Trade Girl Scout Cookies for Homemade Samoas

We’re right in the middle of Girl Scout cookie season. I always look forward to seeing my friends post their daughter’s links on social media to buy cookies, and seeing the Girl Scout troops at our local grocery store selling cookies. It means spring is just around the corner, and surely the weather will get warmer soon, right? I recently got a good laugh when the girls told me that they take cash, credit card, and Zelle/Venmo/Cash App, so “There are no excuses.” I love the entrepreneurial spirit!

The first Girl Scout cookies were sold in 1917, and it wasn’t until 1996 that you could order by phone, so things have really taken off in the last 30 years. Girl Scout cookies are certified as Kosher and Halal, and Americans eat over 200,000,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies annually which is revenue of roughly $900,000,000! The troop you buy from typically receives about 60% of the sale.

The number one selling Girl Scout cookie is Thin Mints, and you can now find all sorts of Girl Scout-inspired treats. Wendy’s just introduced a Thin Mint Frosty (on my list to try!) and Pop Tarts are now offered in Coconut Caramel and Thin Mint. Why didn’t they call the Coconut Caramel, Samoa? Well, it turns out that in some regions, the cookie is called Samoa, and in others, it is called Caramel Delite. I just visited my parents in New Jersey and they had Caramel Delites, but in Chicago, I purchased Samoas. When I investigated, it depends on the bakery that produces the cookie and there are two bakeries – ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. True cookie aficionados even say that there are slight differences between the Samoa and the Caramel Delite. Samoas tend to have more coconut, and a darker chocolate flavor, whereas the Caramel Delites are thought to have more of a milk chocolate flavor. Other slight variations exist with other cookies too.

My favorite cookies are Samoa and Tagalongs. If your favorites include Toast-Yay or S’mores, make sure you stock up, as those flavors will be discontinued after the 2025 season!

Years ago, my friends and hosted a Girl Scout cookie and wine pairing party. Highly recommend! Here are some fun pairings to try, (in the name of research, of course):

• Thin Mints with Cabernet Sauvignon
• Samoas with Merlot
• Tagalongs with Malbec
• Trefoils with Chardonnay
• Lemon-Ups with Albarino

Whether you like to pair your cookies with beverages, or prefer to enjoy them straight out of the box, I’m sure you can relate to being disappointed when you finish your stash and have to wait until next season for your fill. I recently decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own version of Samoa to get me by the rest of the year!

Homemade Samoa Cookies

Servings: 18 cookies

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 90 minutes

Total time: 2.5 hours

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup, granulated sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons whole milk, divided (1 Tablespoon for cookies + 2 Tablespoons for coconut mixture)

1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste

1.5 cups shredded coconut

12 oz caramels

8 oz semi sweet chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

4. Add flour mixture, in thirds, to the creamed butter, until incorporated evenly.

5. Add 1 Tablespoon milk and 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste to the mixer and mix to incorporate.

6. Shape dough into a disk, about 1-inch thick, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookie dough for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

7. Roll out dough to be 1/4-inch thick. Cut out circles with a 2-inch cookie cutter (you’ll need a smaller cutter to get the hole in the middle out – hack: I used a bottle cap) or a donut cutter.

8. Bake cookies for 10 minutes until golden brown.

9. Cool cookies completely.

10. Place coconut on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

11. Bake coconut at 350 for 10 minutes, until toasted. Let cool. Note: Coconut needs to be stirred frequently and watched as it can burn quickly.

12. Unwrap the caramels and melt them, with 2 Tablespoons milk, over low heat in a double boiler, or you can do increments of 10-15 seconds in the microwave.

13. Place toasted coconut in a small bowl. Add half of the melted caramel. Mix to combine.

14. Use the remaining caramel to spread onto each cookie. Work quickly as the caramel is easier to spread warm.

15. Press the coconut mixture onto the caramel layer on each cookie.

16. Let cool for 10 minutes.

17. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler (or carefully in 10-15 seconds in the microwave).

18. Dip the bottom of each cookie into chocolate and place onto parchment covered baking sheet.

19. Drizzle remaining chocolate across cookies (like the lines of a samoa).

20. Let chocolate set for 15 minutes.

21. Enjoy!

I hope my recipe has you excited to do some baking of your own. We have some great baking classes coming up:

• Artisanal Breads Boot Camp Saturday, March 15 10am
• How to Bake Bread Saturday, April 12 11am
• Chocolate Boot Camp Saturday, April 19 10am

Do your kids like to bake? Get them out of the house this summer! We have some great baking camps for kids (ages 6-12) and teens (ages 13-17). They’ll even bring home delicious baked goods for you to try. Spots book quickly, so be sure to register your child now for:

• Kids Camp: Sweets and Treats – Week of June 16
• Teen Camp: Baking and Pastry – Weeks of July 7th and July 21st