Building a Better Samoa

Happiness! It's Girl Scout Cookies season!

And while I don't know any girl scouts, I lucked into finding someone here at Martha Stewart who did—and who was selling cookies on her behalf. Two boxes of Thin Mints, one box of Tagalongs, one box of Do-Si-Dos, and three boxes of Samoas later (some of these were for my husband and sister-in-law, I swear), I was feeling pretty excited ... until I read the ingredient list. Now, granted, I'm not naive about what goes into sweets: sugar, butter, white flour. And in no way do I mean to malign the Girl Scouts, especially given their commitment to eliminating trans fats from their treats, but my heart sunk a little over the use of corn syrup. Not enough for me to forgo my after-dinner Samoa, but enough to get me wondering whether it's possible to homemake Samoas (or Thin Mints or Tagalongs or Do-Si-Dos) with wholesome ingredients that would be tasty enough to even compare to the original.

Any takers?

Tags: cookies, food-and-nutrition

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Comment by Jacob Spencer on April 21, 2010 at 1:39pm: Better! The coconut turned out incredibly moist, even when I chilled them. I assume that because of the high fat content, and cooking out the water, potential for water crystals or dryness was thwarted. I must say, I ate most of them that day. I just couldn't stop - a similar problem I used to have with samoas. The coconut flakes even seemed to have absorbed some of the sweetened liquid, which made it even that much more enticing!

Comment by Sari Lehrer on April 21, 2010 at 1:26pm: That sounds delicious ... like a coconut macaroon! Or no?

Comment by Jacob Spencer on April 21, 2010 at 1:23pm: With a little work, I got the coconut mixture down:

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (small flakes)
¼ cup coconut milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp raw agave nectar
1 tsp sea salt (optional)

Combining the mixture in a bowl, then cooking it in a skillet for 3-5 minutes to thicken it.

I had to stop there, because I didn't have the patience for discovering a gluten-free vegan shortbread base. Instead, I set it in dark chocolate and it was amazing! So rich, I didn't really need the cookie - although it would still be nice! I'm thinking maybe some raw cashews would be a nice texture...

Comment by Sari Lehrer on April 21, 2010 at 12:57pm: Any luck, Jacob?

Comment by Jacob Spencer on March 31, 2010 at 12:13pm: The Samoa needs the right balance of cookie and caramel. If I remember correctly, it's almost a shortbread cookie topped with a ring of caramel, rolled in toasted coconut, finished with dark chocolate. I don't see why not. I'll try it over the weekend and let you know!