These dreamy cookie bars are a healthier spin on my favorite Girl Scout cookies from childhood. An easy shortbread crust topped with a caramel coconut layer, and drizzled all over with melted dark chocolate. These chewy sweet Samoa Cookie Bars are gluten free, dairy free, paleo, and vegan.
Weren’t Samoa cookies your absolute favorite cookies as a kid? Because they absolutely were mine – I LIVED for them!
And, so, I never even attempted to make a paleo version – how could I mess with perfection? The buttery cookies, gooey sweet caramel, coconut (always LOVED coconut!) and chocolate. I’m dead right now just thinking about them. Sweet, sweet, perfection.
But something happened recently that made me FINALLY create this cookie bars version of my all time favorite cookie. Maybe I finally got to stage 5 in the grieving process – acceptance. Or, perhaps I’m acting out stage 3 – bargaining – no one can really be sure.
Either way, I decided that NOW is the perfect time to create a paleo version of the Samoa cookie, except not in cookie form – in bar form!
So, it’s a copycat, but still different enough that taking a bite doesn’t set me back in my Samoa cookie grieving process, if that makes sense. Of course it makes sense – you guys get me!
So here’s the scoop on these chewy gooey cookie bars. The crust is a simple paleo + vegan shortbread crust using just 4 ingredients. Simplicity is always a good thing, especially when you’re dealing with layered bars.
The second layer is a combination of homemade caramel sauce (made with coconut sugar and coconut milk) and toasted coconut flakes. Trust me – these steps might take a little bit of time BUT it’s all super easy.
I decided to save a little bit of the toasted coconut to sprinkle over the caramel layer. Coconut is just the best – especially when chocolate is involved! At that point, the bars (uncut) are chilled to set for about an hour.
After they set, it’s time to drizzle lots of melted chocolate over the top! I used Hu Kitchen Gems (paleo and vegan friendly) for this, but you can easily use any dark chocolate you like/have on hand.
I decided not to dip the bottom in chocolate, however if you MUST do this, I’ll totally approve of it. Simply cut the bars into squares, and melt a bit more dark chocolate to dip the bars in individually.
And then, you’ll officially have it all! The “buttery” shortbread crust, gooey sweet caramel, toasted coconut, and chocolate – all together in each bite! Go grab your ingredients and get ready for magic, because it’s time to make these paleo + vegan Samoa cookie bars – let’s go!
Samoa Cookie Bars {Paleo, Vegan}
Samoa Cookie Bars {Paleo, Vegan}
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil refined, melted
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Caramel:
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- large Pinch fine grain sea salt
Remaining Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups coconut flakes divided
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips or Hu Kitchen Gems
Instructions
For the Crust:
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Begin by preparing the crust. Stir together all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Chill the dough for 30 minutes while you prepare the caramel.
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While the caramel cools, preheat your oven to 350° Line an 8 x 8” baking pan with parchment paper on the bottom and an inch up the sides. Press the chilled dough into the bottom of the lined baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until set and just beginning to turn light brown. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool.
For the Caramel:
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Combine the coconut milk and coconut sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk, bringing to a boil. Once boiling, continue to stir occasionally and cook over med heat for about 15 minutes (it should be bubbling but not overflowinuntil the mixture is reduced, thickened and a deep caramel color. Make sure you continue to whisk while cooking to avoid burning.
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Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Set aside to cool a bit until ready to use. You can also make the caramel ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Assemble the Bars:
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Optional step: toast the coconut. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add all the coconut flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally to avoid burning, until beginning to turn light brown (2-3 minutes) then immdiately transfer to a bowl to avoid burning.
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After the caramel has partially cooled, stir in 1 cup of the coconut flakes. Spread this mixture all over the cooled crust. Sprinkle the remaining coconut over the top, cover, and chill for an hour in the refrigerator to set.
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Once set, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe dish in 20-second increments, stirring in between. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the chilled bars (before cuttinAllow the chocolate to harden, then cut into 12-16 squares to serve. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Want More Paleo + Vegan Cookies and Bars? Try One of These!
Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies
Best Paleo + Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Double Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies
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Truly my favorite Girl Scout cookie in bar form! These look to die for!
Made these today as directed….AMAZING!!! Thanks for another great recipe.
These look great can’t wait to try them! What would you recommend substituting for almond flour for someone with a nut allergy?
Does your caramel turn out the consistence of caramel in the Girl Scout cookies? (or a Snicker’s bar?) I made these for a group meeting at my house last week, and they were delicious, but definitely not finger food, as the caramel (although I cooked it significantly longer than the 15 minutes in the directions, it was still very moist. I served them with a fork. I’d love to make them again, but wondered if there were a trick to getting the caramel stickier instead of “gloopy”. I also have a “stupid question” – how do you get the chocolate to drizzle so smoothly?
I had the same problem with the caramel. I added about 2 teaspoons of arrowroot to thicken it, which seemed to do the trick! Otherwise, I loved these!!
The caramel doesn’t get super thick alone BUT mixing in the coconut made mine very thick and “finger food” like. You might want to try adding a tsp or two of thickener if you want it thicker next time. Additionally, sometimes stovetops are different and the timing can be off. The caramel will also thicken a lot when chilled.
These were delicious. I think next time I try them I will uses a 9×9 pan for a thinner cookie base and a thinner layer or caramel. My caramel also was a little boozy so I’ll also try the thickener.
What can you substitute for the almond flour?
These were delicious. I think next time I try them I will uses a 9×9 pan for a thinner cookie base and a thinner layer or caramel. My caramel also was a little boozy so I’ll also try the thickener.
Alkismet wouldn’t let me leave the comment above because it sounded like a duplicate. Just letting you know…
Oozy, not boozy…
I have yet to serve these yet, but I know they’ll be a hit! I used tigernut flour instead of almond flour since my son has a nut allergy. Worked out great!
So I found you have to cook the caramel sauce to the consistency you want it to be. The estimate of cooking for 15 min is only an estimate bc it depends on many factors ie. Altitude you are at, moisture in the air, quality of ingredients, your stove, your cookware. If you cook it to the consistency you want (in my case I cooked it for 35 min at med low heat) it will be perfect.
Samoas are my weakness and the fact that you turned them into paleo bars blows my mind and makes me SO excited!
LOVED these and am excited to bring them to a Christmas this year. I had to cook my caramel for about 30 minutes due to altitude but that was the only sub I made. These are so good and my non-paleo family loved them.
Is the nutritional information for the whole amount or per slice/bar
A Yummy Treat!! These are very good. Personally I have never liked shredded coconut, but this Samoa is so good! I imagine if you love Samoa cookies, you will love this paleo version. The crust is so good! Do you use this specific crust in any other recipes you have posted? I did let the caramel cook longer then 15 mins and added about a teaspoon of tapioca starch to the caramel.
Tim Hortons has introduced new Dream Cookies: Oreo Double Stuf and Caramilk, along with Caramilk and Wildberry Cheesecake Filled Ring Dream Donuts. The Oreo Double Stuf Dream Cookie is overly sweet, while the Caramilk Dream Cookie offers a delightful chocolate and caramel combo.