Healthy Homemade "Samoa" Cookies (Honey Coconut Macaroon Cookies)
These flourless cookies taste like Samoa Girl Scout cookies (also called Caramel deLites) with their flavors of toasted coconut, sweet buttery caramel, and melted chocolate both underneath and drizzled on top. Chewy, delicious, and perfect for satisfying those Samoa cravings all year round – not just during Girl Scout cookie season! Leftover cookies will keep for at least 5 days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (100g) shredded unsweetened coconut (see Notes!)
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (60mL) honey
- ¼ cup (56g) roughly chopped dark chocolate (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Add the coconut to a blender or food processor, and pulse a few times until the longest and largest strands are ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until it just barely starts to turn frothy. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. Thoroughly stir in the honey. Stir in the coconut until thoroughly and evenly coated.
- Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop rounded mounds of the coconut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. (See Notes!) After forming all of the cookies with the cookie scoop, dip your fingers into water (to help prevent the coconut mixture from sticking to your skin), and gently reshape each mound into a more evenly rounded hemisphere.
- Bake at 325°F for 27-30 minutes, or until the tops are firm and a dark golden color. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Place the dark chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir for 1 minute. Continue to heat for 10-second intervals, stirring for 1 minute between each, until the chocolate has completely melted. (I highly recommend keeping it warm while you dip your cookies. See Notes below!)
- Working with one cookie at a time, carefully dip it in the melted chocolate, and let the excess drip off by very gently shaking it above the bowl. Place the dipped cookie back onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining melted chocolate and cookies.
- Once all cookies have been coated, transfer the remaining melted chocolate to a zip-topped bag. Cut off a tiny piece from one corner, and drizzle the chocolate over the tops of the cookies. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes (or the freezer for 5-10 minutes) or until the chocolate has hardened.
Notes
IMPORTANT COCONUT NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Shredded coconut is small and thin. It has a little more moisture than desiccated coconut. I really like the shredded unsweetened coconut from Bob’s Red Mill, Let’s Do…Organic, and O Organics.
Pulsing the coconut in a blender or food processor prior to using it in this recipe helps the macaroons hold together better, and it also gives them a better texture.
Shredded coconut is not the same thing as flaked coconut or coconut flakes! Flaked coconut (aka coconut flakes) is thicker and stiffer. If you can only find unsweetened flaked coconut, then blitz it in a food processor or blender until it’s ⅛ of its original size (so it’s closer in thickness and size to the blitzed shredded coconut). Your cookies won’t have quite the same texture, but they’ll be closer — and the mixture will be much easier to work with!
I haven’t had a chance to try substituting unsweetened desiccated coconut. If you do try this, would you leave me a comment underneath this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turns out!
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – SHREDDED COCONUT: If possible, measure the coconut by weight for the best results — not volume! (Not all brands of shredded coconut are the same weight per tablespoon.) This is the kitchen scale that I use!
COOKIE SCOOP NOTES: Although the one I own doesn’t seem to be sold in stores anymore, this cookie scoop is the same size and really similar! You should need about 1 scant scoop per cookie. I like to firmly press the coconut mixture into the cookie scoop with a mini spatula before dropping it onto the baking sheet. (The back of a spoon would also work.) I’ve found this helps the mixture hold together better!
HONEY NOTE: I haven’t had a chance to try substituting other sweeteners, so I don’t know how using any others will turn out. (Pure maple syrup and agave are on my list though!) Once I do, I’ll update this note accordingly.
DARK CHOCOLATE NOTE: For the best results, use high quality bars of dark chocolate – not chocolate chips! They melt better and have a smoother consistency. (Many brands of chocolate chips include stabilizers, which prevent them from melting as thinly and evenly as bars of chocolate.) I really like Ghirardelli and Lindt. (See my blog post above for more information about the best chocolate for these cookies’ chocolate coating!)
HOW TO KEEP MELTED CHOCOLATE WARM WHILE DIPPING COOKIES: To keep your bowl of melted chocolate warm, {a} turn on an electric pancake griddle or a metal panini press (I don’t have the former, so the latter is what I use; mine is no longer sold in stores, but this panini press is very similar to mine!) and {b} place a washcloth that’s been folded in half in between the bottom of your bowl and the electric griddle or metal top of the panini press. If you use this set-up, your bowl of chocolate should stay warm and at the same consistent temperature, which makes dipping your cookies so much easier. (They’ll also look prettier! If you let the bowl of chocolate sit on your counter and periodically reheat it, the finished chocolate coating will often look speckled.)
GLUTEN-FREE + DAIRY-FREE OPTION: No modifications necessary!
EGG-FREE OPTION: I haven’t had a chance to test an eggless version, so I’m not sure the best way to substitute the egg to make these vegan just yet. As soon as I do, I’ll update this recipe note!
DOUBLING THE RECIPE: This recipe can easily be doubled!
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container. If stored like this, they’ll keep for at least 5 days at room temperature or at least 8 days if stored in the refrigerator.
{gluten-free, dairy-free, clean eating, paleo}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.