Homemade Samoas™

My favorite Girl Scout cookie is the Samoa™; I love the blending of coconut and chocolate, I love the rich dark chocolate, I love their shape. However, there are a couple of things I do not love about Samoas™, so when I saw this recipe for homemade Samoas™, I couldn’t wait to try them out.

The preparation was a meditative delight, and it brought me working with dough and melted chocolate. Be ready to get your hands dirty making these. And when they had cooled, and I took my first bite of these homemade treats, I knew I had found a recipe that will forever stay in my lexicon. Although these are vegan cookies, don’t think that you must be a vegan to enjoy these; they are amazing, and the reception I received from my group of taste-testers was overwhelming. They implored me to make another batch as soon as possible. And if you are vegan, then these are a perfect egg and dairy-free cookie to bake and share with vegans and non-vegans alike. The addition of coconut oil, as opposed to any other type of fat, fits in so well with the coconut flavor, and helps to make the cookies even more wholesome.

As a side note: the coconut I used was rather broad, and I did not chop it up into smaller bits. For a more authentic homemade Samoa™, go for the finely shredded variety of coconut (unsweetened!).


Homemade Samoas™
From Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Yield: About 1 dozen

Ingredients:
2 cups finely grated unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached white flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
For topping:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. unrefined coconut oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large heavy skillet, toast the coconut over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until coconut is a light golden brown. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, blend the coconut oil, brown sugar, milk, flaxseeds, and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix well. Fold in the coconut.
4. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a small ball, then flatten and place on the baking sheet. Work a small hole into the center. Repeat until all the dough is used. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Let cookies cool.
5. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in a double boiler. Let the mixture cool slightly. Dip cookies bottoms in the chocolate and return to the baking sheet. With a fork or a pastry bag, drizzle the remaining chocolate over the tops of the cookies.
6. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator, or let sit, until chocolate is set.