homemade gluten free samoas

Samoas (aka Caramel deLites in some regions) were always my favorite Girl Scout cookie to buy.  Since they don't make a gluten-free version, I've missed the chocolaty caramel coconut goodness for just over 3 years now.  Finally, I decided to try to make them myself, and they're freaking awesome.  This recipe was adapted from spabettie.  

Shortbread cookie dough:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup coconut milk

Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla.

Mix in flour 1/2 cup at a time, adding milk a little at a time.

Knead into a ball and cool in refrigerator for 10 minutes. (An hour will make the dough too cold!) 

Roll out the dough to 1/4 to 1/3 inch thickness and cut into circle shapes.  I used a glass about 2 inches diameter and a 1 inch cookie cutter for the center.  (If you do cut out a center, you'll get more cookies.  If you don't, you get bigger ones!  I made some of each.) 

Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes. Keep in mind that, since there is no egg, they won’t brown much.  The surface will crack a little when they’re ready.

Cool completely. 

Caramel coconut topping – I wanted thick caramel on each cookie, so I ended up doubling this.

• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons butter

Spread coconut in a layer on prepared baking sheet and bake at 350° for 3-4 minutes at a time. 

Stir and repeat until the coconut is golden brown.  I baked mine for about 10 minutes total. 

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cornstarch, water, and milk, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to thicken.

Remove from heat.

Add the toasted coconut.

The mixture will thicken more as it cools.  If it’s too runny, add more coconut.  Otherwise, it will ooze off of your cookies, leaving only the tiniest bits of coconut.

Chocolate sauce:

• Dark chocolate – Keep in mind that morsels are coated to retain their shape.  I used most of a giant 6.8 ounce Hershey’s Special Dark bar. 
• 2 tablespoons of butter – You can add more to thin the chocolate.

Melt over low heat, stirring very frequently to avoid burning the chocolate.

Putting it all together:

Spread the topping on the cookies.  If it’s too thick, I found the best thing is spreading the goop by hand.

Using a big whisk, I spread the chocolate on the cookies in 3-4 stripes.  (A fork was way too small and tedious.)

Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom of each cookie in dark chocolate and allow to dry on parchment paper.  (Reheat as needed, since it thickens as it cools.)

Chill to cool completely and ENJOY!!