No-Bake Samoa Oatmeal Bars are a quick and easy dessert or after school snack recipe for your favorite Girl Scout cookie. These healthy Samoa bars are made with gluten-free oats, shredded coconut, peanut butter, caramel flavors, and topped with a delicious chocolate drizzle.
Healthier Samoa Cookie Bars
Recently a friend gifted me with a box of Girl Scout Samoa cookies… or now known as Caramel deLites.
After eating a few of them I realized the refined sugar and gluten just weren’t sitting well with my tummy.
But man were they delicious!
So in an attempt to capture all of the delightful caramel, coconut, and chocolate flavors – these no-bake oatmeal bars were born!
Can you really have all of the DELICIOUS flavors of a Girl Scout Samoa cookie in a healthy form?
Yes… you absolutely can! And it couldn’t be easier!
Ingredients
When the craving started I was worried that I wouldn’t have all of the ingredients I needed to recreate that Samoa cookie magic.
But much to my surprise, all of these ingredients were already in my pantry – and I bet they’re in yours, too!
- Oats – Rolled, old-fashioned oats make up the bulk of the cookie base. If you are gluten-free you will want to make sure to look for a certified gluten-free oat brand such as Bob’s Red Mill.
- Coconut – Shredded, unsweetened coconut was used in this recipe. Make sure you do NOT use sweetened coconut as it is made with refined sugar and will make this recipe WAY too sweet.
- Peanut Butter – A smooth peanut butter, with no sugar added, was used when creating this recipe. If you are allergic to peanuts you can always substitute with an almond or cashew butter.
- Maple Syrup – This vegan sugar alternative gives this dessert a delightfully sweet, but not too sweet, flavor. If you don’t have any pure maple syrup on hand honey or agave nectar may also be substituted.
- Coconut Oil – By far the best butter substitute to use in vegan cooking or no-bake recipes. It adds a little extra note of coconut flavor, too.
- Coconut Sugar – To balance out the liquidity of the maple syrup, granulated coconut sugar is used. It also helps to give these treats a little more of a caramel flavor.
- Cocoa Powder – Regular, and not dark, cocoa powder is used in combination with coconut oil and a sweetener to make the chocolate drizzle.
How to Make
After making these oatmeal bars the first time I then proceeded to make them 4 MORE TIMES that same week…
Because they are that QUICK and EASY to make! (If you do want a warmer COOKED version, make sure you check out these Baked Oatmeal Bars!)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
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Whisk together melted coconut oil, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, peanut butter, and salt in a large bowl.
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Mix in shredded coconut and oats. Stir by hand until thoroughly combined.
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Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper.
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Add cookie base mixture to the pan and press until condensed.
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Whisk together chocolate topping ingredients in a small bowl.
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Pour chocolate topping over cookie base and spread until smooth.
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Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight before serving. Enjoy!
Refrigerating
One of the most important steps when making no-bake desserts is to allow adequate time for them to refrigerate.
While yes, they are technically ready to be eaten as soon as you are done assembling them, you will end up with a crumbly mess if you cut into them too soon.
Instead, wait AT LEAST 1 full hour after placing in the refrigerator before cutting into them.
The coconut oil, maple syrup, and peanut butter will begin to firm up at a cooler temperature thus transforming the ingredients into a perfect bar instead of a messy crumble.
Storing and Serving
Since these bars require the ingredients to be at a cooler temperature than ambient air, it’s important that you store them in the refrigerator between servings.
You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
This snack will also freeze well if wrapped in wax paper and placed in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag.
More Gluten-Free Desserts
Want a few other dessert ideas? Here are a few of my favorites:
Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Chocolate Chips
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Creme Pies
Healthy Gluten-Free Fig Newtons
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No Bake Samoa Cookie Oatmeal Bars
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Ingredients
Samoa Cookie Base:
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup room temperature
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup peanut butter smooth
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ cup shredded coconut unsweetened
- 1 ¼ cup old-fashioned oats gluten-free
Chocolate Topping:
- 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil melted
- 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup room temperature
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together ¼ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, peanut butter, and salt until smooth.
- Mix in shredded coconut and oats and stir by hand until thoroughly combined.
- Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper.
- Add cookie base mixture to the pan. Using a spoon, press until mixture is condensed.
- In a small bowl whisk together chocolate topping ingredients.
- Pour chocolate topping over cookie base and spread until smooth.
- Refrigerate cookie bars for at least 2 hours or up to overnight before serving. Enjoy!
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Notes
Almond butter or cashew butter may also be used if allergic to peanuts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these today and they turned out sooo good. My kids loved them, too. I used a 9×9 pan so my bars were thin, which was fine. I imagine a thicker bar (as the recipe developer suggested a smaller pan) would hold together well, but they taste great! Definitely saving this one.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Keely! They are good both thin and thick. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Made them! Huge hit! Just delicious! I used one batch with coconut oil and one batch with salted butter . Both awesome! Cut into small 2 bite pieces! Thank you!!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Rebecca! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
My hubby made these and they were absolutely delish but without coconut flakes and they were definitely more Tagalong than Samoas. 🙂 It probably would have also been good w/o the coconut sugar or just reduced. We will definitely be making this on the reg.
Nice!! I bet they were delicious even without the coconut flakes. So happy to hear you and the hubby enjoyed them, Julianne!