When I was in college, I loved to take a trip to my local Kroger in the spring because I knew I would find a local Girl Scout troop selling boxes of their famous cookies. My personal favorites were Do-si-dos, Trefoils and you guesed it… Samoas. It’s been years since I’ve been in the US during cookie season, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still look forward to raiding my parents pantry when I visit, hoping to find a box stashed in the back. A few weeks ago on a trip to my local Walmart, I took a shortcut through the cookie aisle. Yes, I promise it was an actual shortcut and not an excuse to browse the cookie aisle. I wasn’t really looking, but I saw a box of store-brand cookies that looked a little too familiar. Yes, Walmart had store-brand Samoas. Of course, they made it into my cart and SCORE! They were a perfect dupe.
To tell you the truth, I made another trip a week later and again found myself on the cookie aisle and another box landed in my cart. But, I knew my wallet and my health really didn’t need to be adding cookies to my shopping list week after week, so I headed into the kitchen. The combination of the coconut, chocolate and caramel in the originals are pure perfection. It’s no wonder the internet and yes, even grocery stores, are full of their own versions of the beloved cookies.
If you have an insatiable sweet tooth like me and want to feel a little better about your snack choices, take a few minutes to mix these up. My first love is baking, so I’ve got high standards for any recipe that doesn’t include flour, butter, or refined sugar. But, these check all the boxes of what I’m looking for in a sweet treat and most of the ingredients I already have on hand. Although the recipe says these will keep 4 days in an airtight container, in my house they dispear in less than 2.
To make these Samoa Bars, you will need…
Samoa Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil unrefined, virgin
- 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut plus extra for sprinkling on top
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus extra for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
- In a medium size bowl, combine almond flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together to remove any lumps.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and sugar. The oil and sugar will separate. That is okay. Whisk in the egg and vanilla to the coconut oil and sugar mixture to thoroughly combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until there are no more dry spots in the dough. The mixtue will be slightly crumbly, but hold together if pressed.
- Fold in the coconut and chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.
- Press the mixture into a lightly greased 8×8 baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle the top with the extra coconut and chocolate chips.
- Bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes until the top is just beginning to brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool at least 20 minutes before cutting. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months.
Notes
- For a vegan variation, a flax egg can be substituted for the egg
- If you do not have oat flour on hand, no worries! Add some quick-cooking oats to your blender or food processor and blend into the texture of flour. Just be sure to measure your oat flour after blending, not before!