Wellness Mama founder Katie Wells has published a homemade, grain-free take on the Girl Scouts’ coconut-caramel-chocolate cookie commonly known as Samoas, using dates and toasted coconut as key ingredients and finishing the cookies with a dark-chocolate drizzle.
Girl Scout cookies are a seasonal staple in many parts of the United States, and Katie Wells—founder of the Wellness Mama website—writes that it is estimated that more than 200 million boxes are sold each year.
In a recipe post dated January 27, 2026, Wells offers what she describes as a “healthier homemade” version of the coconut-caramel-and-chocolate cookie known as Samoas. She notes that in some areas the same style of cookie is labeled Caramel deLites, while keeping a similar flavor profile.
Wells frames the homemade version as an alternative for readers who want to avoid what she characterizes as less desirable ingredients in the packaged cookies, pointing in particular to sugar and vegetable oil high on the ingredient list.
The ingredients and method
According to the Wellness Mama recipe, the base relies on Medjool dates for a sticky, caramel-like sweetness and unsweetened shredded coconut for texture. The ingredient list includes:
- 1 cup Medjool dates (pitted)
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut cream (or 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil, or 1 tablespoon melted grass-fed butter or ghee)
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate (70–85% cacao)
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (for melting chocolate)
The instructions call for toasting the coconut at 400°F for 3 to 5 minutes until golden, then pulsing the dates and remaining ingredients in a food processor to form a cohesive dough. The dough is portioned into cookies with a hole in the center, and baked after reducing the oven temperature to 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges.
After cooling, the recipe advises briefly chilling the cookies in the freezer to firm them up, then dipping and drizzling them with melted dark chocolate and setting them in the refrigerator.
Storage and texture tips
Wells’ post includes guidance for adjusting texture: she writes that baking closer to 12 minutes yields a chewier cookie, while closer to 15 minutes—and toasting the coconut darker—produces a crispier result.
For storage, the recipe says the cookies can be kept in the freezer for up to two months or in the refrigerator for up to one week, and that letting them return to room temperature improves texture before eating.
