This recipe for gluten-free Paleo Girl Scout cookies is based on one from the wonderful cookbook Paleo Indulgences
My favorite part of this gluten-free Paleo Girl Scout cookie recipe? The vegan caramel sauce recipe that Tammy includes in it, which is a true piece of culinary genius. There are dozens of other treats that you’ll want to have at hand as well, so I recommend getting yourself a copy of this delightfully healthy cookbook.
For about a week I was calling these cookies Samoras instead of Samoas. I’m not really sure what got into me as I used to call them by the correct name. If you like cookies with toasted coconut, vegan caramel sauce and dark chocolate, then these are right up your alley, regardless of the name.
Paleo Samoas
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Topping
- 1 cup chocolate chips, 6 ounces
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut nectar
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
Instructions
Cookies
- In a food processor combine dry ingredients
- Pulse in wet ingredients until dough forms
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes
- Roll dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ¼-inch thick
- Use a 2 inch cookie cutter to cut out rounds
- Use a knife to cut holes in center of rounds if desired
- Bake at 350°F for 6-8 minutes
- Cool cookies completely on baking sheet
Topping
- Melt chocolate over very low heat
- Dip base of each cookie into chocolate
- Place on parchment paper to set
- To make caramel, place coconut sugar, coconut nectar and coconut milk in a saucepan
- Bring mixture to a boil, then decrease heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently
- Remove mixture from heat and stir in toasted coconut
- Use a small spoon to drizzle caramel-coconut mixture onto cookies
- Drizzle additional chocolate over cookies and sprinkle with extra coconut if desired
- Place cookies in refrigerator to set, then serve
While the ingredients for these homemade Paleo Girl Scout cookies are based on a recipe from Tammy Credicott’s Paleo Indulgences, much of the method is based on that from the Samoa recipe by David Leite at Leite’s Culinaria. Leite has one of the best cooking sites around. His photography is beautiful and the instructions for his recipes are full of detail, yet at the same time quite simple.
Finally, a bit of Girl Scout cookie trivia –did you know that in 2002 Bruce Willis purchased 12,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies and had them sent to troops in Afghanistan?
What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie recipe? If you could see another gluten-free Girl Scout cookie recipe over here which one would it be?
Katie says
Thin mints please!!!!!!
Chris says
Thin Mints and the plain shortbread (forget the name).
Also, can these be made with stevia instead of the sugar? If so, how?
Veronica says
Thin Mints! Thank you for the Samoas recipe. Those are my favorite.
Megan says
These look delicious!!! If I could try another gluten-free/dairy-free/grain-free paleo Girl Scout cookie, it would most definitely be the shortbread cookies and the thin mints. :-)
Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes!!! Can’t wait to try more!
Megan :-)
Beth Blair says
I miss Tagalongs!!
Lisa says
Thin Mints- try starting with one of Elana’s sugar cookie/shortbread recipes and add some cocoa- start with 1/4 c, and add a few drops of peppermint oil. Roll out thin. Bake on parchment paper.
Let cool and add a ohocolate ganache drizzle. Put a drop of peppermint oil in drizzle too. Add more as you test bake batches.
Look forward to what you come up with because these Samoas sound like breakfast!
Laurie says
There are some grain-free recipes out there for thin mints. If you google it, you’ll find some links. These look great. I made your paleo brownies tonight. So delicious. I had a big one at 9pm, probably why I slept for an hour and am up now.
Stecia says
If we have an almond allergy, what other nut flour would be the best choice to substitute in your recipes? Would hazelnut flour work?
Thank you
TKO says
Samoas!!! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
keely says
Thin Mints! If anyone can pull it off Elana it’s you! I am so thrilled with this recipe, you have no idea. I am both lactose & gluten intolerant. You’ve made my day. :-)