Healthy Gluten-Free Vegan Samoa Cookies
These Healthy Gluten-Free Vegan Samoa Cookies are guaranteed to be a hit amongst everyone. They're made with whole foods plant based ingredients and taste even better than the original cookie! This recipe is: vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, paleo, and refined sugar-free.
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut butter*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
For The Vegan Caramel:
- ¾ cup coconut butter
- ⅔ cup date syrup
- 1 cup toasted shredded coconut
- 1 cup raw shredded coconut
- 2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
For The Plant Based Chocolate
Instructions
Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies:
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350.
- Next make the gluten-free shortbread. Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, and sea salt together in a large bowl and mix. Add the maple syrup, coconut butter, and vanilla extract and mix again. I find that it is easiest to mix the mixture with clean hands. It should be crumbly, but able to hold its shape when pressed together.
- Once you have mixed the cookie dough, roll it out to ¼ inch thickness and then let sit for about a minute before cutting (this helps to avoid cracking).
- Use circular cookie cutters to cut big circles. Once you have cut the big circles, use a tiny circle cutter and cut out little circles in the middle of each cookie. You should get around 22 cookies.
- Carefully place cookies on a prepared baking sheet (you can use parchment paper, a nonstick baking dish, or lightly spray it with oil), and bake for 11-12 minutes (until golden brown on the edges).
- Place the cookies on a wire rack to chill.
Vegan Coconut Caramel:
- While the shortbread is cooling, begin making the caramel layer. In a saucepan (do not place over heat yet), combine the coconut butter, date syrup, coconut extract, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Whisk the mixture until there are no clumps of coconut butter and it resembles caramel.
- Divide the shredded coconut in half. Toast half of the mixture. You can do this by placing it in the oven for 2-3 minutes (while the cookies are baking), or by heating it on a skillet for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the toasted and untoasted coconut to the caramel sauce and turn on the heat to medium. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring constantly. Once you achieve a thick payable substance, remove it from heat and allow it to cool to the touch.
- Grab clumps of the date caramel and press it on top of each cookie. It's okay to be messy with it, does not have to look perfect at all. Press until you fill in all the spaces on the shortbread cookies. I like to place my cookies in the fridge at this point to help the chocolate solidify faster on the cookies.
Chocolate Coating:
- Add the chocolate chips to a shallow bowl and melt until smooth and creamy. You can either melt them in the microwave by cooking them in 30-second intervals, or with a double boiler.
- Dip the bottom of the cookies into the melted chocolate and allow the excess to drip off (or lightly wipe off with a knife). Place the cookie's caramel side down and place in the fridge to cool.
- Add the remaining chocolate to a ziplock bag or disposable piping bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner. Once the chocolate has hardened on the bottom, flip and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the caramel. Allow to chill for about 10 minutes in the fridge or until the chocolate is solid. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure the coconut butter is soft and creamy, and not dry. Dry coconut butter will not work for this recipe. I recommend opening a brand new jar, mixing it very well, and using the creamy coconut butter.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!