Girl Scout Samoa Cookie Bars

Gluten Free Samoa Cookie Bars

So the Girl Scouts are at it again.  Scattered around the neighborhood you’ll find them peddling all those classic cookies that you can’t have because you're on a gluten free diet.

One of my all-time faves is their Samoa cookies otherwise known as Caramel Delights.

Yes there are other copycat versions out there.  But my version is super easy since instead of trying to duplicate the look of the original, I opted to save work and capture the flavor in a much easier cookie bar.

Just wait until you see how simple these are.

Samoa Cookie Bars - Girl Scout Inspired

Prep time: 15 min

Bake Time: 25-27 min (total of both steps)

Servings: 30

Ingredients

• 8 oz sweetened flaked coconut, toasted (divided 2/3 & 1/3 the batch)
• (1) 13.4 oz can of dulce de leche (I used Nestle brand)
• (1) 15oz pkg. sugar cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker gluten free sugar cookie mix)
• ½ cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5 oz mini chocolate chips (divided 3 oz & 2 oz)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (or 175ºC) and line a 9x12 in pan with parchment overhanging the 2 long edges and sprayed with non-stick spray.
2. To toast the coconut, in a large dry skillet over a medium add the coconut and stir constantly until it’s a deep golden color with a few browned bits then remove from the heat and divide into 2/3 and 1/3.
3. In a large bowl mix two thirds of the toasted coconut with the entire can of dulce de leche until you have a homogenous paste and set aside.
4. Prepare the cookie mix according to the package instructions using ½ cup of butter, 1 egg and 1 tsp of vanilla. Once you have a crumbly dough, stir in 3 oz of mini chocolate chips and press the dough evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan then bake the bottom layer for 20-22 minutes or until light golden brown.
5. Once the cookie layer is finished spoon small dollops of the coconut mixture over the entire surface then use a small offset spatula to carefully spread it out until you have complete edge to edge coverage then sprinkle on the remaining toasted coconut and shake the pan for even distribution then bake for an additional 5 minutes.
6. When the cookie bars come out of the oven, allow them to cool then melt the 2 oz of chocolate with about a tablespoon of coconut oil and mix until smooth.
7. Load the chocolate into a Ziploc bag and snip off a tiny corner then drizzle the chocolate over the surface of the bars.
8. Refrigerate to set the chocolate then cut into desired sizes and serve.