Samoa Cookie Bars
Tender shortbread topped with caramel and toasted coconut and drizzled with a touch of rich chocolate. Enjoy the amazingness that is Samoas in a simple-to-make bar form, anytime of the year!
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Ah, Girl Scout cookies. I don’t care what Gordon Ramsay says, Girl Scout cookies are amazing, and Samoas are my favorite. I’ve eaten whole boxes in one day (yeah, a little shame there) and I’ve also been “good” and hidden my stockpile so I don’t binge it all at once…only to find it 10 months later only slightly stale.
There’s something about Samoas that just makes me so happy.
But this year, we were good and only got one box. And it just so happened to be when I was having a bad week, so I ate half of it in one day. And now it’s gone and I’m sad. So, I decided to finally try my hand at homemade Samoas. Wow. Why haven’t I been making these all my life? They are simple and delicious and taste very close to the original.
So now, whenever, I need the happiness of my favorite Girl Scout cookie, it’s only a few minutes away.
Why this recipe works
The shortbread is just so, so killer. Tender, buttery, perfectly sweet and crunchy. It’s topped with my very favorite and very simple caramel sauce mixed with toasted flaked coconut. I love the texture it provides—chewy and crunchy all at once. Then it’s topped with chocolate drizzle for a hint of richness. Altogether, you have that crunchy, toasty, buttery taste of a Samoa with minimal effort.
Key ingredients
Butter. As mentioned above, always use European style butter in shortbread. It’s creamier and has less water.
Confectioner’s sugar. This is the secret to the tender texture and perfect sweetness of these cookies.
Vanilla extract (optional). I usually add this, but it’s optional and not as traditional, but I think it adds the something special that these cookies need.
Salt. Only use a pinch or so if using salted butter.
Flour. Optionally, you can sift this before using, making the cookies even more tender and delicate.
Flaked coconut. I actually used unsweetened, but I think sweetened coconut will give you a more authentic Samoa taste.
Caramel sauce. I prefer my easy caramel sauce, but you can also use this old-fashioned style salted caramel sauce.
Chocolate chips. I suggest semi-sweet or even dark to get a rich chocolate flavor. You can also use chopped baking chocolate.
Heavy whipping cream. This is actually optional. You can simply melt and drizzle chocolate on top, but I like the smoothness of adding a bit of heavy cream to my chocolate before drizzling it.
How to make samoa cookie bars
Make the shortbread
1. Cream butter and powdered sugar. You don’t need to beat it for a long time, just make sure it’s well-combined and perfectly smooth.
2. Add vanilla and salt. Reduce salt to a pinch if you used salted butter. Be sure it’s very smooth so that the flour can be mixed in minimally.
3. Stir in flour. Technically, you could sift and whisk the salt and flour, but that requires an extra bowl, and I just don’t have the patience for more dishes.
4. Bake. You can either press it into a parchment lined 8x8 pan or roll the dough out onto parchment sprinkled with flour and cut into desired shapes. I did both for this recipe and personally liked the rounds, because they had a bit of a crunch to them, but both methods are amazing.
Make the caramel sauce*
While the cookies bake and cool is a great time to make the caramel. It can also be made ahead.
5. Sprinkle the sugar into a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Adjust the temperature as it melts, turning it down if it’s getting too dark before most of it is melted. Avoid stirring it at the beginning, but you can tilt the pan as needed.
6. Once mostly melted, add more sugar. Keep watching the temperature so it doesn’t burn—it will keep getting darker but should not be burning. Keep adding very thin layers once it’s melted—this should take at least 5-6 additions of sugar.
7. Once fully melted, cook until deep amber. This could happen quickly or may take a few minutes. You’ll want it just a shade darker than you’d like the finished product sine it lightens as you add butter and cream.
8. Quickly whisk in butter. Remove from heat to do this.
9. Quickly whisk in cream then salt and vanilla. It will bubble up when you add the cream, but just keep stirring quickly.
Make the coconut layer
10. Toast coconut at 350 for 5-10 minutes. Use a rimmed baking sheet and stir halfway.
11. Stir 1 1/2 cups coconut into the caramel. The exact amounts are up to whatever texture you prefer.
12. Spread onto cooled shortbread. Chill for an hour until set.
13. Sprinkle with remaining coconut.
Make the chocolate drizzle
14. Melt chocolate and heavy cream. Do this in the microwave or on a double boiler.
15. Cut cooled bars into 16 squares.
16. Drizzle melted chocolate on top of each square. This ensures you get some chocolate along the sides. You can also dip the bottom in the chocolate for a more authentic Samoa taste.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
*Can I use a different caramel sauce?
Yes! You could use a more old-fashioned caramel, like my vanilla salted caramel sauce, which is less likely to burn but does require a candy thermometer. Or, use your favorite recipe or jarred sauce as long as it’s very thick at room temperature. You should not be able to drizzle it without heating it up first. You could also use Kraft caramels (either the wrapped kind or the little caramel bits). You’d need about 200g of either type (about 24 wrapped candies or 1 cup of the bits) and would melt those with 2 tablespoons (28g) water and 2 tablespoons (28g) butter, until smooth.
Do I have to use European butter?
Personally, I think it makes a huge difference. It’s creamier and has a very different consistency than sweet cream butter. Since you only have a few ingredients here, you want to make sure each one is of the highest quality. But don’t worry—you can often find it at places like Costco on sale!
Can I split up the work?
Yes! I made the caramel a few days ahead and used already toasted coconut (both stored in airtight containers). The caramel will need to be reheated before mixing with the coconut. You can do this in the microwave at half power in 15 second intervals. Or, you can immerse it in a pan of gently simmering water that is level with the caramel (not higher—you don’t want water getting into your jar).
Can I dip the cookies in chocolate?
Yes! This would be more authentic, but it was messy and I was tired. I suggest dipping the bars, setting them on parchment or a silicone mat, then drizzling with chocolate. Be sure to let them cool completely (or just accept the delicious mess of a cookie bar…no shame!).
How do I keep my caramel from burning?
The key is to not let it get super dark early on. If it starts getting really dark before you’ve added more sugar, turn the heat down slightly. It helps to have a good handle on your stove and how hot it cooks, which is why I usually cook mine a bit under medium, since it tends to cook a little hotter.
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these bars. Affiliate links provided.
Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a perfect shortbread)
All-rubber spatula (this makes scraping the pot easier so the caramel doesn’t get all over a wooden handle)
Heavy enameled saucepan (for the caramel)
Rimmed cookie sheets (for toasting the coconut)
Decorating bottle (for the chocolate drizzle)
Samoa Cookie Bars
- prep time: 25-30 minutes
- bake time: 15-20 minutes
- total time: 50 minutes (plus 1-2 hours cooling time)
servings: 16
Ingredients:
for the shortbread
- 1 cups (136g) flour, spooned and leveled then sifted
- ¼ teaspoon (2g) finely ground sea salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted European style butter, softened
- ⅓ cup (43g) powdered sugar
- ½ tablespoon (6g) vanilla extract
for the filling
- 1 batch easy caramel sauce (see note above for alternative options)
- 2 cups (200g) flaked coconut (sweetened is most authentic)
for the chocolate drizzle
- ⅔ cup (113g) semisweet or dark chocolate chips (or chopped baking chocolate)
- ¼ cup (56g) heavy whipping cream
Instructions:
make the shortbread
- Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Prepare your baking pan/sheet. If you want to make traditional bars, line an 8x8 pan with a strip of parchment that overhangs off two sides (trim it one direction to be the width of the pan).
- In a medium bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer--I couldn't use mine because it does best with larger quantities), whip the butter with a handheld electric mixer on high until creamed, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and mix on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add vanilla extract and and salt then mix, starting on low then increasing to high to fully incorporate.
- Scrape the bowl then sift in the flour and mix on low until fully incorporated, scraping the bowl if necessary. It will be crumbly at first then will suddenly start to stick to the beaters and pull away from the sides of the bowl. At this point, stop mixing.
- Press the dough gently into the prepared pan. Be sure it’s completely even.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the top is entirely matte in appearance and begins to brown along the edges. It will puff up a bit but will settle once cooled. Let cool completely in the pan.
make the filling
- While the cookies cool, use the still-hot oven to toast the coconut. Spread it on a rimmed baking sheet and bake (at 350F/175C) for 5-10 minutes, stirring halfway. Watch carefully, as it goes from golden to burnt quickly. Let cool on the pan.
- Once the shortbread is completely cooled, reheat the caramel until a stirrable consistency. You can either heat it in the microwave at ½ power in 15 second increments, stirring in between, or place the opened jar in a pot of gently simmering water that reaches the same level as the sauce but does not get near the rim (water will ruin it), letting it warm until a stirrable consistency. Note: if you didn’t make the caramel ahead of time, you can make it while the shortbread cools. By the time it’s cool enough to mix with the coconut, the shortbread should be cooled as well.
- In a medium bowl, stir about ¾ of the coconut with the caramel sauce. You can adjust the ratios to your liking, but it should be dough-like and not runny.
- Drop spoonfuls on top of the fully cooled shortbread and gently spread it out until even.
- Sprinkle remaining coconut on top and press gently into the caramel.
- Let cool on the counter until fully set, about an hour.
make the chocolate drizzle
- Once the caramel layer is set, remove the bars from the pan and cut into 16 squares. Leave the squares on the parchment, but separate them a bit so the chocolate can get down the sides of each bar.
- Melt the chocolate and heavy cream (omit making or serving in warm weather). You can either melt these in the microwave at half power in 15 second increments, stirring in between, or over a pot of simmering water on low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
- Place the melted chocolate in a decorating bottle, piping bag with a #4 writing tip, or a plastic baggie with a small hole snipped off the corner.
- Drizzle chocolate across the bars, going a few different directions so that it drips down all of the sides of the bars. Optionally, you can dip the bottoms of the bars in some chocolate (still in the bowl) before drizzling.
Enjoy! Cookies will last in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
