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MOLLY ALLEN FOR TASTE OF HOME
How We Tested Copycat Samoas
To find the best Samoa cookies, we purchased a box of original Samoa Girl Scout Cookies along with four copycat versions. (We did a similar test with the best grocery store cakes.)
The goal of this taste test was to find something better or equal to the beloved Samoas that Girl Scouts sell. That meant finding a ring-shaped treat with a nice crisp cookie (typically shortbread), a generous amount of gooey caramel, flaked coconut and a touch of chocolate to round it all out.
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Molly Allen for Taste of Home
Safeway Signature Select Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies
This option can be found at Safeway stores or many Albertsons stores. It looked pretty identical to both the Benton’s cookies and the Crav’n cookies but didn’t taste or feel the same. While the flavor was decent, this caramel coconut fudge treat lacked balance. It had a very thick shortbread cookie in the center without enough caramel or fudge to balance it out.
Bottom line: While not bad, the ratio of cookie to caramel to fudge wasn’t enough to make this Samoa copycat stand out from the rest.
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Molly Allen for Taste of Home
Keebler Coconut Dreams
We were surprised this option from Keebler didn’t rank higher. It did have a good amount of fudge, both on the bottom and the top, but more isn’t necessarily better when it brings more sweetness to the mix. There was less chocolate flavor and less caramel. It had a dry, crunchy cookie in the center, too—not at all like a real Samoa.
Bottom line: Overall, Keebler Coconut Dreams were OK. The nice balance of chocolate, caramel and cookie just wasn’t there.
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Molly Allen for Taste of Home
Crav’n Caramel Coconut Fudgy Striped Cookies
Crav’n Caramel Coconut Fudgy Striped Cookies can be found at a number of retailers, including Walmart. The cookies had a chewier shortbread center that wasn’t quite as thick, but there wasn’t much caramel. While this brand does rank higher on the list for good flavor, there were a few textural qualities we found lacking when compared to the Girl Scout version.
Bottom line: This is a decent alternative if you’re craving Samoas in the dead of fall and can’t wait until the next round of Girl Scout Cookies go on sale.
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Molly Allen for Taste of Home
Benton’s Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies
These Caramel Coconut Fudge cookies can be found at Aldi stores. Compared to others, there’s definitely more shortbread as the base of the cookie. A thin layer of caramel tops the cookie, and the base is dipped in fudge. Though it’s not as much fudge as we expected, the packaging does note that the cookies are made with real cocoa. Though a bit sweeter, the overall flavor of these Aldi copycat cookies was good.
Bottom line: We hoped for a bit more chewiness from the caramel, but overall, the flavor was good. This is a decent dupe and we love that Aldi copycat Girl Scout Cookies are available all year!
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Molly Allen for Taste of Home
Girl Scout Samoas
Unsurprisingly, nothing in this taste test outranked the original. It’s so highly sought-after for good reason! The original Girl Scout Samoa has the ideal balance of crisp cookie and gooey caramel. The bottom is dipped in dark chocolate and the top of the cookie is dressed up with a few stripes of chocolate, too. Tiny flakes of tasty toasted coconut complete the package.
Bottom line: This cookie is all about balance. It plays on multiple textures, with crisp shortbread and chewy caramel, and no one flavor overpowers the other along the way. It’s the real deal!
Originally Published: March 05, 2024
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