Shortcut Samoa Cookie Bars
Chocolate chips, salted caramel, sweetened coconut, and a decadent Oreo crust combine to make the ultimate shortcut Samoa cookie bars. Whether you know them as Samoas or Caramel Delites, you’ll be thrilled with this easy at-home version of the Girl Scout classic.
I’m going to tell you straight up that if you’re hoping to drop a few pounds, you might want to schedule that effort to start a day or two after you make these bar cookies.
If you’re looking for a healthy dessert, something with lots of protein and no refined sugar, this week’s previous post has your name all over it. If, on the other hand, you love Girl Scout Samoas so much that you lose all self-control around them and hardly even care, just stay right here.
I mean, anything that begins with chocolate and caramel is off on the right foot, clearly.
Bake it all together with some cookie crust and sweetened coconut, and there’s no holding me back.
Being the die-hard Samoa lover that I am, I’ve wanted to make an at-home version for quite some time, but the versions I’ve seen in the past were … fussy. Don’t get me wrong, if I had 48 hours in the day I probably wouldn’t mind cutting out delicate circles and dipping cookie bottoms in chocolate. In fact, I find such activities a bit zen. But I only have 24 hours, and sometimes it feels more like .24 hours, at least of discretionary time.
Therefore, a shortcut Samoa cookie bar is right up my alley. The method here could hardly be simpler. Crushed Oreo crust. Crunchy cereal to keep the texture from being too much of a gooey mess. Sprinkle layers of coconut, chocolate chips, and an easy improvised salted caramel sauce. That’s it!
The only problem with these, and it’s not insignificant, is that my husband does not like flaked coconut, under any circumstances. He even tried these bars for me, just to be sure he hadn’t changed his mind after all these years, and negative. The texture is just a no-go for him. (Sort of like soft cheese for me.)
So you can guess the result. Needless to say, I ought to be skipping dessert for, um, a while, to offset having eaten what felt like my body weight in these bars.
Honestly, though, it was worth it!
[clickToTweet tweet=”Calling all Samoas lovers: this at-home shortcut version w/ Oreo crust will knock your socks off!” quote=”Calling all Samoas lovers: this at-home shortcut version w/ Oreo crust will knock your socks off!”]
p.s. If you’re looking for more chocolate-caramel goodness, don’t miss these salted caramel-stuffed chocolate chip cookies! Then again, these classic thick, chewy chocolate chip cookies hold their own pretty well, even without the caramel. So many choices.
Shortcut Samoa Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 15 Oreo cookies
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 2 oz., 57 grams) unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup corn flakes
- 1 1/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- (about 2 dozen) soft candy caramels
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Line a 9x9” baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside.
- Crush the Oreos into fine crumbs, either using a food processor or by enclosing them tightly in a zip-top plastic bag and crushing with a rolling pin. Add the melted butter and stir to combine well. Spread the Oreo mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan and press firmly into a crust using a spatula or flat-bottomed cup.
- Lightly crush the corn flakes in your fist, then sprinkle evenly across the crust, followed by the coconut flakes and chocolate chips.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the caramels and heavy cream. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each one, until the caramels are melted and the mixture can be stirred into a smooth sauce. (You could also melt them together on the stovetop, of course.) Stir in the sea salt, then drizzle the caramel sauce evenly over the bars.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the caramel is bubbling vigorously. Allow pan to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing and serving. Store at room temperature or in the fridge for up to a week. (Ha!)
Nutrition Estimate
Adapted from Averie Cooks
I’ve never heard of these under either name but oh my goodness my mouth is watering, I think I’d love these. My husband is the same as yours though, he doesn’t mind coconut milk / flavours but he hates the texture of fresh or dessicated coconut!
Same!! I can usually persuade him to try curries and things made with coconut milk, and frankly if he doesn’t know to be suspicious of it he’s usually OK with it in that context. It’s really the texture that just makes his spine tingle!
Oh wow, how easy! I’ve made copycat Samoa cookies before and they were so complicated!
OMG. I was drooling looking at the photos. Samoas are my favorite, and this recipe needs to be tried for sure!
This is the stuff of my dreams! This combination of sweets is a terrific treat for sure. Somehow when I’m trying to diet, I bake more sweets because I know I can’t eat them. Weird I know! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Samoas are my absolute, bar-none, favorite Girl Scout Cookie. Putting those flavors in bar form is nothing short of genius — though knowing my lack of will power, I should consider your recipe a declaration of war on my thighs.