5-Ingredient No-Bake Samoa Cookies [Vegan, GF, Paleo]

A no-bake take on the classic Girl Scout cookies, made with dates, toasted coconut, and dark chocolate! These easy homemade coconut caramel cookies are vegan, gluten-free, grain-free and only take about 20 minutes to make!

Today we’re making homemade SAMOAS, aka the chocolate-dipped coconut caramel Girl Scout cookie that people legit go bonkers for.

But, we’re switching it up a little and going the no-bake route, so these cookie are made with minimal ingredients in very little time at all!

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty underwhelmed by Girl Scout cookies, since they’re hard, dry, preservative-filled cookies that (in my humble tastebuds’ opinions) aren’t really that flavorful…BUT I know those are fighting words to the die-hard GSC lovers of the world, so I’m not here to judge you if you love them, just to offer you an easy, healthy, real-ingredient alternative, in case you’re as obsessed with the flavor combination of coconut and caramel as I am but aren’t remotely interested in spending $5 on a box of them.

Let’s make these little donut-shaped cookies of joy, shall we?

All you need to make it happen is 5 simple ingredients:

Dates. Preferably Medjool, since they’re extra plump and juicy. I like to buy the ones with the pit still in, since they tend to stay fresh longer. For tip: store dates in the fridge (or even the freezer!) to help them last longer. Unlike most other dried fruits, dates actually spoil pretty quickly at room temperature, but will keep for months when stored in the cold.

Shredded Coconut. Unsweetened, straight up coconut. We’re going to toast it to add extra flavor and a little bit of crunch!

Dark Chocolate. I used chips, but a bar of your favorite dark chocolate works, too! We’re just going to melt it up to dunk each cookie’s bottom and drizzle a little over the top, too. The chocolate gives these cookies a nice snap when you bite into them, and it’s much easier than you’d think to get these cookies looking like the originals with a quick drizzle of chocolate on top!

Sea Salt + Vanilla. These two extra ingredients help balance out the sweetness of the dates and add a more complex flavor profile to these otherwise very basic cookies. Don’t skip them!

Here’s what we’re going to do: toast the coconut in a skillet on the stove, pop the dates in the blender, pulse them with the coconut, vanilla and salt, then scoop into little round cookies. Press a hole in the center with the handle of a wooden spoon (not really necessary, but it gives them that traditional Samoa look!), then pop them in the freezer to firm up while we melt some chocolate. Each cookie gets a quick dip, then a drizzle of chocolate on top, and we’re ready to eat!

Whether you’re a Girl Scout Cookie lover or not, you are going to LOVE having a batch of these simple, healthy little cookies waiting for you in the fridge for snacking! We’ve been loving them as an afternoon snack, but I also may have broken up a few of them onto a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast the other day and highly recommend you do the same. I mean, cookies on top of breakfast? It really doesn’t get any better than that.

If you make these 5-Ingredient No-Bake Samoa Cookies, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below letting me know how they turned out, or take a picture of your cookies and share it with me on Instagram so I can see them! Happy no-baking, friends!

5-Ingredient No-Bake Samoa Cookies [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Yields: 12 cookies

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups medjool dates, tightly packed (about 12-15) + hot water, to soak
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Place dates in a bowl and cover with hot tap water, to soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. While dates soak, toast the coconut. Place in a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until coconut begins turning golden brown (about 6-7 minutes). Alternately, you could toast the coconut on a sheet pan at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes.
3. Drain the dates, remove their pits, and place them in a food processor or high-powered blender with the coconut, vanilla, and sea salt. Pulse 8-10 times, or until dates are broken up and a sticky dough has formed. If needed, stop and scrape down the sides to get everything mixed together.
4. Line a large plate or small sheet pan with parchment paper (preferably one that will fit in your freezer/fridge!), and scoop the cookies in to 12 balls using a small cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon. Roll into balls, then flatten into discs about 1/2-inch thick. If you’d like a hole in the middle, use the handle of a skinny wooden spoon or a thick chopstick to poke a hole in the middle. Then, place the pan of cookies into the fridge/freezer to chill while you melt the chocolate.
5. Place the chocolate in a small microwave-safe dish and heat in 20 second increments until melted, stirring in between each session. Alternately, you can also do this in a small pot on the stove over very low heat, or in a double boiler.
6. Remove the pan of cookies from the fridge/freezer and dunk each one in the chocolate, just to coat the bottom. Lift out with a fork and place back on the pan, and use the fork to drizzle the top of each with a little more chocolate. Repeat to dunk/drizzle all 12 cookies. If your chocolate didn’t firm up right away from the cold of the cookies, place the pan back in the fridge/freezer for a few minutes until chocolate is firm. Then, transfer the cookies to a container with a lid and store in the fridge for up to two weeks! These can be eaten at room temperature (and will last about 5 days), but I like their texture best when cold!

Be sure to check out my Pantry Staples page for some of my favorite baking ingredients!

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