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    Home » Vegan

    Gluten Free Samoa Cookies (Paleo, Vegan)

    Published: Feb 10, 2023 · by Katie

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    These gluten free samoa cookies consist of a crunchy shortbread cookie that's topped with a date caramel, toasted coconut and then dipped and drizzled with dark chocolate. This samoas cookie recipe is paleo friendly, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and even nut free.

    nut-free-samoa-cookies

    If you love Girl Scout Samoas, then you'll love these gluten free samoa cookies!

    They consist of a crunchy shortbread cookie that's made with cassava flour and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. The cookie is topped with a date and sunbutter caramel, then toasted coconut. And lastly, the cookies are dipped and drizzled in dark chocolate.

    These healthier samoa cookies are crispy and crunchy, yet chewy and gooey. Sweet and salty. Rich, but not so much that you'll want to stop at just one cookie!

    Why You'll Love these Samoa Cookies

    There are so many reasons to love these homemade girl scout samoas! They are:

    • paleo friendly - made with real, whole food ingredients like cassava flour, dates and coconut
    • vegan - egg free and dairy free
    • nut free - these samoa cookies are nut free, making them great for anyone with an allergy
    • delicious - these are the best paleo samoa cookies... dare I say, better than the "real deal"
    • healthy - free from preservatives, no corn sryup, no colorings and free from artificial flavorings (all things you'll find in the store bought version, but not here)
    holding half a healthy homemade samoa cookie to show the layers

    Ingredients

    The full recipe can be found in the recipe card below, but here's a lit of what you'll need to make these cookies:

    • cassava flour - the shortbread cookies are made with cassava flour. This is a great nut free, paleo baking flour that I use frequently in my recipes. (Learn all about cassava flour HERE.) The best alternative would be a gluten free baking flour, subbed at a 1:1 ratio by weight. You can also swap my shortbread cookie recipe for any of your favorite cut out cookies.
    • baking soda - for a slight rise in the cookies
    • salt - enhances the flavors
    • palm shortening or butter - I like using palm shortening in place of butter, but if you aren't dairy free, then butter will work.
    • maple syrup - to sweeten the cookies
    • vanilla extract - for flavor
    • dates - these are used to make the caramel. I used Medjool dates, but any variety will work.
    • sunflower seed butter - for the caramel, you can swap this ingredient for any nut or seed butter.
    • coconut oil - for both the caramel and the chocolate topping. Coconut oil is added for texture purposes. It also helps thin the chocolate, making it easier to work with.
    • coconut flour - thickens the caramel
    • unsweetened, shredded coconut - for both the caramel and the topping. I toasted my coconut, but you can leave them raw if you prefer.
    • dark chocolate - needed for the drizzle on top and the base
    top view of healthy homemade samoas cookies

    How to Make Gluten Free Samoa Cookies

    Although these healthy samoas cookies do take a bit of work (since there are many components), they're easy to make and worth every bit of effort!

    Here's what you need to do:

    First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

    Make the Shortbread Cookies

    Next, make the shortbread cookies. To do this, combine the dry cookie ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add in the wet ingredients, mixing until the dough can be formed into a ball.

    Dust a sheet of parchment paper with cassava flour, press the dough onto the parchment and then sprinkle more cassava flour on top of the dough. Grab another sheet of parchment paper and roll the cookie dough between the parchment sheets. You'll want to roll the dough between ⅛" and ¼" thick.

    Use circular cookie cutters to cut out the cookie shapes. I purchased these circular cookie cutters and love them, but have also cut out shapes using a glass drinking cup and a shot glass.

    rolling-the-samoa-cookie-dough
    cutting-the-cookie-dough

    Place the cut out cookies on the lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes. After baking, transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool to room temperature.

    Re-roll the remaining dough to make more cookies. I made about 15 cookies, but the number you get will depend on the size of cookie cutters you use.

    Make the Date Caramel

    Next, make the date caramel.

    First, soak the dates in hot water for 5 minutes to soften them up. To do this, place the pitted dates in a glass or ceramic bowl. Heat a pot of water (hot, not boiling), then pour the water over the dates so that they are fully submerged. After 5 minutes, drain the water from the dates, squeezing out as much of the moisture as you can.

    Place the dates, sunflower seed butter and coconut oil in a food processor and blend until the mixture is fairly smooth and consistent. Add coconut flour to thicken the caramel. Start with 3 tablespoons and add more as needed, until the caramel reaches a sticky consistency that can be shaped and rolled.

    Once you've reached the right consistency, pulse the shredded coconut into the mixture.

    samoa-cookie-filling

    Scoop out one tablespoon of the date caramel and roll it into a rope (see photo below). Gently press the rope down on top of the shortbread cookie and use your hands to mold it to the cookie.

    rolling-the-filling-to-put-it-on-the-cookie
    putting-the-filling-on-the-cookie

    Top with Toasted Coconut

    Then, top each cookie with toasted coconut. I found the easiest way to do this is to place the cookie on a plate or flat surface, sprinkle the coconut on top and then gently press it down so that it sticks to the date caramel. Turning the cookie upside down and pressing it into the coconut resulted in a few broken cookies...oops.

    putting-the-toasted-coconut-on-the-filling

    Freeze the cookies for at least 20 minutes to make dipping them into the chocolate a bit easier. (This step isn't required, but firms up the caramel and makes dipping the cookies in chocolate easier.)

    Drizzle with Dark Chocolate

    Lastly, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil. Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a small sauce pan and melt over low heat on a small stove-top burner. (You may also melt the chocolate in the microwave or with a double boiler.)

    Once melted, grab the cookies from the freezer and dip the base of the cookies into the chocolate. Place the dipped cookies onto a lined baking sheet to set. Once all the cookies have been dipped, drizzle the remaining chocolate over the cookies. You can drizzle the chocolate straight from the pan, or pipe the chocolate over the cookies in a small zip lock baggie.

    holding a healthy homemade samoa cookie

    Storage

    Because these healthy homemade samoas cookies are preservative free, they are best stored in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.

    They will last well up to two weeks in the fridge, or two months in the freezer.

    More Healthy Girl Scout Cookie Recipes

    • Paleo Homemade Tagalong Cookies (Nut Free, Vegan)
    • Top view of cookies.
      Paleo Thin Mints (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
    • Top view of homemade adventurefuls cookies.
      Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies (Adventurefuls Copycat Recipe)
    • Paleo samoa cookie bars.
      Samoa Cookie Bars (Paleo, Vegan)
    Print
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    nut-free-samoa-cookies

    Gluten Free Samoa Cookies (Paleo, Vegan)

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
    • Author: Katie
    • Prep Time: 35 minutes
    • Cook Time: 9 minutes
    • Total Time: 44 minutes
    • Yield: about 15 cookies
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    These gluten free samoa cookies consist of a crunchy shortbread cookie that's topped with date caramel and toasted coconut and then drizzled with dark chocolate.  This recipe is paleo, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and nut free!


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Shortbread Cookie

    • ⅔ cup cassava flour (95g)
    • ¼ tsp baking soda
    • ⅛ tsp salt
    • ¼ cup palm shortening or butter (room temp)
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
    • ½ tsp vanilla extract

    Date Caramel

    • 1 ½ cup pitted dates (230g)
    • 2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter
    • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
    • 3-5 Tbsp coconut flour*
    • ½ cup toasted shredded coconut (unsweetened)**

    Coconut Topping

    • ½ cup toasted shredded coconut (unsweetened)

    Chocolate Base and Drizzle

    • ¾ cup dark chocolate (4.5 oz)
    • 1 tsp coconut oil


    Instructions

    1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

    Make the Shortbread Cookies

    1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the cassava flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix in the shortening, maple syrup and vanilla, first with a fork or spatula, then use your hands to knead the dough. 
    2. Dust a sheet of parchment paper with cassava flour, press the cookie dough onto the parchment and then sprinkle more cassava flour on top of the dough. Grab another sheet of parchment paper and roll the cookie dough between the parchment sheets. You'll want to roll the dough between ⅛" and ¼" thick.
    3. Use circular cookie cutters to cut out the cookie shapes. I purchased these circular cookie cutters and love them, but have also cut out shapes using a glass drinking cup and a shot glass.
    4. Place the cut out cookies on the lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes. After baking, transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool to room temperature.
    5. Re-roll the remaining dough to make more cookies. I made about 15 cookies, but the number you get will depend on the size of cookie cutters you use.

    Make the Date Caramel

    1. Soak the dates in hot water for 5 minutes to soften them up. To do this, place the pitted dates in a glass or ceramic bowl. Heat a pot of water (hot, not boiling), then pour the water over the dates so that they are fully submerged. After 5 minutes, drain the water from the dates, squeezing out as much of the moisture as you can.
    2. Place the dates, sunflower seed butter and coconut oil in a food processor and blend until the mixture is fairly smooth and consistent. Add coconut flour to thicken the caramel. Start with 3 tablespoons and add more as needed, until the caramel reaches a sticky consistency that can be shaped and rolled.
    3. Once you've reached the right consistency, pulse the shredded coconut into the mixture.
    4. Scoop out one tablespoon of the date caramel and roll it into a rope. Gently press the rope down on top of the shortbread cookie and use your hands to mold it to the cookie.

    Coconut Topping

    1. Top each cookie with toasted coconut. I found the easiest way to do this is to place the cookie on a plate or flat surface, sprinkle the coconut on top and then gently press it down so that it sticks to the date caramel. Turning the cookie upside down and pressing it into the coconut resulted in a few broken cookies...oops.
    2. Freeze the cookies for at least 20 minutes to make dipping them into the chocolate a bit easier. (This step isn't required, but firms up the caramel and makes dipping the cookies in chocolate easier.)

    Drizzle with Dark Chocolate

    1. Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil. Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a small sauce pan and melt over low heat on a small stove-top burner. (You may also melt the chocolate in the microwave or with a double boiler.)
    2. Once melted, grab the cookies from the freezer and dip the base of the cookies into the chocolate. Place the dipped cookies onto a lined baking sheet to set.
    3. Once all the cookies have been dipped, drizzle the remaining chocolate over the cookies. You can drizzle the chocolate straight from the pan, or pipe the chocolate over the cookies in a small zip lock baggie.

    Storage

    1. Store the cookies in a sealed, air-tight container or baggie in the fridge or freezer.

    Notes

    *The amount of coconut flour you'll need will depend on the moisture of the soaked dates.  You want the date caramel to be thick enough so that you can roll it out.  Start with 3 Tbsp and add more as needed to get the mixture to the right consistency.

    **To toast the shredded coconut, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place the shredded coconut on a lined baking sheet, spreading it out as evenly as possible.  Bake in the oven for just 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

    pinterest image for samoa cookies
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    Comments

    1. Katie

      February 13, 2023 at 12:05 pm

      These samoa cookies are the perfect healthy swap for store-bought girl scout cookies. My family and I love them and we hope you all do too!

      Reply

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    Hi there!

    I'm Katie and I have a passion for baking healthy treats using real, whole food ingredients. On my blog you'll find a variety of sweet and savory recipes, all gluten free and dairy free. My mission is to make baking nutritious, delicious, simple and family friendly.

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