Who else eagerly anticipates Girl Scout Cookie season? I find myself filled with excitement each time I spot the local scout troop at my grocery store, ready to tempt passersby with their beautifully packaged boxes of mouthwatering cookies. The ones that have me stopping are the Caramel Delites, also known as Samoas.
As much as I adore these treats, my search for a gluten-free alternative never stops. Thankfully, with Gluten-free Caramel Delites, I can indulge in that rich, coconutty caramel flavor and satisfy my cravings year-round!
Create this easy recipe in three messy steps. The end result makes it worth it. Did I mention the Gluten-free Caramel Delites are dairy-free too? 😉
Why This Gluten-Free Caramel Delite Cookie Recipe is So Good
- Caramel and Coconut Flavors: The cookies’ topping is a gooey mixture of toasted coconut and caramel. In my recipe, the caramel is from melted sugar, but you can substitute melted caramel pieces.
- Melted Chocolate: For this recipe, I used powdered unsweetened chocolate and added coconut oil and sweetened coconut cream. You can also use chocolate chips and melt them with a little coconut oil for creaminess.
- Make them gluten-free: The shortbread cookie is baked with gluten-free flour. We tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free baking flour, but you can use regular All-Purpose flour or any 1:1 substitute you prefer.
Tips and Tricks for Making Gluten-Free Caramel Delites Cookies
- You might or might not need Xanthan gum. If you’re baking with traditional flour or a gluten-free flour that already includes xanthan gum, then you don’t need to add any. If your flour lacks this important gluten-free baking ingredient, you’ll want to add it.
- Caramel topping, I melted sugar and cream to make the gooey liquid for the topping. However, there are caramels that you can melt to make it easier. Making the caramels eliminates any extra preservatives.
- Melted chocolate, a chocolate powder, and coconut cream to make the liquid dip. You can use chips and melt with a little coconut oil for a faster process.
- You can use regular butter or vegan butter to bake the shortbread cookies. For this recipe, I used coconut oil instead of butter. I have not tested this recipe with a flax egg just yet, but you can try it if you’d like to make these cookies vegan, too. It works well in our Vegan Pumpkin Cookies recipe.
- Don’t overbake the shortbread. When you pull them out of the oven, they will be just undercooked. They’ll finish cooking as they cool.
There are so many choices when it comes to gluten-free flours. We typically use a gluten-free all-purpose flour. We have found that Bob’s Red Mill (blue bag) Gluten Free Cup for Cup works well with our recipes. It is essential to get the BLUE bag and not the red bag.
More Easy and Fun Dessert Recipes
All of these desserts are gluten-free, and many are vegan too!
Yay! You have made it this far, and I am so glad! Hey, if you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review and star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook, too!
Gluten-Free Caramel Delites
Sweet caramel and coconut with a sprinkle of chocolate makes this cookie a great edition when searching for Girl Scout cookies out of season.
Ingredients
Chocolate Base and drizzle
Instructions
Shortbread Cookie
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While you collect ingredients, take the egg out to warm to room temperature.
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In a bowl, combine your dry ingredients of flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and set aside.
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In a bowl, mix coconut oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla. The coconut oil should be near melted to cream with other ingredients.
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Combine your two bowls to create a dough. The mixture should be dry enough to create a single ball.
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Shape the dough into a flattened disc, wrap well and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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While the dough is chilling, toast your coconut flakes. Lightly grease a baking pan and toss your shredded coconut on the pan to create a thin layer.
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Toast the coconut for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occationally so the shreds do not burn.
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Once the coconut shreds are toasted, set aside to cool.
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After 30 minutes, bring the disk out and allow to warm to room temperature; about 10 minutes.
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Using wax paper or flour, roll out the dough to about ⅛ inch thickness. Take a round object at least 2 inches in diameter to create the outside of the cookie. In the middle, cutout a ½ inch diameter circle to create the doughnut like shape.
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Transfer each doughnut-like cookie to a greased pan for baking. about 1 inch apart.
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Gather all scraps of dough an repeat the last two steps until all the dough is on the pans read for baking
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Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes. The look will be on the light side, and do not overbake.
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Remove from pan and cool on a wrack or plate.
Caramel Coconut Sauce
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In a sauce pan at medium heat, mix the water and sugar. Allow the mixture to come to a low bubble, and remove from heat.
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Off heat, add coconut oil, sweetened coconut cream, salt, and vanilla.
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Add the toasted coconut and mix well.
Chocolate base and drizzle
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In a bowl, add powdered unsweetened chocolate, melted coconut oil, sweetened coconut cream. (Add sugar as needed to sweeten to taste)
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Mix well and set aside for creating the cookie
Create the Gluten-Free Caramel Delite
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On two baking sheets, line with wax paper.
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Dip bottom of a cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on the wax paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
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With a tablespoon, add about 1 ½ tablespoons of the Caramel Coconut sauce to each cookie.
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After each cookie is dipped and sauced, drizzle the remaining chocolate on each cookie.
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Place pans in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes for the chocolate to set.
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Once chocolate is set, place cookies in an airtight container for about 3 days. About 5 to 7 in the refrigerator.
Notes
- You might or might not need Xanthan gum. If you’re baking with traditional flour or a gluten-free flour that already includes xanthan gum, then you don’t need to add any. If your flour lacks this important gluten-free baking ingredient, you’ll want to add it.
- Caramel topping, I melted sugar and cream to make the gooey liquid for the topping. However, there are caramels that you can melt to make it easier. Making the caramels eliminates any extra preservatives.
- Melted chocolate, a chocolate powder, and coconut cream to make the liquid dip. You can use chips and melt with a little coconut oil for a faster process.
- Drizzle process: Either dip a fork into the chocolate and drizzle it over each cookie. OR, you can use a Ziploc bag, place the remaining chocolate into the bag, cut the tip, and drizzle over each cookie.
- You can use regular butter or vegan butter to bake the shortbread cookies. For this recipe, I used coconut oil instead of butter. I have not tested this recipe with a flax egg just yet, but you can try it if you’d like to make these cookies vegan, too.
- Don’t overbake the shortbread. When you pull the cookies out of the oven, they will be just undercooked. They’ll finish cooking as they cool.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 268kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 2gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 198mgPotassium: 102mgFiber: 3gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 10IUCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg