It’s Girl Scout cookie season! So while you anxiously await the arrival of your cookie order, why not make some yourself? Samoas, or Caramel deLites depending on which baker makes them, are one of Girl Scout’s most popular cookies. The combination of crunchy shortbread, toasted coconut, caramel, and chocolate is perfection!

These homemade cookies are not meant to be exactly like the original, but rather a combination of some of my favorite recipes to pay homage to the classic cookie in the purple box. While regular Girl Scout Samoas shortbread cookies are not completely covered in chocolate like these ones are, by doing that, it keeps the cookie crispier and maintains that fabulous textural component. These homemade cookies are a delicious way to satisfy your craving for Girl Scout Samoas cookies.

I made a video for my YouTube channel containing everything in this post! You can check it out here:

Disclosure: There are Amazon affiliate links provided in the post below. If you click on any of the Amazon links and make a purchase, I do get a small percentage of the sale which helps me pay for my ingredients and my website. I genuinely use anything that I link, and I want to make it easy for you to find these ingredients and kitchen tools, too, if you want to utilize them!

1. Make the Caramel:

Make the caramel first because it needs to set for at least a few hours in the refrigerator. Click here to find my caramel recipe! One change that I have made when making caramel is that I no longer add water to the granulated sugar. I simply melt the sugar down and move it around with a rubber spatula to make sure that it melts and caramelizes evenly. Once it achieves the lovely amber color, I finish making the caramel the same way I always do.

2. Toast the Coconut:

Spread flaked coconut onto a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or aluminum foil that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the coconut into a somewhat even layer across the pan. Bake at 325°F for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until completely toasted. I usually bake about 4-5 cups of coconut at a time, so it actually takes closer to 25-30 minutes to completely toast. Make sure to stir the coconut around the baking sheet periodically, about every 5-10 minutes, to make sure that the coconut toasts more evenly and does not burn. Once it is all toasted, set the coconut aside to cool.

3. Make the Shortbread:

For my shortbread, I do not yet have my own personal recipe, so I actually use Martha Stewart’s recipe. It always turns out well, I love the flavor, and it has been absolutely perfect for so many yummy food projects.

To start, sift 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 ¼ teaspoons of salt into a large mixing bowl. Give it a quick whisk and then set it aside. Next, add 2 sicks, or 1 cup, of room temperature unsalted butter to either the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl. Then add ¾ cup of powdered sugar. Cream the butter and sugar for about 3-5 minutes using either a stand mixer or hand mixer, or – if you want a nice little arm workout – about 10 minutes mixing by hand. Now add the flour and salt mixture to the mixing bowl. Mix until it everything is just combined. Over mixing will develop too much gluten in the flour and will result in a tough shortbread.

Now, pour the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, combine it into one ball of dough in the center, place another piece of parchment paper on top, and roll the dough so that it is about 1/8 inch thick. Place this on a baking sheet and into the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes to harden. You want the dough to be nice and cold because cutting the cookies is not only easier, but it also results in cleaner cut edges.

Once chilled, use either a linzer cookie cutter, like the one you can find at the bottom of this post, or a larger cookie cutter (about 2 inches in diameter) and smaller cookie cutter (about 1 inch or less in diameter) to cut the cookies. Combine the dough scraps into one ball of dough, re-roll it, chill it, and cut more cookies.

Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, poke some small holes in the dough with a fork to ensure that they do not puff up while baking, and bake at 300°F for approximately 40-45 minutes. I actually like to get a light toast on my shortbread for added flavor, so I bake mine for closer to 50-60 minutes. Once they are done, let them cool completely.

4. Make the Caramel and Coconut Layer:

Take the full batch of caramel, which should be between 1 ¼ and 1 ½ cups, and place it in a medium mixing bowl. If it is not at room temperature, heat it in the microwave for approximately 15-30 seconds to soften it. You may need to heat it a couple of times. Then, add about 3 – 3 ½ cups* of the toasted coconut to the caramel and thoroughly mix them together. Once the toasted coconut has been thoroughly mixed into the caramel, pour the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper, cover it with another piece of parchment paper, roll it until it is about an 1/8 inch thick, place it on a sheet tray, and then place it in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes to harden.

Once it is completely hardened, use the same cookie cutter (or cookie cutters) to cut the caramel and coconut mixture. Just like with the cookie dough, take the scraps and re-roll them to cut more circles. Keep these circles in the freezer until ready to use because it is easier to remove them from the parchment paper when they are very cold.

*If you want a little more caramel flavor, add 3 cups of the toasted coconut. If you want a little more toasted coconut flavor, add 3 1/2 cups.

5. Assemble the Cookies:

To a large microwave safe mixing bowl, add about 3-4 cups of chocolate. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in short increments of 15-30 seconds at a time until completely melted.

Once the chocolate is ready, place a cookie in the chocolate and make sure that it gets completely covered. Use a fork or other kitchen tool to pick up the cookie by the center and shake off the excess chocolate. Place it back on the parchment paper. I recommend doing half of the cookies at a time so that you have more room to work.

Before the chocolate completely sets, place one of the caramel and coconut circles on top of the chocolate covered cookie. Gently press it onto the chocolate and make sure that it is flat.

Repeat this process with the rest of the cookies. I like to do about 4-6 cookies at a time.

Finally, add some of the melted chocolate to a piping bag and drizzle it over the top of the cookies. Once the chocolate sets, gently remove the excess chocolate from the sides of the cookies.

And, of course, enjoy!

Here are some of the items I used to make these cookies:

Wilton Linzer Cookie Cutter:

Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers:

Wilton 12 inch Disposable Piping Bags (100 count box):

Wilton Reusable 16 in. Piping Bag:

Thank you so much for checking out this post! Let me know how you enjoyed these homemade Girl Scout Samoas cookies in the comments below!