It’s Girl Scout cookie season and I’ve got a treat for you. Healthy and simple (but incredible!) 4-Ingredient Samoas that might just taste better than the real deal. Shh…. don’t tell the Girl Scouts. Vegan, gluten-free and paleo-friendly.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY SAMOAS:
Sometimes I feel like this weird pull between having a blog with amazing recipes and my real life meal planning which often consists of simple, delicious meals. Don’t get me wrong, I still make and enjoy all of the recipes on my blog but more often than not, eating looks much simpler. SO, lucky for you, I’m going to start sharing more minimal recipes that are made with 5 ingredients (or less!).
Life is busy and eating healthy shouldn’t have to be expensive, take a lot of time, or take a lot of energy.
I know I teased this a little but I can’t hold it in any longer. I’m have a new eBook for you! 35 recipes with 5 ingredients or less. Grab your copy here!
In the meantime, I’m excited to share these 4-Ingredient Samoas. They are created in honor of everyone’s favorite Girl Scout cookie. Okay, so maybe Samoas aren’t everyone’s favorite, but they’re definitely Isaac’s and my favorite!
Thin Mints are a close second over here. If you’re on team Thin Mint, I highly recommend you check out these Thin Mint protein balls!
I actually already have a recipe for samoas energy bites, but this version is a bit more simple in terms of the ingredients (just 4) and looks almost exactly like the real deal. The idea for these babies was actually inspired by Meaghan of Plant & Simple Eats. She brought similar cookies to an Instagram meet up we had a year or so ago and I knew I wanted to make my own version!
These samoas couldn’t be easier to make so instead of having to wait for Girl Scout cookie season every year, you can make these year round. YES!
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Healthy and simple (but incredible!) 4-Ingredient Samoas that might just taste better than the real deal. Shh…. don’t tell the Girl Scouts. Vegan, gluten-free and paleo-friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate (chips or a chopped bar)
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Spread the shredded coconut onto a baking sheet for toasting. Place in oven for 5-10 minutes, until coconut is a light golden brown color. Make sure to stay in the kitchen watch the coconut, as it can easily go from toasted to burnt. Alternately, you can toast the coconut in a pan on the stove-top.
- Add dates and toasted coconut into the bowl of a food processor (affiliate link). Pulse until mixture is combined and starts to form a ball of dough.
- Remove from food processor (affiliate link), roll 1 Tablespoon size pieces of dough into a ball and then shape into a round cookie. Using a straw or chopstick punch a hole in the middle of the dough. Move the straw or chopstick around a bit to make the hole wider, if needed. At this point you’ll likely need to reshape the cookie a bit.
- Place all cookies on a sheet lined with parchment and transfer to the freezer to harden up a bit. While cookies are in the freezer, add chocolate and coconut oil to a shallow microwave-safe bowl and melt in 20-30 second increments until the chocolate is melted enough to drizzle.
- Grab cookies from the freezer and dip each one in the chocolate to coat the bottom. Place cookies on the parchment and use remaining chocolate to drizzle over top the cookies. Transfer cookies back into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to let the chocolate harden. Once they’ve hardened you’ll be able to easily remove the cookies from the parchment paper. If you want to enjoy right away, let them sit out on the counter for a few minutes. For enjoying later, store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 135
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 4mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: healthy homemade samoas
Shannon says
March 13, 2018 at 7:16 pm???? I’m so excited to try these! Samoa cookies are my absolute favorite, but I’ve shed away from making them because of long, tedious recipes.
Amanda says
March 13, 2018 at 8:07 pmThese sound amazing! Thanks for sharing! Also, I’m super excited about your ebook!
JoBeth says
June 1, 2019 at 7:56 amWow! And it’s no-bake. Thank you!
Brittany Mullins says
June 2, 2019 at 11:17 pmYes!! No bake recipes are the best!
Emily @ Pizza & Pull-Ups says
March 13, 2018 at 9:14 pmThese sound awesome! Can’t wait to give them a try.
Natalie says
March 14, 2018 at 12:53 amThese cookie look so delicious! I love how easy it is to make them!
★★★★★
jerk says
March 14, 2018 at 1:59 amI am feeling very hungry now Also excited about your ebook
Lisa says
June 1, 2019 at 10:02 amA-mazing …easy to make and delicious! Have passwd on this recipe many times..everyone loves them!
★★★★★
Holly says
March 15, 2018 at 8:38 amThese look so yummy, I have been looking for some new gluten free snacks to get making so these will be perfect – it can be so hard to make them taste good but these sound amazing. Thanks for the inspiration, I better get cooking!
Holly from The Art of Being Holly xo
Renate says
March 15, 2018 at 9:02 amThese looks so good!
Elizabeth @ Cleveland Vegan Mom says
March 15, 2018 at 10:40 amI’m making these today for my son’s after-school snack. Mmmm
Brittany Mullins says
March 15, 2018 at 4:25 pmYay! I can’t wait to hear how they turn out. Please come back and give the recipe a rating. 🙂
Carrie says
March 15, 2018 at 12:58 pmThese look so amazing! If I don’t have a food processor, is it possible to use a blender instead?
Brittany Mullins says
March 15, 2018 at 4:25 pmI haven’t tried these in a blender yet. What kind of blender do you have?
Pnina Massoth says
March 15, 2018 at 4:07 pmLooks so yummy!
★★★★★
Su says
March 15, 2018 at 9:16 pmI’ll try these cookies very soon. How many cookies does it make?
Thanks!
Brittany Mullins says
March 15, 2018 at 10:28 pmThe recipe makes about 11 cookies.
Ella says
March 17, 2018 at 12:21 amI tried these and my dates and coconut would not form a dough. It was just a bucket of “crumbs”. Any recommendations?
Brittany Mullins says
March 17, 2018 at 12:31 pmIt’s likely that your dates were a little dry. Try adding a little water to the mixture, 1 teaspoon at a time until it starts sticking together.
Susan Robinson says
March 17, 2018 at 10:49 amJust made these and might decide to keep them all for me! I tripled the batch – made about 35 cookies. They are SO amazing. Better than the originals (sorry Girl Scouts) – try them right out of the freezer – YUM!
★★★★★
Bethany says
March 22, 2018 at 6:14 pmI made a double batch, and they are so yummy! my husband liked them too! 🙂 I added a little coconut oil to my date and coconut mixture to help it bind together better.
★★★★★
Kimberly says
March 22, 2018 at 9:49 pmAmazing!!! I absolutely love these and so does my husband. Who was very skeptical to even try them. After he did, he was hooked and said “How can these be so darn good with only those ingredients?” He has already asked me to make more. Thanks for coming up with and sharing!
★★★★★
Kai says
March 23, 2018 at 10:56 pmI’ve made these 3 times in a week and a half.. #cantstopwontstop
My team at work can’t believe these are healthy! I’m almost mad at how good they are because now they expect me to share 😉
★★★★★
Amy Holtkamp says
March 26, 2018 at 9:01 pmThese were AMAZING! My husband who is a strict chocolate chip cookie eater, even enjoyed these (repeatedly). Wonderful!
★★★★★
Leah says
March 27, 2018 at 7:33 pmThese were delicious and husband approved!!! Added a little bit of coconut oil to help form the dough and freezing them was definitely key for me to get them to hold together:)
★★★★★
Susan says
March 28, 2018 at 2:46 pmI just made these….absolutely delicious! thank you
★★★★★
Margaret says
March 31, 2018 at 2:53 pmI just made these and tried one as I took them out of the freezer.
I haven’t had a samoa cookie in 10 years and you think these 11 will last a week in the fridge??
???. Definitely 5 stars! Thank you for coming up with the great recipe!!
★★★★★
Debora Donnelly says
March 31, 2018 at 3:03 pm135 calories each cookie? That’s a high calorie count for just one. Am I missing something?
Line Leclerc says
April 4, 2018 at 9:54 amI dont like Coconut , Could I used oatmeal instead coconut?
Alice says
April 8, 2018 at 8:49 pmDelicious! I tried to make the holes, but they crumbled so I tried again and left them as little domes from being packed in my tablespoon. Maybe my dates and coconut were still too chunky? But it didn’t matter, because they look and taste delicious. I’m storing them in a glass container in the freezer – I love frozen samoas!
★★★★★
Elizabeth says
May 16, 2018 at 3:07 pmJust made these, and they are crazy awesome delicious! I made a note to triple the recipe because we ate them immediately. I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla and topped them with a bit of sea salt. Great recipe!!
★★★★★
Iamathinkweiz says
June 13, 2018 at 8:42 pmJonathan doesn’t even like sweets and he loves these. They are even better than Samoas. Not too sweet and coconutty!
★★★★★
Brittany Mullins says
June 14, 2018 at 10:03 amYay!! I’m so glad that you all enjoyed these. They’re definteily a favorite over here too! <3
Michelle says
July 7, 2018 at 6:16 pmMy husband went out to get me the ingredients i needed basically as soon as I saw this recipie. Two hours later the cookies were made and WOW theyre phenomenal! Thank you!!
Brittany Mullins says
July 8, 2018 at 12:06 pmHooray!! So excited that you were able to make these so quickly. Glad you loved them. 🙂
Rochelle Doyel says
July 25, 2018 at 6:11 pmI made these today and OMG! LITERALLY THE BEST TASTING COOKIE I HAVE EVER HAD! Way better than a Girl Scout cookie! Thanks for sharing! I have a feeling im going to be making this recipe a lot this Summer
★★★★★
Donna says
August 20, 2018 at 12:02 pmWhat is the gadget you used in the video to drizzle the chocolate?
Brittany Mullins says
August 20, 2018 at 5:41 pmIt’s just a plastic bag with the corner snipped off. It makes it so easy to drizzle chocolate.
christiane gehami says
August 20, 2018 at 5:06 pmhi…is the chocolate vegan?
Brittany Mullins says
August 20, 2018 at 5:36 pmYes! As long as you use dairy-free chocolate chips.
Simonne says
October 8, 2018 at 8:40 pmThese look amazing, but 17gm of sugar per cookie is a lot. Do you have any lower sugar options? Could you use cocoa and coconut oil for the top, or would that not be thick enough?
Irene Lawson says
November 16, 2018 at 9:52 pmAt 135 calories….how can this be for weight loss or healthy eating,
Did i get something wrong.
Brittany Mullins says
November 17, 2018 at 1:18 pmHi Irene. They’re definitely not a low calorie food — just a healthier treat made with real food and simple ingredients. I’m sorry if you were expecting something else.
Jill Wyckoff says
January 26, 2019 at 5:48 pmThese are soooo good! I’ve made them twice and once for the holidays. They are really easy. I just make them in smaller batches and they are easy to make. My husban even loves them and he’s a cookie connoisseur. Make sure you put them in an air tight contianer and refrigerate for the best results!
Krista says
February 2, 2019 at 4:21 pmI saw this recipe and headed straight to my kitchen because I knew I had all of the ingredients. They were so quick and easy and turned out fabulous! What an awesome recipe. My coconut did burn after only 3 minutes so I would suggest a lower temp and really watch it. I did big flakes though so maybe those burn faster. Thanks!
★★★★★
Lyndsay says
February 24, 2019 at 10:49 pmThese are so yummy and easy! Only 3 minutes needed to toast the coconut. I also soaked my dates in warm water for a few minutes before processing. Delicious eaten out of the freezer for 1-2 mins.
Blady says
March 3, 2019 at 9:03 pmI’d like to try these, but I don’t like shredded coconut. Could I sub in coconut flour? If so, how much? Thanks!
Brittany Mullins says
March 4, 2019 at 9:05 amI’ve never made them with coconut flour so I’m not sure!
denise says
March 4, 2019 at 12:50 pmsubstitutions for the dates ?? prunes or soaked raise s work?
Brittany Mullins says
March 4, 2019 at 9:43 pmI haven’t tried the recipe with anything but madjool dates. I think it could work with another dried fruit but you won’t get the same caramel flavor that the dates provide.
Meghan says
March 11, 2019 at 6:56 pmWasn’t so sure about these bc Samoas are my Girl Scout jam but these are AMAZING and healthy!!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
★★★★★
Chelsie says
March 18, 2019 at 10:59 pmSo so delicious! I am so excited about these cookies. I love them and will be making more again soon. I love your recipes. Thank you for sharing another amazing one. I made your thin mints a couple weeks ago and commented on how delicious those were and now these are another family fav!
★★★★★
CJ says
March 21, 2019 at 3:25 pmThese are incredible and SO EASY to whip up. I put off making them for so long because I am not used to buying/using medjool dates, so I thought it would be overwhelming to take the pits out and overly sticky/messy in the food processor but it was a breeze. These will be a staple in my house.
★★★★★
Lisa says
March 24, 2019 at 9:25 pmThese cookies are absolutely amazing. So healthy, not too sweet, and so quick and easy to make. Thank you for an amazing recipe.
★★★★★
Paula says
March 29, 2019 at 6:46 amAny nutritional facts
Brittany Mullins says
March 29, 2019 at 10:59 amYes. The nutrition facts are right below the recipe. 🙂
Kristen says
April 3, 2019 at 5:05 pmThese came out really well! I made them for a vegan friend’s birthday and he loved them. Everyone loved them and said they liked them better than actual Girl Scout cookies! I will definitely make these again! I was also very happy to be able to provide an option for people with gluten sensitivities! My co-worker was dancing and eating these cookies because she was so happy to be able to partake in the festivities. 🙂
★★★★★
Jennifer Lord says
April 4, 2019 at 12:41 pmOMG!!! I just made this recipe and I am hiding the cookies from my husband and son. They are so delicious and super easy to make.
★★★★★
Linda says
April 8, 2019 at 10:17 amAbsolutely delicious and my yield was 14, so mine must be a bit smaller. Even easier to shape the second time around. Thanks Brittany!
★★★★★
Megan says
May 7, 2019 at 9:15 pmThese cookies are fabulous! My kids helped me make them and gave the cookies 2 thumbs up. I’m not a huge fan of coconut myself, but I think they are delicious! These won’t last long in our house, that’s for sure!
★★★★★
Lucy says
May 9, 2019 at 2:01 pmI made these yesterday they came out tops! I suppose the only drawback if any is that Medjool dates are a bit spendy but no other date will do for this recipe! One store had Noor dates in bulk (not sure how much per lb but probably not a lot) the other had Medjool dates for $9.99 a pound and I got slightly over a pound (for $10 something). It is enough for two batches because there were at least 2 cups of dates in it. I finally found unsweetened coconut at the same store as I got the Medjool dates, and from the store which had the Noor dates (a dry date not suitable for these cookies) there were sugar-free dark chocolate melties (which I’ve bought before for recipes) in the bulk section. The cookies are supreme and came out so well. Will definitely make this recipe again!
★★★★★
Natasha Nadel says
June 11, 2019 at 6:21 amIf there is a trader joe’s Near you, they have the best prices on medjool dates.
★★★★★
Natasha Nadel says
June 11, 2019 at 6:30 amBetter than the “real” thing! I made these the second my friend sent me the recipe. Amazing! I also experimented with spreading a very thin layer of chocolate on the tops dipping them into more toasted coconut. Even closer to original taste. I burned my first batch of coconut quickly. Watched the next batch more carefully. But then I saw how good they were so I ordered toasted coconut online immediately so I could make them again easily. I had to ration the first batch to my friends and family! Next time I doubled the recipe!
★★★★★