4.81 478 Published Mar 11, 2021, Updated Sep 18, 2024 Thin Mints are a close second over here. If you’re on team Thin Mint, I highly recommend you check out my recipe for healthier Thin Mints too! I actually already have a recipe for Samoas energy bites, but this version is a bit more simple in terms of the ingredients (just 4) and looks almost exactly like the real deal. The idea for these babies was actually inspired by Meaghan of Plant & Simple Eats. She brought similar cookies to an Instagram meet up we had awhile back and I knew I wanted to make my own version! These Samoas couldn’t be easier to make so instead of having to wait for Girl Scout cookie season every year, you can make these year round. YES!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY SAMOAS:
Healthier Homemade Samoas
Traditional Samoas, as much as we love them, are highly processed and made with lots of saturated fats and artificial flavoring. We’re skipping all of those extra ingredients like white sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk and making them with just medjool dates, toasted coconut and chocolate chips. I recommend using Lily’s chocolate chips or Hu Kitchen gems for less sugar! These Samoas aren’t necessarily low calorie or low sugar, but they are made with natural ingredients including natural sugar from the dates and without preservatives. A big win in my book! The medjool dates add such a nice caramel flavor and these Samoas legit taste like the real deal! Some have even said they taste better than the real deal. Shh…. don’t tell the Girl Scouts.
Ingredients Needed
How to Make 4-Ingredient Samoas
Here’s how to make these easy samoas! Toast coconut – Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Spread the shredded coconut onto a baking sheet for toasting. Place in oven for 3-5 minutes, until coconut is a light golden brown color. Warning! Keep any eye on the coconut: Make sure to stay in the kitchen watch the coconut, as it can easily go from toasted to burnt. Alternately, you can toast the coconut in a pan on the stove-top. Process – Add dates and toasted coconut into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until mixture is combined and starts to form a ball of dough. Form cookies – Remove from the food processor, roll 1 Tablespoon size pieces of dough into a ball and then shape into a round cookie. Using a straw or chopstick punch a hole in the middle of the dough. Move the straw or chopstick around a bit to make the hole wider, if needed. At this point you’ll likely need to reshape the cookie a bit. Chill – Place all cookies on a sheet lined with parchment and transfer to the freezer to harden up a bit. Melt chocolate – While cookies are in the freezer, add chocolate and coconut oil to a shallow microwave-safe bowl and melt in 20-30 second increments until the chocolate is melted enough to drizzle. Coat – Grab cookies from the freezer and dip each one in the chocolate to coat the bottom. Place cookies on the parchment and use remaining chocolate to drizzle over top the cookies. Freeze – Transfer cookies back into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to let the chocolate harden. Once they’ve hardened you’ll be able to easily remove the cookies from the parchment paper. Enjoy – If you want to enjoy them right away, let them sit out on the counter for a few minutes.
What to Do If Your Dates Are Dry
Fresh Medjool dates are usually soft and give easily when squished. If your dates are older or just seem dry and hard, you may want to soak them before using. Simply place them in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften and rehydrate them. Drain well and pat dry before using.
How to Store Samoas
If you want to enjoy right away, let your Samoas sit out on the counter for a few minutes. For enjoying later, store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months… but I bet they’ll be gone before then Ha!
More Girl Scout Inspired Treats to Try:
Tagalongs Thin Mints Do-Si-Dos Samoa Energy Balls Thin Mint Protein Balls Samoa Baked Oatmeal Date Caramel Apple Slices
More Healthy Treats to Try:
Snickers Stuffed Dates Healthy Peanut Butter Cups Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites No Bake Almond Cookies Healthier Butterfingers No Bake Cookies Vegan Rice Krispie Treats
Be sure to check out all of my healthy snack recipes here on EBF.
