Homemade Samoas Cookies

Homemade Samoas Cookies: My Love-Hate Relationship with Girl Scout Cookie Season

Okay, so homemade samoas cookies became my obsession after I spent $5 on a box of Girl Scout cookies and ate the entire thing in one sitting. One sitting. I’m not proud, but I’m also not sorry because those caramel coconut chocolate cookies are ADDICTIVE.

But here’s the thing—Girl Scout cookie season is only a few months a year, and I’m not about to ration one box to last me until next January. So I did what any reasonable person would do: I learned how to make samoas cookies at home. And let me tell you, it took THREE attempts before I stopped messing them up.

Why These Girl Scout Samoas Copycat Cookies Became My Mission

Look, I’m gonna be honest. I thought making easy samoas cookies from scratch would be simple. It’s just cookies with coconut and caramel, right? How hard could it be?

Very hard, apparently.

My first batch? The cookies were too thick and tasted like cardboard. The caramel burned because I left it for “just a second” to check my phone (it was NOT just a second). And the chocolate coating looked like I’d just smeared melted chocolate randomly with my hands. Which… I kinda did.

I think I got the original idea from Pinterest—or maybe it was a food blog? Honestly can’t remember because I looked at like fifteen different recipes trying to figure out where I went wrong. My husband walked into the kitchen during Attempt #2, saw me covered in caramel and looking frustrated, and asked if we should just buy more Girl Scout cookies. I may have given him a look that said “get out of my kitchen.”

The Easy Copycat Girl Scout Samoas Reality Check

Here’s what nobody tells you about these caramel coconut chocolate cookies: they’re not HARD, but they require patience. And I’m not a patient person. I once tried to speed up cookie dough chilling by putting it in the freezer for “just a quick minute” and forgot about it for 3 hours. Frozen solid.

But once I figured out the tricks (which I’ll share because I’m nice like that), these homemade samoas better than store bought—I’m not even exaggerating. They’re fresher, you can control how much caramel and coconut you want, and they cost way less than buying multiple boxes of Girl Scout cookies.

Plus you can make them in July when it’s NOT cookie season and everyone thinks you’re a genius.

For the Shortbread Samoas Cookies Tutorial Base:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (leave it out for like 30 minutes, don’t microwave it)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Toasted Coconut Caramel Cookies Recipe Part:

3 cups sweetened shredded coconut (don’t use the big flake kind, the regular shredded works better)
14 oz soft caramels (I use Kraft caramels—the individually wrapped ones)
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Chocolate Part (Because Obviously):

8 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (I prefer dark because it balances the sweetness)
1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil (makes the chocolate easier to work with)

Quick note about the caramels—yes, you can make homemade caramel if you want to be fancy. I tried that once. It took forever and I burned it twice. Store-bought works PERFECTLY for this samoas recipe using store bought caramel situation. No shame.

How to Make Samoas Cookies at Home (Without Losing Your Mind)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper because these cookies WILL stick otherwise (learned that the hard way).

In your stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for about 2-3 minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Don’t just mix it for 30 seconds and call it good—you need that air incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture gradually. Don’t dump it all in at once or you’ll have a flour cloud explosion. Then add the milk and vanilla and mix until the dough comes together.

The dough will be soft. That’s normal. If it’s too sticky to work with, add a tiny bit more flour (like a tablespoon at a time). But don’t add too much or your cookies will be tough.

Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for AT LEAST 30 minutes. I usually do an hour because I’m paranoid. You can also do this the night before if you’re a planner (I’m not, but you might be).

Step 2: Roll and Cut (Where Things Get Real)

Once your dough is chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thick. Not thicker—thick cookies don’t taste like Samoas. They taste like regular sugar cookies with stuff on top.

Here’s where you need either a donut cutter or two round cookie cutters—a big one (about 2 inches) and a small one (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch) to cut out the center hole. I bought a donut cutter on Amazon for like $8 specifically for this recipe. Best purchase ever.

Cut out as many cookies as you can, then reroll the scraps and keep going until you’ve used all the dough. You should get about 24-30 cookies depending on your cutter size.

Place them on your prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes until they’re JUST starting to turn golden around the edges. Don’t overbake these! They’ll keep cooking a bit after you take them out. I set a timer because I WILL forget and burn them otherwise.

Let them cool completely on the baking sheet. Like, completely. If you try to move them too early they’ll break. Trust me on this one.

Step 3: Toast the Coconut (So Important)

While the cookies are cooling, spread your shredded coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven at 350°F for about 5-7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes so it doesn’t burn.

You want it golden brown and smelling amazing. The smell will make you want to eat it straight from the pan. Resist the urge (or don’t, I won’t tell).

Step 4: Make the Caramel Coconut Topping (The Key—oh wait, I forgot to mention—have a pot holder ready because this gets HOT)

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the caramels with the 3 tablespoons of milk and salt. Stir constantly. This takes like 5-10 minutes and your arm will get tired. Put on a podcast or something.

Once the caramel is smooth and melted, stir in your toasted coconut. Mix it all together until the coconut is completely coated. The mixture will be thick and sticky and smell INCREDIBLE.

Let it cool for just a minute or two—you want it warm enough to spread but not so hot that it melts the cookies.

Step 5: Top the Cookies (Messy But Fun)

Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons of the coconut caramel mixture onto each cookie. I use a small cookie scoop to keep them somewhat uniform, but honestly, they don’t need to be perfect. Real Girl Scout cookies aren’t perfectly uniform either.

Press the mixture down gently with the back of the spoon to make it stick. Let these set for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

Step 6: Chocolate Time (The Best Part)

Melt your chocolate chips with the coconut oil in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each one. Don’t just microwave it for 2 minutes straight—you’ll seize the chocolate and have to start over (yes, I did this).

Once it’s smooth and melted, dip the bottom of each cookie in the chocolate. Let the excess drip off, then place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Then drizzle chocolate over the top of each cookie. I use a fork and just wave it back and forth over the cookies. It doesn’t have to be pretty—rustic is in, right?

Let the chocolate set completely. You can speed this up by putting them in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

These Homemade Caramel Delites Cookies Tips (That I Wish Someone Told Me)

Make ahead samoas cookies freezer friendly option: You can freeze the baked cookies (before topping them) for up to a month. Just thaw, then add the caramel coconut and chocolate. The fully assembled cookies don’t freeze as well—the caramel gets weird.

If your caramel coconut mixture gets too thick: Just put it back on the stove over low heat and stir in a tiny bit more milk until it’s spreadable again.

Chocolate drizzle hack: Put the melted chocolate in a ziplock bag, cut a tiny corner off, and pipe it on. Way easier than using a fork if you’re going for precision (I’m not, but you might be).

Storage: Keep these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They actually get better after a day because the flavors meld together.

Why These Chewy Caramel Coconut Toasted Cookies Are Worth the Effort

Real talk: These take time. Between chilling dough, toasting coconut, melting caramel, and dealing with chocolate, you’re looking at about 2-3 hours total. But most of that is hands-off time.

And the payoff? You get cookies that taste JUST LIKE Samoas but fresher. The caramel is gooey. The coconut is crispy-chewy. The chocolate is rich. The shortbread base is buttery and perfect.

My kids fight over these. My husband hides them from the kids so he can have more. My neighbor asked if I’d make them for her book club (I said yes because I’m a people pleaser).

Last month I brought these to a potluck and three different people asked for the recipe. One woman didn’t believe me that they were homemade until I showed her photos of my messy kitchen mid-process.

Girl Scout Inspired Coconut Caramel Cookies Final Thoughts

If I can make homemade samoas cookies—someone who burned store-bought cookie dough once (long story involving a broken oven timer)—you absolutely can too. Are they a little finicky? Sure. Will your first batch maybe be imperfect? Probably. But even slightly messy samoas taste amazing because they’re loaded with caramel, coconut, and chocolate.

Try them. Worst case scenario, you eat “imperfect” cookies covered in chocolate and caramel. Best case scenario, you become known as “the person who makes those amazing Girl Scout copycat cookies” and get invited to more parties.

People keep asking me for the recipe, so I guess I did something right. 🍪