You can have these gluten free vegan Samoa Girl Scout cookies all year long! crunchy gluten free shortbread with sweet coconut caramel and chocolate.
recipe originally published March 7, 2012
Vegan Girl Scout Cookies
I was a Girl Scout.
First, a brownie. I wore the uniform (even though brown and orange are not my best colors), earned badges, sold cookies. Fun stuff.
As a brownie, I looked forward to graduating to a Junior. New uniforms – in green and more choices! I had visions of camping and all the fun adventures we would have. and camping. I really wanted to go camping.
I remember the “graduation ceremony” like it was yesterday. We had to “walk the bridge” from Brownie to Junior status, and… well… ours was a makeshift bridge.
A bridge made from magazines, over a reflective river of aluminum foil.
We rarely went camping. Those few camping trips are still the best scouts memories I have. After participating in events and earned badges for another year as a junior, I became a girl scout dropout.
If I could still earn badges, I’d try to earn all the cooking and baking badges.
My mom would still have to sew them for me – I never did earn a sewing badge.
Sweet Caramel Coconut Cookies
As any good childhood cookie salesman would attest, girl scout cookie season is a glorious time of year.
In recent years, the two bakeries handling the regional demand each year have also begun to answer the alternative diet question. Whether their aim is to fill an allergy demand or a lifestyle, there are more vegan and gluten free choices each year.
However...
My own favorite cookie has yet to surface on the vegan list. OR the gluten free list.
What is a cookie enthusiast to do?
Make their own vegan gluten free girl scout cookies.
These cookies really are easy. Several steps, yes - but easy and oh so worth it.
and you don't have to wait for girl scout cookie season.
More vegan dessert recipes
- Sugared Vanilla Snickerdoodle Bread
- Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Cookies
- Vegan Vanilla Crescent Cookies
- Vegan Caramel Twix Cookie Bars
- Caramelized Almond Rocky Road Bark
- Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Caramel Chocolates
Were you a Scout?
What is your favorite Girl Scout cookie?
Did you make this recipe?
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Vegan Samoa Girl Scout Cookies
You can have these gluten free vegan Samoa Girl Scout cookies all year long! Crunchy gluten free shortbread with sweet coconut caramel and chocolate.
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookie
- ¾ cup dairy free butter
- ¼ cup vegan granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or paste
- 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup dairy free milk, as needed
Caramel Coconut Layer
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup canned coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons dairy free butter
Chocolate Drizzle
- 3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line baking sheets with parchment, set aside.
Shortbread Cookie
- Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla.
- Stir in flour ½ cup at a time. Add salt with one of the rounds of flour.
- Add milk by the tablespoon as necessary.
- Combine until dough forms, do not over mix.
- Knead dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and cool in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- On a floured surface, roll dough to ¼ to ⅓ inch thickness.
- Cut dough into circle shapes (I used a glass about 2 ½ inches diameter). Cut a small circle in the middle of each cookie. Carefully transfer cookie rounds to prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 °F for 10 - 12 minutes, until just golden brown on edges. Cool completely and set aside. Keep oven set to 350 °F.
Caramel Coconut Layer
- Spread coconut in even layer on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 °F for 3 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, and return to oven. Bake for another 3-4 minutes or until toasted, watching closely so the coconut does not burn.
- In saucepan over medium low heat, combine sugar, coconut milk and cornstarch. Stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Add butter, stirring until melted and combined. Let cool.
- Combine toasted coconut and caramel sauce, top each cookie with about a tablespoon.
- Transfer to refrigerator to set.
Chocolate Drizzle
- Once caramel coconut layer is set, melt chopped chocolate in a double boiler.
- Transfer to piping bag (or plastic sandwich baggie) and slice a very small hole at the tip.
- While cookies are still on parchment, drizzle melted chocolate across each cookie.
- Allow chocolate to set before storing.
Notes
Shortbread cookie recipe based on Vegan Caramel Twix Bar recipe.
Store in a covered container for up to 7 days.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 86Total Fat: 8gSodium: 107mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.
about Kristina:
Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food! Read more...
spabettie / Kristina Sloggett is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack! says
These look fantastic! For the longest time Samoa cookies were my favorite, and this recipe looks so easy to make! I'll definitely have to try these out soon. 🙂
Also, I'm sad that you didn't get to go camping! When I was a Brownie and then a Junior, we went on quite a few camping trips. That reminds me.. I should do that again.
spabettie says
very easy, Jackie! and worth the time and steps...
I know, I have not been camping in a few years... each spring + summer Jason and I talk about going, we really need to!
Char @ www.charskitchen.ca says
oohhh yes <3 I've truthfully never had one of the samoas because they never looked super tasty to me. THESE make my mouth water!! This is absolutely a recipe I would make. As for the girl scout cookies, I used to really love the white ones AND the chocolate ones. Can't choose 😀
spabettie says
Char you should definitely try these, and whatever made you think they weren't good? you have control of how much goes in! 😉 (I made a few with less coconut shreds because I'd like them more...)
Roz@weightingfor50 says
Hi Kris, amazing looking recipe. We don't get as many varieties of Girl Scout cookies up here in Canada, there are the vanilla and chocolate cream ones in the summer, and the mint chocolate ones in fall. I was a Brownie when I was little and actually sold boxes of cookies door to door. Fun. Must ask, WHERE did you get those funky little bottles that the milk is in??? I LOVE them!!!!!! Hope you are doing well, all the best.
spabettie says
oh, WOW Roz... sounds like your GS cookies are different than ours? vanilla? chocolate cream? not sure if we have those... and we have a time of year (one time a year!!) where they are all sold, we don't get them year round... which is good AND bad, I suppose? 😉
India-leigh says
I now have a Samoa Cookie crush! I love the way you write...the rhythm is perfect. As for your photography and perfect assimilation and decoration of the cookies....Wow! Is it wrong to fall in love with a picture of a cookie?!
spabettie says
aw, thank you, India-leigh - your sweet comment just made my day! 🙂 and no... it is not wrong. these cookies are pretty dang good 😉 THANK YOU!!
Kristina says
What is vanilla paste?
And is coconut spread the same as coconut oil?
Thanks!
spabettie says
hi Kristina!
vanilla paste is just that… it’s a more solid form of vanilla (actually more like a gel…) I LOVE vanilla so I have all sorts of forms, I brought home some vanilla powder from Mexico in December! if you cannot find it (or don’t want to), vanilla would work just fine.
the coconut spread I use is the Earth Balance brand, which is a blend of several “tropical oils” (coconut and palm fruit), water and sunflower lecithin… the reason I used it is to make the chocolate more “runny” – so regular coconut oil would work fine.
Tara Burner says
Going to have to make these..
and ummmmm I'm a Brownie failure...I got KICKED OUT of Brownies!
something about me being too talkative and too assertive....
oh well....
spabettie says
haa HAAA... oh Tara I love that. just too awesome. 😀
Jessica says
Just saw this on Pinterest and had to check it out. 2 quick questions: what is vanilla paste and when you say coconut spread, do you mean coconut oil (solid)?
I was a girl scout & I'm a leader now for my oldest daughter. 2nd daughter is gluten & casein free and can't enjoy GS cookies at all. Can't wait to make these for her!!! Thanks
spabettie says
hi Jessica! vanilla paste is just that... it's a more solid form of vanilla (actually more like a gel...) I LOVE vanilla so I have all sorts of forms, I brought home some vanilla powder from Mexico in December! if you cannot find it (or don't want to), vanilla would work just fine.
the coconut spread I use is the Earth Balance brand, which is a blend of several "tropical oils" (coconut and palm fruit), water and sunflower lecithin... the reason I used it is to make the chocolate more "runny" - so regular coconut oil would work fine.
I am so happy you will be making these for your daughter - I hope you all enjoy them! 😀
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
Yes! I was a brownie and a girl scout! I loved going camping then. I don't remember the details as much as I just remember loving it (I think that is a sign of my age!). I've made the tagalongs, but not the samoas. I definitely need to try these out. I felt bad telling the girl scout that we couldn't eat the cookies. I want to support them, but I can't waste the money and while I know the boys could eat them, well, I would rather them have homemade versions. I know that sounds so bad...
spabettie says
I know, I feel bad too. um, sometimes I fib and say I already bought some... eep! (I don't say WHEN I bought them... I used to, you know!!) 😉 although the more they hear people want gf df etc versions, maybe they will make some!! 😀
Pure2raw twins says
I will take all of them please! the funny thing is just a few years ago I really started loving samoa cookies, as a kid I was not a fan but now yes 🙂
love your version of them too!! YUM
hugs
~Lori
spabettie says
these were always one of my favorites, although I still love the shortbread too. Mmm. 😀
Ashley F. says
I was a Brownie as well - never made it to the actual Girl Scouts though - I was a drop out too 🙂
Coconut is something that I've only recently started to enjoy, so I'm excited to try these out!
spabettie says
me too - I was never a big coconut fan, and I'm STILL kinda iffy. I love coconut milk, and can do fresh coconut... shredded in small doses. I suppose when you mix it with CARAMEL, it's okay by me! 😉 cheers to a fellow GS drop out!!