You know what time of year it is? It's Girl Scout Cookie time. Oh, those sweet little girl scouts that come peddling their
I have two incredibly sweet little nieces that are both Girl Scouts so imagine my dilemma when it was time to place cookie orders. Sweet nieces selling delicious, addictive cookies vs. a newly no (ok, VERY LITTLE) sugar allowed household. What was a loving aunt to do?? Well, we sent some boxes to the troops, that's what.
Imagine my excitement though, when stumbling across a fairly healthy version of the Samoa cookie.
Well, I had to try it, that's for sure.
This recipe is pretty darn good. And ok, full disclosure here because as Jamie pointed out yesterday, we ARE all friends here, right? And I would tell my friends the honest truth. These cookies will not win in a blind taste test - they will not trick your friends into thinking they are eating the real deal. But they are good - they taste coconutty and chocolatey and chewy and that's a pretty good compromise in my book. And they are sugar free and dairy free so who can complain?
Even my husband inhaled these cookies, so I take that as a sign that they are indeed, delicious. And if you aren't dairy or sugar free, I've added those ingredients/substitutions in red.
Dairy Free Sugar Free "Samoa" Cookies
For the Cookies:
2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 c. honey (or 1 c. brown sugar)
1/4 c. maple syrup (omit if using brown sugar)
1/3 cup coconut, almond, soy or rice milk (Use regular cow's milk)
1 tbsp ground flax (if you do not need these to be vegan, 1 egg can be used in place of flax)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 heaping tsp salt
For the chocolate drizzle:
1/2 cup dark or grain sweetened chocolate chips (I used vegan carob chips)
1 tbsp coconut oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the coconut. It will turn golden brown very quickly, so watch it carefully and stir frequently.
In a large bowl, mix together the coconut oil, sugar, milk, flax, and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add toasted coconut.
Drop tablespoons of dough on a well greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the edges are just starting to get brown. The cookies will be very soft when they come out. Use the end of a spoon to gently poke a hole in each cookie. Cool for a few minutes on the sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.
When the cookies are cool, make the chocolate drizzle by melting together the chocolate chips and coconut oil. I used the microwave, but again - watch carefully, so you don't burn the chocolate. Heat in 15-20 second increments, stir, and continue heating until melted and smooth. Dip the bottoms of cookies in chocolate and place on wax paper. Then drizzle chocolate on top of the cookies with a spoon. Let the chocolate set by putting the cookies in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Adapted from Sustenance Space
