Samoa Ice Cream
Silky chocolate ice cream layered with homemade shortbread, toasted coconut, and caramel and chocolate drizzle. All the things to love about the BEST Girl Scout cookie…but in ice cream form!
This post may contain affiliate links from which, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission to keep this site running. Only products I myself would or do use are recommended.
Why this recipe works
This recipe is a little extra—but NOT hard. I honestly don’t remember it being that laborious, because each component takes no more than 10 minutes to prep. Plus, I split up my work and it honestly felt like an easy recipe!
My favorite part about this ice cream is that nothing in it is labor intensive or difficult to make. You can actually make it a no-churn ice cream (see notes below) to speed up the process. There’s about 10 minutes or so of cooking and stirring, followed by some chilling (you can make the caramel sauce, shortbread, and toasted coconut while it chills), followed by about 20-30 minutes of slow-churning (or about 10 minutes of no-churn whipping and folding). Done!
The ice cream base uses eggs—but don’t let that scare you! It’s very, very simple to make as long as you can whisk quickly. This creates the creamiest possible ice cream. In fact, when the custard is chilled, it’s almost mousse-like and is so silky and rich. Additionally, the use of cocoa powder and melted chocolate chips in the ice cream gives an incredible depth of chocolate flavor and creamy texture.
As for the flavors, I was surprised how much it tasted like a Samoa cookie. The ice cream is richly chocolate. layering the shortbread crumbles, toasted coconut, and caramel sauce helps create that chewy, crunchy, nougat-y taste and texture of a Samoa cookie. That way, when you scoop it, you get lovely, delicious, still-crunchy-yet-chewy bites.
Easy and delicious.
Key ingredients
Egg yolks. Don’t be intimidated! Using egg yolks is fairly quick and makes the ice cream just so, so creamy and delicious.
Sugar. Granulated is used. When you whisk it with the yolks, it will be lumpy at first, but keep whisking, as the sugar will melt and become fluffy.
Whole milk. Try to use regular whole milk instead of nonfat. You won’t actually save very many calories per serving using nonfat here, and it’s much creamier with whole.
Cocoa powder. Use unsweetened, since you already have plenty of sugar here.
Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla, not imitation.
Chocolate chips. You can also use chopped baking chocolate.
Heavy cream. Use heavy whipping cream (also called double cream), not just whipping cream.
Flaked coconut. I like flaked, but shredded would work, too. Toasting is key to getting the same flavor as a Samoa cookie.
Easy caramel sauce. I used my own because it’s so easy and I love the taste. You could use store bought, but be sure to get a thicker one so it creates the same chewy, nougat-y texture of a Samoa cookie.
Simple shortbread. I made my own shortbread because it’s one of my favorite—and easiest—cookies. Plus, this ensured they were fresher and I could bake them to the proper crispness.
How to make samoa ice cream
Make the ice cream
1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. At first it’ll be goopy and lumpy and seem like it can’t be whisked. Just keep going and the sugar will melt then it’ll all turn fluffy and pale. You should be able to pull the whisk up and create ribbons that stay visible for a few seconds.
2. Heat milk, vanilla, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. Heat over medium, until steam comes off and bubbles begin to form along the edges.
3. Temper the milk into the eggs. I always temper all of my milk to be safe. Pour slowly and whisk the eggs quickly. Then pour it all back into the saucepan.
4. Heat until thickened. It should be able to coat the back of a spoon (meaning if you run your finger on the custard on the back of your spatula, it leaves a distinct line that doesn’t fill in). I usually cook it until it resembles instant pudding before it’s been chilled.
5. Melt in chocolate chips. Stir well so they’re fully melted.
6. Add heavy cream then chill. You can add the heavy cream later, if needed. But adding it right after cooking tends to stop the cooking process and ensure no scrambled eggs. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the custard to prevent a film forming while it cools. It needs at least an hour to chill.
Make the caramel, shortbread, and toasted coconut
Note: This can be done anytime before you are ready to churn the ice cream. The ice cream base must be churned within 24 hours of making, so you can make the mix-ins before you make the base, if that works best for your schedule.
7. Make the caramel. This can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. I prefer homemade because it is thicker and gives that Samoa “chew”.
8. Make the shortbread. The dough will last up to 3 days in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer (shape it first before freezing). Bake until the edges are golden to ensure a crispier cookie that won’t become soggy in the ice cream. Crumble cookies right before using.
9. Toast the coconut. This takes 5-10 minutes in an oven at 350F/175C. Toss halfway and watch closely.
Assemble
10. Churn ice cream. Stir well then churn according to your manufacturer’s directions. Be sure you have enough ice or have frozen it long enough, per direction. (*See note below for making this without an ice cream maker, i.e. no-churn.)
11. Layer with mix-ins. Layer 1/3 of the freshly churned ice cream, 1/3 of the coconut, 1/3 of the cookies, and 1/3 of the caramel. Repeat until all ingredients are layered in a large loaf pan or ice cream container.
12. Freeze. It needs at least 3-4 hours to freeze, ideally overnight.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Make sure your cookies are baked until crispy
You want these to be a bit golden so that they do not become soggy once you add them to the ice cream. That, along with layering them between the coconut and caramel will ensure a lovely crisp in every bite.
*How do I make this a no-churn ice cream?
It’s so simple! Instead of combining the custard and cream then churning, you’ll beat the cream to soft peaks then fold it into the custard in three additions. It will basically be a mousse at this point, so you’ll have to freeze it, unlike slow-churned ice cream that is a soft serve consistency when freshly churned. However, you’ll have to freeze it with the mix-ins, so either option works just fine.
Can I use store bought caramel and shortbread?
Yes! I personally just really love both my caramel and shortbread recipes, and both only take about 10-15 minutes to make. What I like is that my caramel, when chilled, is a thicker consistency, which more closely mirrors the nougat-y texture of a Samoa cookie. But, if you’re strapped for time or not ready to take on making your own caramel and/or shortbread, you can definitely use store bought. Just try to use a thicker caramel if possible.
Can I make this without eggs?
Yes! I personally prefer the taste of egg-based ice creams, but you can make this recipe by using one 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk instead of the egg yolks, milk, and sugar (so replacing the custard). You’ll simply melt the chocolate chips and let them cool slightly, the vanilla, and the cocoa powder into the sweetened condensed milk in a large mixing bowl. The replaces the custard, so you can then either add the heavy cream and churn with an ice cream maker or follow the no-churn option above.
What if my eggs scrambled?
Sometimes, the eggs scramble just a bit. If they’ve scrambled a lot, with large chunks of egg, you should start over. However, if you’re unsure or think you see some tiny egg bits, just use a large fine mesh sieve to strain the custard before chilling. It’ll remove any egg that didn’t temper properly.
What if the chocolate didn’t fully melt?
Personally, I don’t see this as a problem, since you now have teeny tiny flecks of chocolate in your ice cream. However, you can easily just strain it through a large fine mesh sieve to remove these bits. If you still see nearly whole chocolate chips or chunks, you probably need to heat it for longer to help those melt.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! That’s the beauty of homemade ice cream—you can make it days before you need it and it will still be just as delicious. You can also split up your work to make life easier, making the caramel and shortbread dough a few days ahead (see shortbread recipe for refrigeration and freezing of dough) and the custard the day before churning it. The chocolate custard for the ice cream must be churned within a day of making it, but once it’s churned, you can keep it for at least a month in the freezer, depending on your freezer and the container it’s in.
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making ice cream. Affiliate links provided.
Ice cream maker (or stand mixer or handheld mixer)
Ice cream container (or use a 8x4 loaf pan or 9x5 loaf pan)
Mesh sieve (in case some egg scrambles as you temper it)
Samoa Ice Cream
- prep time: 45-50 minutes
- chill time: 1 hour
- churn time: about 30 minutes
- freeze time: 4-8 hours
- total time: 10 hours, 20 minutes
servings: about 12 (½ cup servings)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (480g) heavy whipping cream
- 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
- ⅔ cup (133g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240g) whole milk
- ¼ cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- ⅔ cup (4 ounces or 113g) chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate
- ice cream maker, prepped per directions (optional–see no-churn option above)*
- one batch easy caramel sauce
- one batch simple shortbread
- ¾ cup (75g) flaked coconut (or more, to taste)
Instructions:
- If splitting up your work, make the caramel up to 1 week in advance and the shortbread dough a few days in advance (if needing to make it earlier, you can shape it into cookies and freeze it).
- Follow your ice cream maker’s directions to prepare it for use, which could include placing the bowl in the freezer for up to 24 hours*.
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until pale frothy, 2-3 minutes. At first it may seem thick and clumpy, but keep going until the sugar melts and it becomes pale and frothy. Set aside.
- Combine the whole milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, and pinch sea salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to steam and small bubbles begin to form along the edge of the pan.
- Temper the milk into the eggs by very, very slowly streaming the milk into the eggs while whisking the eggs very quickly. Be sure to whisk constantly and quickly as you do this to avoid scrambling the eggs.
- Once all of the milk has been added to the eggs, scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula (be sure to get to the edges and corners), until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should feel thicker as you stir, as well.
- Add the chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate and stir until the chocolate is mostly melted. Remove the pan from the burner and continue stirring until the chocolate is fully melted.
- Pour into a medium bowl (the bowl the eggs were in works just fine). Stir in the heavy cream to help cool it down and stop the cooking process. Cover well and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
- Before churning, be sure your caramel is made and your shortbread is baked and that both are cooled completely. You can bake the shortbread as round cookies or in an 8x8 pan. You can do this ahead of time or while the custard cools.
- When ready to churn the ice cream, warm the caramel just enough to be drizzled, either in the microwave or a pan of simmering water. Let cool to room temperature. At this time you can also crumble the cookies into bite-sized pieces, ideally about the size of an M&M.
- Once the custard is cooled, follow your manufacturer’s directions to churn the ice cream. Don’t overmix.
- While the ice cream churns (or immediately beforehand), toast the coconut. Place flaked coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350F/175C for 5-10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Bake until golden but not dark brown. Let cool on pan completely (usually about 10 minutes).
- Once the ice cream is churned, pour ⅓ of it into a 9x5 loaf pan or an ice cream container. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the toasted coconut over the ice cream. Sprinkle about ⅓ of the cookie crumbles (or less, to taste) over the coconut. Drizzle about ⅓ of the caramel sauce (or less, to taste) over the cookies. Repeat this process two more times, layering ice cream, coconut, cookies, and caramel.
- Cover well to avoid freezer burn or it picking up tastes from the freezer.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. You may need to let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes before scooping.
Enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Ice cream should last at least 1-2 months, but this can vary depending on your freezer and how well-sealed it is.
