No bake cookies made with butterscotch pudding, oats and coconut, topped with melted chocolate and toasted coconut: all the flavors of a Samoa cookie but so much easier!
I originally published this No Bake Samoa Cookies recipe back on March 13, 2014 — it was one of the very first recipes I ever posted here on The Recipe Rebel!
But now, 5 years later, I’m once again combing through the oldest recipes to see which need updated photos, which need to be retested, and which need to be trashed (yes, there have been a few!).
Nothing makes me happier than cleaning up this little corner of the internet and making sure that all of the recipes here are the best they could be.
So here we are! No Bake Samoa Cookies 🙂
The first time I made these according to the original recipe, I was blown away but how sweet they were.
And I’m not saying that as a positive thing.
Over the last 5 years I feel like my tastes have changed a lot, and I can’t handle sugar the way I used to.
Not because I’ve ever tried to cut out sugar (believe me!), just because I find myself leaning more towards fruity desserts or things that are not so sweet they give you a toothache.
I retested this recipe 3 times and I made some significant changes, so if there are any of you out there who enjoyed these previously, I hope you will enjoy the new and improved version just as well!
Tips for making these no bake cookies:
- Quick oats are smaller and will make the cookies less crumbly, but regular rolled oats should work if you’re in a pinch.
- You can swap out the flavor of pudding mix (though you’ll lose the “caramel” part of these samoa cookies!). I haven’t tested this recipe using sugar free pudding mix.
- I like to drizzle with dark chocolate, because I enjoy it over the more sweet chocolates, but any will work fine!
- I tried popping the pan into the fridge and the freezer to set more quickly, but I actually found they do best if you leave them to set, uncovered, at room temperature, for 2-3 hours, they dry out slightly and set without being sticky. With no bake cookies I really like to be able to hold them without half of the cookie staying on my fingers, and this was the best way to get them to set!
No-Bake Samoa Cookies
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Toppings
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut for toasting
- 1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp cream
For the cookies
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 box instant butterscotch pudding (4 serving size)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups quick cooking oats
- 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
Toppings:
- To toast coconut: Place coconut in a small, dry pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently towards the end), until coconut is light golden brown. Set aside.
- To prepare drizzle: In a small bowl, melt together chocolate, butter and cream. I microwaved mine at 50% power for 25 seconds. Pour chocolate into a Ziploc bag to use for drizzle later.
Cookies:
- In a large pot, bring sugar, butter and milk to a boil over medium-high, stirring often. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Add in the pudding mix, oats and coconut and stir until combined.
- Scoop onto wax-paper lined cookie sheets. Snip a tiny piece of the bag’s corner and drizzle with melted chocolate. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
- Let set at room temperature for 2-3 hours, uncovered. Plate in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can store them at room temperature for a few days, but I like them cold as they are a little firmer.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Want to save this recipe?
Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.
Tried this recipe?
Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel —
I love to see what you’re making!
Tag @thereciperebel
Pamela says
They fell apart, crumbled easily. The method using the zip bag didn’t work at all. Should the recipe asked for 1 tbsp of butter and cream instead of 1 tsp?
Ashley Fehr says
The recipe is correct but they are not a gooey cookie. I like no bake cookies that don’t stick to my hands 🙂 You can add more moisture if you prefer
Rudie says
these looking so delicious, definetly should try to make it. thanks for sharing mam
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says
Brilliant idea! Thanks so much for sharing.
Pinning!
Ashley says
Thanks Heather!
Joy Jackson says
I made these last night, improvising with what I had in the kitchen. I think they were really good and a nice and easy samoa-like treat. Obviously it doesn’t taste just like a samoa cookie, but I agree with you, making traditional samoa cookies looks like wayyyy too much work. These were simple, easy and quite yummy enough to fulfill a samoa craving.
Instead of the butterscotch pudding, I used cheesecake and vanilla flavored puddings as that’s what I had. I think it would have tasted even more samoa like with the butterscotch since it serves as the caramel in this recipe. Since I didn’t have butterscotch, I threw in some caramels and melted them after the butter and milk mixture had boiled for the necessary time. I also reduced the sugar to about 1 1/3 cups and it was plenty sweet from all of the sugar in the pudding.
Very easy, good recipe. Thanks!
Ashley says
Thanks! Glad you liked it 🙂
Shawna says
Just made these and oh my goodness they are sweet. I think I would use regular coconut and less sugar next time.
Ashley says
Haha, we’re not afraid of sugar here! You definitely could do that though 🙂
Nicole says
Cookies are good, but are missing the “crunch” of the cookie part that is in a Samoa.
Ashley says
True, but here we’ll take a gooey cookie over a crunchy cookie any day 🙂