A healthy remake of the beloved Girl Scout Cookie. Simple to make with only 3 ingredients and no baking required.
THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITIOUS TREATS
If you’re trying to eat a little healthier these days, here’s a tip that might seem counterintuitive. Don’t banish treats from you diet. Why? Because giving up things we enjoy eating entirely can lead to feelings of deprivation and eventually weaken our willpower. You’re much better off replacing these indulgences with healthier alternatives rather than giving them up altogether. To do that however, you need an arsenal of nutritious treats at your disposal – treats like these 3 Ingredient Healthy Samoas. These delicious little cookies are a remake of the famous Samoas Girl Scout Cookies (alternatively known as Caramel deLites). They’re made with just 3 simple ingredients, require no baking, and are guaranteed to satisfy your sugar cravings.
THE INGREDIENTS
Here’s what you’ll need to make 3 Ingredient Healthy Samoas:
1. DATES – dates are an excellent whole food substitute for candy and other sweet treats and are what give these cookies their distinctive caramel flavor. There are many different types of dates, each with their own unique taste and texture. Some of the more popular varieties include:
• medjool,
• deglet noor,
• barhi,
• halawi,
• dayri, and
• khadrawi.
For this recipe I suggest deglet noor dates because that’s the type of date I used in all my recipe testing and had good results with, but other types of dates will work as well so have fun experimenting.
2. UNSWEETENED COCONUT FLAKES – Always purchase unsweetened flakes because most of the sweetened varieties contain all sorts of undesirable ingredients such as:
• refined sugar,
• propylene glycol, and
• sodium metabisulfite.
The only ingredient that should be on the package of coconut flakes you purchase for this recipe (and in my opinion, any recipe) should be coconut. Ingredient labels will sometimes say “unsulfured coconut” instead of just “coconut” which is o.k. and simply means that the coconut has not been treated or preserved with sulfur.
3. BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS – The important thing in this cookie recipe is that the chocolate doesn’t overpower the subtly sweet, mock caramel flavor of the dates and that it does so without tasting bitter. Bittersweet chocolate chips in the 60-70% cocoa range provide the perfect balance and are also a great complement to the toasted coconut.
TIPS FOR MAKING
Here are a few tips for success with this recipe for 3 Ingredient Healthy Samoas.
Rehydrate your dates if needed. If your dates aren’t plump and sticky to the touch, with just a little bit of give when pressed, they’re probably too dry to eat or use in a recipe. Dates last for a long time – up to 6 months at room temperature or, if frozen, up to a year so it’s not unusual for them to dry out and become tough even though they’re perfectly safe to eat. If this happens, simply soak them in boiling (or very hot) water, for 5 – 10 minutes, then drain and pat them dry.
Watch the coconut as it toasts. Toasting the coconut will amplify the flavor of the cookies so don’t skip this step, but keep an eye on the coconut as it cooks because it will go from perfectly toasted and golden brown to completely burned in a matter of seconds, so watch it carefully!
Use a parchment cone for the chocolate drizzle. You can use a spoon or fork to drizzle the top of each cookie with chocolate but it will likely glob up in spots using this method. For a more even and controlled chocolate drizzle use a homemade parchment cone (pictured above) made from a triangular shaped piece of parchment paper. Follow this tutorial.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
For other delicious, nutritious treats made from dates check out:
Peanut Butter Cookie Flax Bars,
Healthy Salted Caramel Chocolate Hearts,
If you make 3 Ingredient Healthy Samoas don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation!
3 Ingredient Healthy Samoas
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) pitted dates (I use deglet noor dates)
- 1 cup (60 grams) unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted (see notes #1)
- ½ cup bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate chips
- ½ - 1 teaspoon coconut oil melted (optional)
Instructions
- Place the dates and coconut in the work bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
- Using a ¾ ounce ice cream scoop for portioning, press the dough together firmly to form twelve 2-inch round discs. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Poke holes in the center of each cookie using a chop stick. (Thread it through the center of each cookie starting with the pointed end.)
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes so the cookies firm up a bit.
- Melt the chocolate over a water bath or in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring well after each 30 second interval. (See Notes #2.)
- Dip the bottoms of the cookies into the melted chocolate and place them back on the baking sheet.
- Drizzle the leftover chocolate on top of each cookie. (See Notes #3.)
- Let the chocolate harden before serving.
Notes
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