the cookies in chocolate).
- In small, shallow, microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in increments of 30 seconds. Continue until chocolate is almost fully melted, and then stir until all pieces are melted.
- Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate (I find it best to place the cookie on a fork - you can also just use your hands). Return each cookie to the prepared baking sheet. Using a spoon, drizzle remaining chocolate over each cookie.
- Allow chocolate to set and enjoy!
Notes
- Detailed process photos can be found in the blog post above, if needed.
- Dates should be soft so they are sticky and blend well. If your dates are hard, place them in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 minutes to soften.
- After you add the coconut to the date mixture, the mix should easily stick when pressed together between your fingers. If it doesn't seem sticky enough, add another date or two to the mix.
- The shortbread base is thin and fragile, so just be careful when adding the coconut/date mix so the cookie base does not break.
- I think these cookies are better the day after they are made, so if making them for an event or gathering, I recommend you make them the day before.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temp. They will stay fresh for 5 days.
Nutrition
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