February 16, 2023

Desserts

Healthy Samoa Cookies

Healthy Samoa Cookies are an easy and delicious recipe to make all year round. These cookies taste just like the real thing, except the only difference is they are completely vegan, gluten-free and made with whole-food ingredients like almond flour, maple syrup, dates, coconut and dark chocolate.

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a hand holding one of the samoa cookies with a bite taken out of it to show the inside texture and layers.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Healthy Samoa Cookies are made with only five simple ingredients.
These cookies come together in just about an hour, including prep and bake time.
They taste just like the real thing, but made with simpler and healthier ingredients.
As written, this recipe is vegan, plant-based, dairy free, gluten free, and grain free.
A great way to enjoy girl scout cookies, all year long.
They are full of delicious dark chocolate, creamy date caramel, and toasted coconut flavor!
Traditional Samoas, are highly processed and made with loads of saturated fats and artificial flavoring, you won’t find any of that here!
Check out my healthier twist on the thin mints for another great Girl Scout Favorite!

Ingredients And Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for Healthy Samoa Cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

The shortbread of these cookies are made with almond flour and maple syrup. Oat flour will also work, and you can sub the maple syrup for another sweetener like agave or honey.

In the middle is the one ingredient caramel that is made with medjool dates that have been blended until they are smooth and creamy.

Toasted shredded coconut makes up the third layer.

Lastly, a drizzle of non-dairy chocolate.

all the ingredients that you need to make these samoa cookies in individual containers.

How To Make

ONE: Combine almond flour and maple syrup to create the shortbread. Transfer the dough onto some parchment paper and cover it with a separate piece of parchment paper. Take a rolling pin and roll out the dough until it’s about 1/4 of an inch thick.

almond flour and maple syrup added to a mixing bowl.

the shortbread dough layered in between two pieces of parchment paper

TWO: Cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter or improvise and use the lid of a nut butter container.

three circles cut into the shortbread dough.

THREE: Poke a hole in the center with a glass or metal straw, then make circular motions until the hole is wide enough, similar to a girl scout cookie. Transfer the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.

a straw placed in the center of the cookie to create the hole opening that you'd see in traditional girl scout cookies.

all the cookies on a baking sheet thats lined with parchment paper before baking.

FIVE: While the cookies are baking, make the date caramel. Remove the pit from the date and place the date it in a bowl before filling it with boiling hot water. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes to soften. Drain the water from the dates and transfer them to a food processor or blender and blend on high speed for 3-5 minutes until you get a creamy caramel texture. Set this mixture aside.

dates added to a bowl with boiling water.

the soaked dates added to a food processor.

SIX: Next, toast the coconut on the stovetop or in the oven. Watch the coconut closely so it does not burn.

the shredded coconut added to a skillet.

SEVEN: Assemble the cookies by generously layering on the date caramel, toasted coconut and a drizzle of dark chocolate.

a hand holding one of the cookies that's been lathered on with date caramel.

EIGHT: Place the cookies in on a plate or baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper and place them in the freezer to harden for about 20-30 minutes. ENJOY!

the samoa cookies on a baking sheet after being drizzled with dark chocolate.

Tips And Tricks

Make sure you roll the dough in between the two pieces of parchment paper, otherwise it will stick.

If needed, add in water or milk to the food processor when making the date caramel, 1 tablespoon at a time, to help break down the dates and make the caramel smooth and creamy.

Watch the coconut closely when toasting because it will burn quickly.

How To Serve And Store

Serve these Healthy Samoa Cookies straight out of the fridge or freezer.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. In the fridge, these cookies will keep for 7-10 days. Otherwise, in the freezer they will last up to 30-60 days.

a hand holding a samoa cookie with a bite taken out of it to show the layers and texture.

Taste And Texture

These Healthy Samoa Cookies taste like the real deal but much healthier. The shortbread is slightly more crunchy compared to the original that has more of a crisp texture. Other than that, the date caramel, coconut and chocolate is pretty spot on.

The texture is crunchy and chewy!

a hand holding one of the samoa cookies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these actually healthy?

Yes! These are much healthier than the original because they are made with healthier ingredients and have no processed sugars or saturated fats.

Can I use something else aside from almond flour?

Oat flour may work, but please note it will alter the recipe slightly.

Do these actually taste like the real thing?

YES! They totally do, check out the comments and ratings below.

Other Recipes You May Like

If you make these Healthy Samoa Cookies, I would really appreciate a comment and rating down below, under the recipe card. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me over on Instagram, Tiktok or Pinterest!

Healthy Samoa Cookies

Healthy Samoa Cookies are an easy and delicious recipe to make all year round. These cookies taste just like the real thing, except the only difference is they are completely vegan and gluten-free. Samoa Girl Scout cookies are made with almond flour, maple syrup, dates, coconut and dark chocolate.

4.8 based on 8 reviews

PIN RECIPE

PREP TIME:

30 minutes

COOK TIME:

1 hour

Author - Hannah

Ingredients

Shortbread

1 cup almond flour
2 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup

Date Caramel

1/2 cup medjool dates

Toasted Coconut

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Dark chocolate layer

1 cup dark chocolate chips (vegan if needed)
1 tsp coconut oil

SCALE:

YIELDS:

10 cookies

Directions

To start, preheat the oven to 250F and prepare a baking dish by lining it with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
Next, in a medium bowl combine the almond flour and maple syrup. Mix with a rubber spatula until a sticky dough is formed.
Transfer the dough onto some parchment paper and cover it with a separate piece of parchment paper. Take a rolling pin and roll out the dough until it’s about 1/4 of an inch in height. Make sure you roll the dough in between the two pieces of parchment paper, otherwise it will stick.
Next, take a circle cookie cutter and cut into the dough. Repeat this process until the dough is complete. I was able to get 10 cookies.
Now to make the hole in the center, I used a metal straw and poked a hole in the center, then I made circular motions until the hole was wide enough, similar to a girl scout cookie.
Transfer the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. I found that 27 minutes was the sweet spot for my oven. Remove and allow to cool completely.
Next, make the date caramel while the cookies are baking. I prefer medjool dates because they are much softer and sweeter. If there is a pit in your dates, remove them and place them in a medium sized bowl. Fill the bowl with hot (almost boiling) water and allow the dates to steep for about 10 minutes.
Drain the water from the dates and transfer them to a food processor or blender. Blend on high speed for 3-5 minutes, stopping and scraping down the sides as necessary. Keep blending until you get a creamy caramel texture. Set this mixture aside.
Next, we will toast the coconut. You can do this in the air fryer or oven. Simply add shredded coconut to a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper in a single layer and either bake (or air fry) for 3-5 minutes at 350F. Watch the coconut closely so it does not burn.
Now that we have all the prep work done, it’s time to assemble the cookies! Take the shortbread cookie and generously coat the top with the date caramel sauce. Then, dip the cookie into the toasted coconut. Repeat this process until all the cookies are completed.
Place the cookies in on a plate or baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper and place them in the freezer to harden for about 20-30 minutes.
In the meantime, melt the dark chocolate either in the microwave or over a double broiler. If melting in the microwave, heat with a small amount of coconut oil in 30 second increments. Stopping and mixing in between.
Remove the cookies from the freezer and dip the bottoms of each cookie into the melted dark chocolate. Place back on the plate that is lined with parchment paper. Then drizzle the tops of each cookie to create the perfect Samoa cookie!
Place these cookies back in the freezer for about 45 minutes to harden completely.
Store in the fridge and enjoy up to 1 week or in the freezer and enjoy up to 1 month!