Samoan Cookies
Samoa-Style Drop Cookies
Makes about 22
The caramel-coconut-dark-chocolate trio of the beloved Girl Scout cookie, rebuilt as a chewy drop cookie: toasted crushed coconut chips, salted caramel chips, dark chocolate, and a dough made dense and milky with dulce de leche.
Ingredients
House rule: amounts always stay in kitchen fractions, even scaled. Round eggs to the nearest whole in practice.
Method
- 1
Toast and crush the coconut chips
Toast 1 cup coconut chips on a dry sheet pan at 325°F for 4–6 minutes, stirring once, until golden and fragrant — chips are thin and burn fast. Cool, then crush lightly by hand into bite-size bits.
5:00 - 2
Brown half the butter
Brown half the butter over medium heat, about 3 minutes, until deep golden and nutty. Scrape into a bowl and cool to room temperature (soft is fine).
3:00 - 3
Whisk the dry ingredients
Whisk 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 2 Tbsp buttermilk powder, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- 4
Cream the butter and sugars
Beat the remaining softened butter with 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cooled browned butter and beat until combined.
2:00 - 5
Add the dulce and wet ingredients
Beat in 3 Tbsp dulce de leche, the egg, yolk, and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
- 6
Combine the dough
Add the dry mixture and mix on low just until a soft dough forms.
- 7
Fold in the Samoa trio
Fold in the toasted coconut, 3/4 cup caramel chips, and 3/4 cup chocolate.
- 8
Chill the dough
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour — the browned butter and dulce make a soft dough.
60:00 - 9
Scoop and bake
Scoop 2-Tbsp balls, 2 inches apart. Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centers still look soft. If any caramel pools at the edges, nudge it back in with a spatula while hot.
11:00 - 10
Cool
Rest on the pan 5 minutes, then cool on a rack.
5:00
Notes
Dulce de leche leans the cookie more caramel (and reads slightly less sweet, since caramelization adds complexity); sweetened condensed milk keeps it milkier and milder — swap one-for-one. Toast first, crush after. If the dough is sticky after chilling, work in 1–2 Tbsp more flour. Jarred dulce keeps refrigerated for weeks; opened condensed milk about 2 weeks in a sealed jar. Store cookies airtight 3–4 days; dough freezes 2–3 months.