Samoa Donuts
Samoa Donuts are what you make when you’re craving that irresistible caramel, coconut, and chocolate combo but don’t want to wait for cookie season to roll around.
If you’ve ever found yourself staring at the pantry wishing you had just one more box of Samoas, this homemade donut recipe is about to become your new obsession.
These donuts are soft, fluffy, and layered with toasted coconut, gooey caramel, and a drizzle of rich chocolate that melts into every bite — basically everything you love about the classic cookie, but in warm, bakery-style donut form.
And the best part? They’re surprisingly easy to make. You don’t need complicated steps or specialty ingredients to pull these off — just simple pantry staples and a little drizzle-and-dip magic.
What is a samoa flavor?
It’s a combination of toasted coconut, gooey caramel, and smooth chocolate. It’s sweet, slightly nutty, and perfectly balanced. Inspired by the classic Girl Scout cookie, this flavor trio shows up in desserts like donuts, brownies, and pies whenever you want that indulgent caramel-coconut-chocolate combo.
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How to Make Homemade Samoa Donuts
- Start by whisking together your dry ingredients until evenly combined — this helps distribute the baking powder and baking soda so your donuts rise evenly.
- Next, stir in the milk, egg, sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla just until combined. Tip: Don’t overmix the batter — overworking it can make the donuts dense instead of soft and tender.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag (or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped) and pipe it evenly into a greased donut pan, filling each well about ¾ full. This keeps them from overflowing and helps them bake evenly.
- Bake just until the tops spring back lightly when touched.
- Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the chocolate layer, melt your chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring between each round to prevent burning.
- Dip the bottoms of the cooled donuts into the melted chocolate and place them on a rack to set. Tip: If your kitchen is warm, pop them in the fridge for 5–10 minutes to speed up the setting process.
- Melt the caramels with milk in short bursts until smooth, then stir in the toasted coconut and salt.
- Toast your coconut at 350°F for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and fragrant. Watch it closely — coconut can go from golden to burnt fast.
- Make sure your coconut is fully cooled before mixing it into the caramel so it doesn’t make the mixture oily.
- Spread the caramel coconut mixture generously over the tops of each donut, then finish with a drizzle of melted chocolate for that classic Samoa look.
- Allow everything to set before serving.
Don’t Forget To…
- Scroll down to print the full recipe with step-by-step instructions and exact measurements.
- Check out my Kitchen Essentials for the pans, mixing bowls, and baking tools I use to make this recipe a breeze.
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Yes! You can bake the donuts a day ahead and store them in an airtight container. For best texture, add the caramel coconut topping and chocolate drizzle the day you plan to serve them.
You can freeze the plain baked donuts (without toppings) for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and add the chocolate and caramel coconut topping before serving.
You can, but melted caramels give you a thicker, chewier topping that holds the coconut better. If using caramel sauce, choose a thick variety so it doesn’t slide off the donut.
Toasting the coconut is highly recommended. It adds a deeper, nutty flavor and gives the donuts that authentic taste.
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More Easy Dessert Recipes to Try
- This recipe joins my other Girl Scout-inspired treats like Thin Mint Donuts or Copycat Savannah Smiles Cookies.
- Looking for more fun donut recipes? Try my Halloween Donuts, Christmas Donuts, or Baked Butterscotch Donuts.
Baked Samoa Donuts Recipe
Soft and fluffy Samoa Donuts loaded with caramel, toasted coconut, and chocolate. An easy baked recipe inspired by the classic cookie.
Ingredients
Donuts:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 2 TBSP. butter melted
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze:
- 1 bag of caramels – 15 oz.
- 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut – toasted
- 3 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate melted – you can use chocolate chips or wafers
Instructions
- Prepare a donut pan with non stick spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cornstarch, baking soda, sugar and nutmeg,
- Stir in in wet ingredients: milk, egg, sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Continue to stir donut mixture until well combined.
- Use a piping bag to pipe batter into donut pan wells.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, remove from the oven and cool on the baking rack.
- Toast your coconut for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and fragrant. Watch it closely — coconut can go from golden to burnt fast!
- Allow donuts to cool in the pan and then remove to finish cooling after about 5 minutes.
- To make the creamy chocolate ganache, melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals.
- Once chocolate is smooth, dip the bottom part of the donut into the chocolate, set donuts on a wire rack to allow the chocolate to harden.
- While chocolate topping is hardening, melt caramels and milk in a medium mixing bowl for about one minute, repeating until the caramel is smooth, stir in toasted coconut and salt.
- Frost the top of each donut using a butter knife and place back on the cooling rack to allow the topping to harden.
- Top the caramel coconut with a drizzle of melted chocolate.