This recipe for gluten-free Paleo Girl Scout cookies is based on one from the wonderful cookbook Paleo Indulgences by Tammy Credicott (the book also has a fantastic forward by Robb Wolf). This Paleo cookbook is packed with healthy substitutes for your favorite treats. Tammy has done an amazing job in compiling nutritious, yet mouthwatering recipes that range from all sorts of fun gluten-free baked goods and candies to healthy entrees and vegetable dishes.
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?
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Anni says
Absolutely – Thin Mints!!! Would LOVE to see a recipe!
Britt in Tx says
O man those look good! yummy!!! I just saw the girl scouts yesterday and I was about to go buy these and the thin mints they are both my favorite. But I rather make these and see how they taste but I need to make them fast cause if I see the girl scouts again I will get them Haha lol THANKS ;)
Dawn-Renée says
Does anyone know if Elana uses canned coconut milk in this recipe? I am guessing it’s not sweetened drinking milk from the refridgerated case since there is quite a bit of additional sugar in the chocolate topping.
Sarah says
I had to go gluten free in July and I was dreading buy girl scout cookies for my kids. These are my favorite and I can’t wait to make them. They look amazing. Just found your website love it!
Julie says
The ONLY Girl Scout cookie is the Samoa! Thanks for the recipe. My daughter and I made them last week and they were delicious. They seemed even more yummy the day after we baked them.
Michelle says
These cookies look amazing! I am GF and love the variety of paleo recipes that I can eat!
Courtney says
I was so excited when I saw that this was altered from the paleo indulgences because I wont use coconut sugar or coconut nectar. Producing Coconut sugar prevents the growth of coconuts and therefore no coconut milk, coconut flour, coconut flakes etc. If your interested in some literature over it i provided a link below
.
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/coconut_palm_sugar.htm
Melissa @ glutenfreeforgood says
Yeah, a healthy girl scout cookie!
shari says
Im in the process of making these right now. Thought I woild leave some feedback. 30 minutes was not enough time in the fridge for it to be easy to cut. Maybe freezing in a log and cutting like you woild sugar cookies. They expanded more when baking than I though, so make sure to leave enough room btwn cookies. I baked for 8 minutes till golden on the edges. Let cool 5 min. Transfer to cooling rack. Delicious!
CAROL says
WHERE DO I GET COCONUT MILK, NECTAR AND OIL, ALSO ALMOND FLOUR?