Homemade Samoa Ice Cream is a decadent treat that gives the beloved girl scout cookies a whole new life in the form of a refreshing dessert! If you've ever enjoyed a Samoa cookie, you know the irresistible combination of caramel, coconut, and chocolate. Imagine those delightful flavors in a cool, creamy scoop of ice cream. Give this recipe a try and you'll have a new favorite dessert to savor and share with others while you beat the summer heat!
If you're looking for other delicious ice cream recipes, give my chocolate marshmallow ice cream or my turtle ice cream a try!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This ice cream is absolutely amazing! It's one of my favorite recipes on the blog. Here's a few reasons why:
- Creamy Base: The base of this ice cream is a creamy vanilla coconut base. It's soft enough that you can scoop it right when you pull it out of the freezer. No thawing required!
- Chocolate and Caramel Swirls: There are milk chocolate ganache and caramel sauce swirls in every bite!
- Toasty Coconut Flavor: There are toasted coconut flakes throughout this ice cream to give it that signature Samoa taste.
Ingredients
- Heavy Cream: I recommend getting a high fat heavy whipping cream to get the most luxurious, creamy texture possible.
- Whole Milk: While you can substitute for a lower fat milk, I recommend sticking with whole milk to get the best, smoothest texture.
- Sugar: Standard granulated sugar is all you need here!
- Egg Yolks: Separate your eggs and save the whites for something else. Pro tip is to make the ice cream base in the morning and then use the egg whites for your breakfast!
- Extracts: You will use both vanilla bean and coconut extract in this ice cream. Feel free to substitute the vanilla extract for vanilla bean paste or scrape out the seeds of a vanilla bean pod if you prefer.
- Shredded Coconut: You will need unsweetened shredded coconut for this ice cream. Don't skip on toasting the coconut. It adds depth and crunch.
- Caramel Sauce: I recommend using a high-quality caramel sauce. I used Ghirardelli Caramel Sauce.
- Samoa Cookies: Samoa Cookies are now known as Caramel DeLites. You can order them off the Girl Scout's website or buy them during cookie season which is the month of March. If you find it too difficult to find these cookies because of the season, you can omit them and still have amazing ice cream that tastes like the cookies!
- Milk or Dark Chocolate Chips: You will use the chocolate chips to make a chocolate ganache to swirl into the ice cream. I tested this recipe with milk chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips. I preferred the milk chocolate while my boyfriend preferred dark chocolate. Samoa cookies are made with dark chocolate but it is ultimately up to you which you prefer to use.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Samoa Ice Cream
- Step 1: Ensure your ice cream canister is in the freezer before beginning! Pour heavy cream, whole milk, and sugar into a medium sized saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring consistently.
- Step 2: In a separate, heat proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks.
- Step 3: Once the cream and milk have come to a simmer, slowly whisk half of the cream into the yolks then dump that mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream. Continue whisking on medium until the mixture is thick enough and begins to coat the side of the saucepan (approximately 170°F/76°C).
- Step 4: Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Add vanilla and coconut extract. Whisk to combine. Cool to room temperature before covering and chilling for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Step 5: While the ice cream chills, toast the coconut. Place the coconut on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toast in an oven at 350°F. Check on the coconut and stir it every two minutes until it is browned. This will happen quickly!
- Step 6: Once the ice cream base has chilled, churn it in your ice cream maker based on the directions. My ice cream maker churns it in about 30 minutes.
- Step 7: While the ice cream is churning, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 20 seconds. Stir together and microwave another 20 seconds if needed. Stir until smooth. Set aside until needed (I place my ganache in a piping bag but you can also just drizzle with a spoon when the time comes)
- Step 8: Once the ice cream has churned, add about half of it into a bread pan or an ice cream container. Sprinkle in about half of the Samoa Cookie chunks and toasted coconut. Drizzle about half of the caramel sauce and chocolate ganache. Mix the ice cream to distribute the mix-ins. Pour the remaining ice cream into the container and repeat these steps, reserving a little bit to top off the ice cream if desired. Place the ice cream in the freezer so it can fully set up then enjoy!
Serving: Scoop the ice cream into bowls or waffle cones and drizzle extra caramel and chocolate on top. for the full Samoa experience, sprinkle a little extra toasted coconut right before serving.
Storage
You may store this ice cream in the freezer for up to 6 months. However, I recommend consuming within a couple of weeks. Store in an airtight container or in a bread pan covered with plastic wrap.
Tips for Making the Perfect Ice Cream
I want to set you up for success when making ice cream so here are a few tips to make it perfect!
- It is important to run the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Please do not skip this step! You will likely have a couple of small chunks of egg in the mixture from cooking it and you do not want these chunks in your ice cream.
- If you want to make this ice cream, you need to plan! This is not something that you whip up quickly. First, make sure that you have your ice cream canister in the freezer. I always keep mine in the freezer but if you don't, make sure you remember to throw it in there. You also need to make this ahead of time because you have to cook the ice cream mixture and give it time to cool before churning. Planning is key!
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📖 Recipe
Samoa Ice Cream
Homemade Samoa Ice Cream is a decadent treat that gives the beloved girl scout cookies a whole new life in the form of a refreshing dessert! If you've ever enjoyed a Samoa cookie, you know the irresistible combination of caramel, coconut, and chocolate. Imagine those delightful flavors in a cool, creamy scoop of ice cream. Give this recipe a try and you'll have a new favorite dessert to savor and share with others while you beat the summer heat!
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Servings: 6 people
Calories: 829kcal
Ingredients
For The Ice Cream Base:
- 3 c heavy cream
- 1 ½ c whole milk
- 1 ¼ c granulated sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon coconut extract
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- ½ c milk or dark chocolate chips
- ¼ c heavy cream
Other Mix-Ins:
- ½ c shredded coconut
- ⅓ c caramel sauce
- 1 c Samoa Cookies aka Caramel DeLites broken into pieces
Instructions
- Ensure your ice cream canister is in the freezer before beginning! Pour heavy cream, whole milk, and sugar into a medium sized saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring consistently.3 c heavy cream, 1 ½ c whole milk, 1 ¼ c granulated sugar
- In a separate, heat proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks.5 egg yolks
- Once the cream and milk have come to a simmer, slowly whisk half of the cream into the yolks then dump that mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream. Continue whisking on medium until the mixture is thick enough and begins to coat the side of the saucepan (approximately 170°F/76°C).
- Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Add vanilla and coconut extract. Whisk to combine. Cool to room temperature before covering and chilling for at least 4 hours or overnight.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- While the ice cream chills, toast the coconut. Place the coconut on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toast in an oven at 350°F. Check on the coconut and stir it every two minutes until it is browned. This will happen quickly!½ c shredded coconut
- Once the ice cream base has chilled, churn it in your ice cream maker based on the directions. My ice cream maker churns it in about 30 minutes.
- While the ice cream is churning, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 20 seconds. Stir together and microwave another 20 seconds if needed. Stir until smooth. Set aside until needed (I place my ganache in a piping bag but you can also just drizzle with a spoon when the time comes).½ c milk or dark chocolate chips, ¼ c heavy cream
- Once the ice cream has churned, add about half of it into a bread pan or an ice cream container. Sprinkle in about half of the Samoa Cookie chunks and toasted coconut. Drizzle about half of the caramel sauce and chocolate ganache. Mix the ice cream to distribute the mix-ins. Pour the remaining ice cream into the container and repeat these steps, reserving a little bit to top off the ice cream if desired. Place the ice cream in the freezer so it can fully set up then enjoy!½ c shredded coconut, ⅓ c caramel sauce, 1 c Samoa Cookies aka Caramel DeLites, ½ c milk or dark chocolate chips
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 829kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 37g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 315mg | Sodium: 128mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 2221IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @andees_apron or tag #andeesapron!
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