This samoa cookies brownies recipe with coconut caramel are full of fudgy flavour! They are also vegan, no bake and totally gluten free.
Christmas may be over, but I am not ready to stop with the chocolatey desserts quite yet. Especially ones that are no bake, easy to whip up, and taste like literal heaven in my mouth.
Well let me tell you, folks. These super FUDGY samoa brownies are nothing short of amazing. They can be made gluten free and vegan, or not. Either way, they’re insanely good. I admittedly ate like 5 of them in the course of two days, and I ain’t mad about it.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
If you’ve ever been a girl scout, you know the iconic samoa cookies well and you don’t need me to tell you how good they are. So to pay homage to these timeless cookies, we are putting our own spin on things and blessing you with this samoa cookies brownie recipe.
This recipe for samoa cookies brownies combine caramel, coconut and chocolate flavours to make one EPIC treat. It really is such an awesome combination I can’t help but let it inspire other desserts. I used this as inspiration in my book, the Mindful Glow cookbook, to make the most amazing gluten free donuts (you need that recipe NOW), and these samoa brownies are equally divine.
Key Ingredients
Caramel – to make a homemade caramel that will seriously blow your socks off, we combine dates and coconut with a hint of maple syrup. I promise it will be hard to NOT like the spoon.
Brownie Base – The key to making the most FUDGY samoa cookies brownies of LIFE is that there’s very little starch in there. It’s mainly just cocoa powder for chocolate flavour, dates to sweeten, and some almond flour to bind.
Topping – we top off these samoa cookies brownies with a bit of chocolate drizzle and left over toasted coconut.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a food processor, puree the dates until they reach a thick paste.
Step 2: Add in the almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut oil, salt, and vanilla.
Step 3: Add mixture to a parchment lined baking dish and refrigerate.
Step 4: Heat the dates and coconut milk in a small sauce pot over medium heat. Cook for 4 minutes or until the dates soften, then transfer to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Add the maple and salt and puree again until incorporated.
Step 5: Transfer back to the sauce pot and cook over medium low heat for 4 minutes until bubbling and thick. Add all but 2 tbsp of the toasted coconut to the date caramel.
Step 6: Spread mixture on top of the cooled refrigerated brownies. Top with the remaining toasted coconut.
Step 7: Melt the remaining ½ oz of chocolate for 30 seconds in the microwave on 50% heat until fully melted. Transfer to a piping bag and drizzle the brownies.
Step 8: Top with remaining shredded coconut and cut into squares.
Expert Tips
To make a super rich and creamy caramel, I highly recommend using full fat coconut milk instead of the “lite” version. After all, this is a dessert recipe, so if we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna do it right.
To make these samoa cookies brownies vegan, we use maple syrup and vegan chocolate. But if you don’t have these on hand you can use agave, honey (if you don’t need to make them vegan) or regular non-vegan chocolate chips.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! They can be made ahead, frozen and then thawed out and served. I recommend making sure you let them come completely to room temperature before serving, since the chocolate will harden and they will lose their fudge factor if they’re served just a tad too cold.
If you can’t find almond flour at the store, you can make homemade gluten free oat flour at home by pulsing up gluten free oats in the food processor until fine.
If you don’t need to make these vegan, you can certainly use honey. Otherwise, a vegan sweetener alternative like agave also works.
These brownies stay fresh for up to 4 days in the fridge in an air tight container.
Oh yes 100%! My son absolutely loves them. They are also allergy friendly and pack on some nutrition like protein and fibre.
More Recipes You Might Like
If you enjoyed this samoa cookies brownie recipe, here are some of my favourite no bake snack recipes on the blog!
- BEST No Bake Brownies (Vegan & Gluten Free)
- Healthy No Bake Granola Bars
- No Bake Cheerios Bars
- Peanut Butter Blondies with Caramel Popcorn
- Vegan Key Lime Pie
- No Bake Nutella Cheesecake Cups
What are some of your favourite no bake recipes these days?
Samoa Brownies (Vegan + Gluten free)
Ingredients
- 3 cups soft dates pitted and diced
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract artificial for passover
Topping:
- 1 cup chopped pitted dates
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- Pinch sea salt
- 200 gram pack of coconut toasted about 1 ¾ cup
- 1/2 oz dairy free vegan dark chocolate chopped
Instructions
- Line an 9×9″ baking dish with 2 overlapping pieces of parchment, leaving overhang like wings.
- In a food processor, puree the dates until they reach a thick paste. Add in the almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut oil, salt, and vanilla. Refrigerate.
- Meanwhile, heat the dates and coconut milk in a small sauce pot over medium heat. Cook for 4 minutes or until the dates soften, then transfer to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Add the maple and salt and puree again until incorporated.
- Transfer back to the sauce pot and cook over medium low heat for 4 minutes until bubbling and thick.
- Add all but 2 tbsp of the toasted coconut to the date caramel and spread on top of the cooled refrigerated brownies. Top with the remaining toasted coconut. Place in the fridge to fully set up for at least an hour. Before serving cut into 16 bars.
- Melt the remaining ½ oz of chocolate for 30 seconds in the microwave on 50% heat until fully melted. Transfer to a piping bag and drizzle the brownies.
- Store in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Have you tried making these samoa cookies brownies? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Sarah K. says
This topping was delicious! I did a pantry clean-out to make this recipe, so my dates were a little on the older-side (although I soaked them in warm water before dicing) and I used coconut flour instead of almond flour (maybe I should I used less than 1 cup?). The flavor was great, but my texture was crumbly not fudgy. Will probably try this recipe again without the modifications!
Samantha says
I left the batter in the oven for double the amount specified and it’s still liquid. I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure why this happened?
Abbey Sharp says
VERY strange. I’ve made these MANY times and it always is great. Did you use matzo meal or cornstarch? I wonder if your flax/chia egg didnt perfectly set yet. It is definitely a very moist fudgy brownie- it’s not a cake like consistency but should be cuttable.
Natalie says
Wow these brownies look incredible. I love that caramel topping. This looks so good I have to make it this weekend. What can I use instead cornstarch?
Abbey Sharp says
Potato starch or tapioca starch works!
Kalee says
These look absolutely amazing! Samoas are always my favorite, and I love the idea of mixing them into a brownie recipe! Yum!
Abbey Sharp says
Amazing!
Emily @Sinful Nutrition says
If it has fudgy in the name, you have my attention. These looks absolutely delicious!
Abbey Sharp says
Aw yeah!
Nicole @ Fitful Focus says
Stop it! These look incredible! I can’t believe they’re gluten free and safe for Passover. Pinning!
Abbey Sharp says
They’re a winner!
Deborah Brooks says
Fantastic! I am still looking for some Passover dessert ideas. This is great!
Abbey Sharp says
Amazing! Enjoy