The New Samoa Cookie

I have long been interested in creating homemade Samoa cookies (or ‘Caramel De-Lites’, as I have always known them). A few months ago, I converted the superb recipe over at Baking Bites and used a coconut flour mix for the shortbread layer. While I thought the shortbread was an important component, I wondered what would happen if I were to forgo the crunch, and give classic, flourless, coconut macaroons the full Samoa cookie treatment.

I used a few different recipes that, when joined together, resulted in cookies that are completely flourless, and contain almost no refined sugar.

I made Elana’s recipe for macaroons, topped with Heidi’s caramel, and followed Baking Bites’ directions regarding the chocolate.

The macaroons are sweetened with agave, the caramel with honey, and the chocolate uses the slightest amount of cane sugar. If you like chewy cookies, these are for you. Diehard Samoa fans will probably miss the crunch factor, but may be able to appreciate these as a creation independent of the originals.



Samoa Cookies 2.0
*These don’t actually take too long to make, though there is cooling time between each step.

For the macaroon layer:
I followed Elana’s flawless recipe, and used this coconut.
*I used a cookie scoop, then flattened the cookies in my hand, before placing on the baking sheet. They barely rose and didn’t spread, so make them the size you would like the final product.

Bake according to her directions and let cool completely. Then place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.

For the caramel layer:
I halved Heidi Swanson’s caramel recipe and used a ½ cup cream, ½ cup honey, and ¼ teaspoon salt. I’ve made this caramel multiple times, and would advise to heat it only to 255F, or the caramel tends to set a bit hard (still totally edible though, so no need to fret).

Follow her directions, including cooling slightly in a water bath. If caramel starts to harden, place pan over very low heat to remelt. The caramel needs to be liquid, but not so hot that you can’t get it on your hands. Cover the top of each cookie with warm caramel.

*The method I liked best was dipping the tops of the cookies into the pan of caramel. If the top of the cookie falls off, the caramel needs to be warmed again to thin it down.

Let dipped cookies cool, caramel side up (on wax paper sheet), for 10-15 minutes, then place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until caramel is not tacky to touch.

For the chocolate layers:
I used about a ½ cup of chopped chocolate (semisweet or bittersweet) for covering the bottoms, and decorating the tops. You could easily use more than a ½ cup, but it’s a good starting place. Heat the chocolate by whichever method you prefer (double boiler or microwave).

*I found it easiest to use a ¼ teaspoon measuring spoon (or other small spoon) to spread the melted chocolate on the bottoms of the cookies. Be generous with the chocolate. Place the cookies, chocolate side down, on the wax paper covered sheet. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes, or until chocolate is hard.

Finally! Remelt the remaining chocolate and place in pastry bag (or ziploc with the end cut off), then pipe lines or squiggles across the tops of each cookie. It would also work to just spatter melted chocolate over the tops, using a fork, for a more abstract look. I will try this next time. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes, or until chocolate has hardened.

*Makes around 2 dozen cookies, depending on the size you make them. Store for up to 5 days in a covered container in the refrigerator, or freeze for longer storage.

Done.

I hope you like love!