These vegan samoa cookies (or caramel delites) are crunchy, chocolatey, and topped with a sweet, gooey caramel mixed with loads of toasted coconut.
Somoas (also known as Caramel Delites) were my favorite Girl Scout Cookies growing up. Unfortunately, unlike Thin Mints, these cookies aren’t accidentally vegan.
Since I can’t order these chewy, chocolatey, coconut cookies, I decided to make my own which ended up being just as delicious!
the ingredients
To make these homemade Samoas, you only need a few ingredients. This recipe uses:
- homemade vegan caramel sauce
- shredded coconut
- vegan butter
- sugar
- flour
- vanilla extract
- dark chocolate
- and baking powder
the caramel sauce
The first step in making these cookies is to prep the caramel sauce according to this recipe’s instructions. This homemade salted caramel sauce is made with coconut cream, granulated sugar, and a bit of vegan butter. Caramel sauce was always one of those recipes that used to intimidate me, but this recipe is quite easy. Not to mention delicious. Once you make this recipe, be sure to let the caramel come to room temperature before applying it to the cookies.
the cookies
The second step in making these homemade Girl Scout cookies is to cream the vegan butter and sugar together to make the shortbread base. Once the vegan butter and sugar are combined, you can add the vanilla to the mixture. Next whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. And then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
To make the dough, stir the vegan butter mixture and the dry ingredients together until they form a coarse crumble (see the picture above). To make the dough into a smooth ball, you may need to use your hands at this point to gently knead the dough. The warmth from your hands will melt the vegan butter slightly, helping the dough come together better. If you’re finding that your dough is very soft & difficult to work with, refrigerate it for about 10 minutes.
If you choose to refrigerate the dough longer than 30 minutes, when you remove it from the fridge, make sure to let the dough sit on the counter for about 15 minutes prior to rolling it out. I’ve found that rolling out the dough when it’s very cold can make it crack easily.
shaping the cookies
To shape the cookies, roll out the dough into a thin sheet, about ⅛” to ¼” thick. Using a 1-2” circular cookie cutter cut out the cookies. Then cut out the centers with a smaller cookie cutter. I ended up using the top of a tiny vase to cut out the centers since I didn’t have a small enough cookie cutter.
Next, place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them for 10 minutes. Be sure not to over-bake the cookies. They will appear slightly soft when coming straight out of the oven, but they will firm up once cool.
prepping the coconut
I’m using toasted coconut in this cookie recipe. Toasting the coconut gives the cookies much more flavor. To toast the coconut, spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast coconut for 5 minutes at 350 F. It should be just barely golden brown when done. Make sure to watch the coconut carefully- it can go from golden brown to burned very quickly! After you’ve toasted it, let the coconut cool slightly on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix ¾ of caramel sauce with coconut. I recommend starting with about 1/2 of a cup of caramel sauce and incrementally add more until all of the coconut is coated in caramel.
assembling the vegan Caramel Delites
The last step in making these cookies is assembling them! Dip the bottoms of each cookie into the melted chocolate. Then, set the cookies bottom side down onto a parchment-lined tray. If you’d like the chocolate to set up faster, you can pop the cookies in the freezer for 5 minutes before moving onto the next step.
Once the chocolate has set up slightly, spread 1 tsp of cooled caramel on top of each cookie. This should be a thin, even layer- just enough to help the coconut mixture stick to the tops of the cookies. While the caramel is still wet on the tops of the cookies, press the coconut caramel mixture onto each cookie.
Top everything off with a drizzle of melted chocolate and they’re ready to enjoy!
These vegan samoa cookies (caramel delites) are the perfect combination of crispy shortbread cookie, rich chocolate, fresh toasted coconut, and homemade caramel sauce. I recommend storing these cookies in the fridge or the freezer to keep the caramel and chocolate firm and fresh! Enjoy!
Looking for more yummy vegan treats? Check out these amazing recipes!
Vegan Moon Pies
Toasted Coconut Cherry Cookies
Classic Snickerdoodles
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Samoa Cookies (Caramel Delites)
The best vegan version of your favorite Girl Scout cookie- these vegan samoa cookies (or caramel delites) are crunchy, chocolatey, & topped with sweet, gooey caramel and loads of toasted coconut.
Ingredients
Cookie:
- ½ cup granulated sugar, 109 g
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, 155 g
- ½ cup vegan butter, room temperature - Earth Balance
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Chocolate:
- 8 oz dark chocolate
- 2 tsp coconut oil
Caramel & Coconut:
- 8 oz / 1 cup Coconut Cream Caramel Sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut
Instructions
The Caramel
- Prep the caramel sauce according to this recipe’s instructions. Be sure to let the caramel come to room temperature before applying it to the cookies.
The Cookies
- Cream the vegan butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla to the mixture.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together. Then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
- Mix the vegan butter mixture and the dry ingredients together until they form a coarse crumble. You may need to use your hands at this point to gently knead the dough into a smooth ball.
- If the dough is very soft, refrigerate it for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Roll out the dough into a thin sheet, about ⅛” to ¼” thick. Using a 1-2” circular cookie cutter cut out the cookies. Then cut out the centers with a smaller cookie cutter (I used the top of a tiny vase).
- Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Do not over-bake the cookies. They will appear slightly soft when coming straight out of the oven, but they will firm up once cool.
The Coconut
- Spread the coconut in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast coconut for 5 minutes at 350F. It should be just barely golden brown when done. Watch it carefully- the coconut can go from golden brown to burned very quickly. Let the coconut cool slightly (about 5 minutes).
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix ¾ of caramel sauce with the coconut (start with about 1/2 of a cup and incrementally add more until all of the coconut is coated in caramel).
Assembly
- Melt the chocolate and the coconut oil together in a double boiler or in the microwave.
- Dip the bottoms of each cookie into the melted chocolate. Set bottom side down onto a parchment-lined tray. (see notes)
- Spread 1 tsp of cooled caramel on top of each cookie. This should be a thin, even layer.
- Press the coconut and caramel mixture on top of each cookie.
- Drizzle melted chocolate on top of each cookie.
- These cookies are best stored in the fridge or freezer. (see notes)
Notes
- The cookies should be barely golden brown when done baking. If they aren’t golden, that is okay! If they bake too long, the cookies will be too crispy & crunchy.
- To make the cookies easier to work with, you can place the chocolate-dipped cookies into the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up before applying the caramel and coconut.
- To store your cookies, place them in a single layer on a tray and flash freeze them for 5 minutes. Once they are firm, remove them from the freezer and place them in either a freezer baggie or a freezer-proof container. If you’re placing them in a container, I recommend placing layers of parchment in between your layers of cookies (if stacking them) to prevent them from sticking together.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 256Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 20gProtein: 2g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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