Samoa vs. Caramel DeLites.
Tagalongs vs. Peanut Butter Patties.
Trefoils vs. Shortbread.
Girl Scouts of America, why do you need to make the names of your cookies so confusing?? Yes, I know it’s all about the different bakeries that bake for different regions of the country. But I feel like life (and food blogging) would be much simpler if we could all unite around a common cookie name.
Case in point:
I served this fabulous cheesecake a few weeks ago to my parents and a bunch of friends. But when I told them it was a Samoa cheesecake, every single one of them looked at me blankly. Granted, that didn’t stop them from diving in with a fork stat. But once I told them it was a Caramel DeLite cheesecake, the lightbulb suddenly went off. And then the stories began to flow as we all swapped stories about knocking on doors and using our best 7-year-old sales strategies to try and sell All Of The Cookies. And then now, of course, we happily support those little 7-year-olds selling boxes by eating All Of The Cookies.
Anyway, whatever you call this cheesecake, my friends said to pass on word to the blogosphere that it definitely earned a badge of approval. ;)
The idea for this cheesecake came when I realized that I had a surplus of coconut in my pantry. 5 bags of coconut! This is probably a good indicator that it’s time to — ahem — clean out and organize the ol’ pantry. And eat a lot of coconut.
I had actually thought of this idea a few months ago when Girl Scouts were out everywhere knocking on doors and successfully tempting me when I walked into a grocery store. Gooey caramel-y coconut seemed like the perfect topping for a cheesecake. And when paired with a yummy Oreo crust, and my favorite lower-fat Greek yogurt filling, the ingredient combo seemed like a match made in cheesecake heaven.
Turns out, I was right. And it was actually pretty simple to make!
All you have to do is make the cheesecake base, with a chocolate cookie crust and a vanilla filling. Then top it with some melted caramel. (I cheated and used the stuff in the tub, but you could also make it homemade.) Then stir together some more caramel with toasted coconut, and spread that out on top. (I found it easier to drop a bunch of clumps on top, and then spread it out.) Then drizzle it all with some extra caramel and melted chocolate — Samoa-style. ;)
See? So pretty!
Then serve it up and give it the ol’ taste test. And enjoy every last bite.
Samoa Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 120 minutes
- Yield: 0 About 12-16 slices 1x
Description
This Samoa Cheesecake recipe is inspired by the famous Girl Scout cookies (a.k.a. “Caramel Delights”). It’s a simple vanilla cheesecake base, made with an Oreo crust, and topped with caramel, toasted coconut and drizzled with chocolate.
Ingredients
Cheesecake Ingredients:
- 24 Oreo cookies
- 4 Tablespoons melted butter
- pinch of salt
- 3 (8-ounce) bricks neufchatel (low-fat) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
- 3 eggs
Samoa Topping Ingredients:
- 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 3/4 cups caramel dip or sauce (you can either buy the 16-ounce store-bought tubs of caramel dip, or use 1 3/4 cups homemade caramel sauce)
- 4 ounces dark chocolate
Instructions
To Make The Cheesecake:
- Preheat oven to 325°F, and grease a 9-inch springform pan. Carefully wrap the outside of the pan in 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, being sure that there are NO gaps where water could seep through.
- Add Oreo cookies to the bowl of a food processor, and process until completely crumbled. (Or you can do this step by hand by crushing Oreos with a meat mallet inside a ziplock freezer bag.) Add in the melted butter, and stir or process until evenly mixed with the Oreos. Press the Oreo mixture evenly into the bottom of the springform pan. Then place the pan in a large roasting dish (or any pan larger than the springform), and bring a tea kettle or pot of water to boil in preparation for the water bath. Set aside. (*If you don’t want to place the pan directly in a water bath, you can skip this last step and just place a pan of water on the shelf beneath the cheesecake pan.)
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth. Add sugar and beat for an additional minute until well blended. Add Greek yogurt and vanilla, and beat for an additional minute, stopping partway to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Do not overbeat! Pour into crust.
- Place the double pans in the oven on a shelf on the bottom third of the oven. Very carefully use a tea kettle (or large measuring cup) to pour the boiling water in the larger pan to form a water bath around the springform, so that it comes up about 1-inch around the springform.
- Close the oven door, and bake about 1 hour 30 min, or until center is almost set. (The cake should still jiggle ever so slightly.) Turn oven off, and open oven door slightly. Let cheesecake set in oven 1 hour. Then remove cheesecake from oven, carefully run a knife around the edges of the cake, and then let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove springform rim, and top cheesecake with Samoa topping. Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes for the topping to set. Then serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
To Make The Topping:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread shredded coconut out in an even layer on a parchment-covered (or aluminum foil-covered) baking sheet. Bake for about 6 minutes, or until the top layer of coconut is toasted and lightly golden, then remove the tray and stir the coconut. Bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the new layer of coconut is lightly golden. (Keep a close eye on it so that the coconut does not burn.) Remove the pan, and pour coconut into a mixing bowl.
- Add 1 cup caramel sauce to the bowl with the coconut, and stir to combine. (If your caramel is not very pour-able, heat it in the microwave or in a small saucepan until it is just slightly warmed.)
- Using a spoon, spread a separate 1/2 cup of caramel sauce onto the chilled cheesecake. Then top with the caramel/coconut mixture, and press it down until the top of the cheesecake is covered.
- Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag or a Ziplock bag with the corner snipped off, then pipe it onto the top of the coconut/caramel mixture in even lines. Repeat in a separate bag with the remaining caramel sauce.
I usually don’t ever write reviews. but on rare occasions I do if the recipe exceeded my expectations. I can’t even describe how delicious this recipe is. I heard Angels singing when I took my first bite. The only changes I made was using full fat cream cheese and sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt. I’ve tried cheesecake with yogurt. I find that sour cream gives it a much silkier and velvety texture. But the rest was the same. This is an absolutely awesome cheesecake, and I will be making it forever more. My whole family thanks you so much!!
Followed instructions exactly and it turned out great. I had two people who don’t normally like cheesecakes tell me it was the best dessert I’ve ever made. Was wondering if there was a Thin Mint version?
My daughter requested this cheesecake for her birthday this year. I have never made one before and it turned out perfectly! I did make my own caramel with a different recipe. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Gives this novice baker a chance! :)
I made this for my son birthday, delicious! Definitely will make again. I didn’t realize there was supposed to have a pinch of salt until I was reading all the comments. Still turned out delicious!🫢
Girl Scouts of America has 2 cookie bakers: ABC cookie company & Little Brownie Bakers. Those are the only 2 authorized cookie bakers that can use the Girl Scout name. That’s why there are 2 names for cookies. 😊
I’ve been making this cheesecake for years and it’s always a big hit! I use regular cream cheese and substitute chocolate graham crackers for the Oreos or I scrape the cream out first if using Oreos (it’s already rich enough without the extra sugary cream). I’ve never had a single complaint. Cheesecakes are my specialty, and I’ve made tons of different kinds, but this is the one my wife and family always request. I made one tonight for my coworkers to enjoy tomorrow. They’re in for a real treat! My wife is jealous so it looks like I’ll be making another this weekend!
This was my first cheese cake I have ever made. Not a fan. Suppose it was something I did wrong as the texture was not what I had expected, as was grainy instead of creamy. Time to bake was somehow incorrect too. Cheese cake was dry around the edges and the center was not as firm. Way too much topping.
If you didn’t love this cheesecake, you either did something wrong or you’re not a fan of Samoa cookies. I’ve made at least 20 of these over the years and they’re always amazing.
I have made this several times. It just keeps getting better. I absolutely love this recipe!!!
This recipe sounds wonderful! the only problem I have is its to big. do you by chance have a recipe for a smaller cheesecake?
I made this cake today, but the dark chocolate is too strong for me. The cake was good but I may use milk chocolate instead next time. My mom and son like it but not as much as the New York Cheesecake I made last week. I will make it again.