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4.80 from 15 votes

Healthy Samoas

It's Girl Scout Cookie Season and these Healthy Samoas Cookie Bars are my new favorite way to get my cookie fix!  Dare I say it - they taste better than the originals, plus they are gluten and dairy free and 21 Day Fix Approved!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Treat
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 bars
Calories: 179kcal
Author: Nancylynn

Ingredients

For the cookie layer:

  • 1 1/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • ¼ cup coconut flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
  • 2 tablespoons of honey use maple syrup if vegan, but otherwise stick to honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate layer:

  • 3 tablespoon maple syrup you can sub honey, but I definitely prefer the syrup
  • 3 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 1/4 tablespoon cacao or cocoa powder

For the coconut caramel layer:

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons almond butter you can sub peanut butter
  • sprinkle of sea salt
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ - ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a food processor, combine shredded coconut and coconut flour.
  • Pulse in salt, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla until mixed well. Mixture should form crumbs and be easy to press together.
  • Line an 8x8 square baking pan with 2 sheets parchment paper layered on top of each other in opposite directions.
  • Place cookie mixture at the bottom of the lined pan, spreading with a spoon, and then pressing with the sides of the parchment to even the mixture out.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes.
  • While cookie layer is baking, melt coconut oil over low heat or in the microwave. Remove from heat and whisk in maple syrup, then slowly whisk in the cacao powder until smooth. Taste and adjust for sweetness or a deeper chocolate flavor.  If chocolate is too runny, add a sprinkle more of cacao powder to thicken it up.
  • When the cookie layer is finished, spoon chocolate over the shortbread spreading it as even as possible, reserving a few tablespoons to drizzle on the topping at the end.  Freeze for 20 minutes or until chocolate is firm.
  • While the bars in the freezer, make the caramel sauce.
  • In your microwave, melt the coconut oil and maple syrup together in a microwave safe glass container for 1 minute. Carefully remove (glass will be hot) and whisk in the 2 Tbsp of almond butter until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Sprinkle in salt and vanilla extract and continue to stir.  Sauce should start to thicken. Set aside until the chocolate layered cookies are ready.
  • After the chocolate is set on the bars, remove baking pan from freezer.  Using the top layer of the parchment paper to help, lift and flip the bars so the chocolate later is on the bottom.
  • Stir caramel sauce, then add in ¼ - ⅓ cup of shredded coconut. (My kids like a little less, but a true Samoa has a lot, so go for the full 1/3 if you want!)  Spread the coconut caramel sauce on top of the plain side of the cookie. Sprinkle with some extra shredded coconut and a bit of sea salt, if desired, and drizzle with the remaining chocolate sauce.
  • Allow to set in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  • Cut into 16 bars and enjoy!!

Video

Notes

Makes 16 cookie bars
21 Day Fix: 1 ORANGE, 2 TSP, 2 Sweetener TSP (per cookie bar)
WW: 12 points (per cookie bar)

Nutrition

Serving: 1square | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg