Homemade Samoas Cookies
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Published Mar 11, 2021, Updated Jun 12, 2023
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Healthy homemade Samoas made with only four ingredients: coconut, dates, chocolate chips and coconut oil. They’re also vegan and gluten-free!
I’m excited to share these homemade 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 mine!
Thin Mints are a close second over here. If you’re on team Thin Mint, I highly recommend you check out my recipe for healthier Thin Mints too!
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 awhile back 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!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY SAMOAS:
Healthier Homemade Samoas
Traditional Samoas, as much as we love them, are highly processed and made with lots of saturated fats and artificial flavoring.
We’re skipping all of those extra ingredients like white sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk and making them with just medjool dates, toasted coconut and chocolate chips. I recommend using Lily’s chocolate chips or Hu Kitchen gems for less sugar!
These Samoas aren’t necessarily low calorie or low sugar, but they are made with natural ingredients including natural sugar from the dates and without preservatives. A big win in my book!
The medjool dates add such a nice caramel flavor and these Samoas legit taste like the real deal! Some have even said they taste better than the real deal. Shh…. don’t tell the Girl Scouts.
Ingredients Needed
- medjool dates – the medjool dates add such a nice caramel flavor and make these Samoas taste like the real deal! You can buy medjool dates that are already pitted or pit them yourself (it’s super easy). Two brands that I like are Natural Delights and Joolies. You can find Natural Delights in the produce section of most grocery stores (near the bananas) and Joolies are offered on Amazon and Thrive Market.
- unsweetened shredded coconut – be sure to grab unsweetened instead of sweetened!
- dark chocolate (chips or a chopped bar) – I like to use Lily’s dark chocolate chips to keep this recipe lower in sugar, vegan and dairy-free.
- coconut oil – this is used to help make the melted chocolate thinner, which makes it easier to dip the Samoas. The coconut oil also helps harden the chocolate in the freezer. You can skip it, but your melted chocolate will likely be pretty thick. I recommend using refined coconut oil if you don’t want any coconut flavor!
How to Make 4-Ingredient Samoas
Here’s how to make these easy samoas!
Toast coconut – Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Spread the shredded coconut onto a baking sheet for toasting.
Place in oven for 3-5 minutes, until coconut is a light golden brown color.
Warning! Keep any eye on the coconut: 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.
Process – Add dates and toasted coconut into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until mixture is combined and starts to form a ball of dough.
Form cookies – Remove from the food processor, 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.
Chill – Place all cookies on a sheet lined with parchment and transfer to the freezer to harden up a bit.
Melt chocolate – 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.
Coat – 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.
Freeze – 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.
Enjoy – If you want to enjoy them right away, let them sit out on the counter for a few minutes.
What to Do If Your Dates Are Dry
Fresh Medjool dates are usually soft and give easily when squished. If your dates are older or just seem dry and hard, you may want to soak them before using. Simply place them in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften and rehydrate them. Drain well and pat dry before using.
How to Store Samoas
If you want to enjoy right away, let your Samoas 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 or in the freezer for up to three months… but I bet they’ll be gone before then Ha!
More Girl Scout Inspired Treats to Try:
- Tagalongs
- Thin Mints
- Do-Si-Dos
- Samoa Energy Balls
- Thin Mint Protein Balls
- Samoa Baked Oatmeal
- Apple Samoas
More Healthy Treats to Try:
- Snickers Stuffed Dates
- Healthy Peanut Butter Cups
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites
- No Bake Almond Cookies
- Healthier Butterfingers
- No Bake Cookies
- Vegan Rice Krispie Treats
Be sure to check out all of my healthy snack recipes here on EBF.
Homemade Samoas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates, about 10 dates*
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate, I used Lily’s chocolate chips for low sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the shredded coconut onto a baking sheet for toasting. Place in oven for 3-5 minutes, until coconut is a light golden brown color. Make sure to stay in the kitchen watch the coconut, as it burns really easily. 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. Pulse until mixture is combined and starts to form a ball of dough.
- Remove from food processor, 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.
Video
Notes
- Hard/dry dates: If your dates are hard and dry, I recommend soaking them in warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften. Just drain them well before using.
- Coconut oil: This is used to help make the melted chocolate thinner, which makes it easier to dip the Samoas. The coconut oil also helps harden the chocolate in the freezer. You can skip it, but your melted chocolate will likely be pretty thick. I recommend using refined coconut oil if you don’t want any coconut flavor!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I stumbled here through Pinterest and decided to give these a try. They are DELICIOUS! I didn’t think they would be as good as they turned out. I wish I hadn’t ruined them by baking them before coating the chocolate – I thought it might add a bit of chewiness, which it did but not in a good way. I’m glad I saved a few to enjoy without baking. I will not ruin my next batch by doing that and simply follow the recipe as is. Thank you for such a simple yet delicious recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Nivedita! Thanks for the review 🙂
These are soooo good! Dare I say I like them better that the original ones. Yes, yes I do. They are stunning.
So glad you loved these, AnnaLynn!! Thanks for making them and for the review. I so appreciate it!
These are so delicious and soooo easy. I don’t even feel guilty eating them! I could quadruple this recipe and eat them all!
So glad you love these cookies, Chelsea!! Thanks for making them and for the review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I make these all the time! So hard to believe they’re only a few ingredients! And I think they are better than the Girl Scout version… 🤫
Ah yay!! This makes me so happy to hear! So glad you enjoyed this cookies, Katie. Thanks so much for the review!
I have made these over and over and over. I have only used deglet noor dates since I always have them on hand and never remember to buy medjool. They are fabulous! They don’t always look pretty and I never put the hole in the middle but it doesn’t make the tiniest bit of difference, they are still worth the mess and the effort.
Woo!! So glad you’ve been enjoying these samoas cookies, Rebecca! Thanks for making them and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Wow. When I first saw this recipe, I thought, “There’s no way this is going to taste as amazing as an actual Samoa’s cookie.” Then I made them, and now I’m completely hooked! These taste EVEN BETTER than the originals- and that’s saying something. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe- my family and I gobbled these up in like .2 seconds! I will definitely have to double it the next time I make these. 🙂
Ah yay!! So pumped this recipe was a hit, Annie! Thank so much for the review. I really appreciate it!
Hi, Brittany! I just wanted to let you know that I posted my version of your amazing Samoa’s cookie recipe on my blog with a few changes, my tips and photos, and a recipe video! Of course, I added a link back to the original recipe and gave you credit. Thank you so much! Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://desserts4thebetter.wordpress.com/2021/09/05/healthy-samoa-cookies/
So delicious – these are my family’s favorite sweet treat! (I made them again today and everyone reminded me…I think it was a hint to make them more often!). Thanks for another great recipe!
Yay!! So happy to hear everyone is loving these cookies, Allison! Thanks so much for the review and star rating. I really appreciate it!
These are AMAZING!!! Thank you for this recipe! So simple but soooo good! Satisfying in taste and texture. My in-laws tried them over Christmas and loved them. Would never know they were so healthy!
Woo!! Pumped to hear these cookies were a hit, Kimberly. Thanks for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
I’ve had this recipe saved for a while now with good intentions of making it. Today someone brought me a box of Samoas. Because of PMS, against better judgement I ate 2. As I was eating them I was thinking that they didn’t taste very good, but kept right on of course LOL! So I knew I had to make this recipe and I am SOOO glad I did! These are so fricken good!! To keep them even cleaner, I opted to make a dark chocolate coating instead of using chocolate chips. I combined 3.5 Tbls Cacao, 2.5 Tbsp Virgin Coconut Oil (melted), 1 Tbls Maple Syrup and 1/2 tsp vanilla. I got 12 cookies from your recipe and this was the perfect amount to dip the bottoms and drizzle more over the tops. Thanks for this excellent recipe, it’s a definite keeper!
Yay! I’m so glad these worked out for you, Amanda, and thanks for sharing what you used to dip them in! That sounds delicious and I’m definitely going to give it a try.
Omg! Delicious and so much cleaner/healthier than the real deal. I actually find these more delicious. GOOD LUCK NOT EATING THEM ALL IN ONE SITTING!
Woo! Love to hear that, Katianne! I appreciate you leaving a review and star rating 🙂