The beloved flavors of caramel, chocolate and toasted coconut meet creamy cheesecake in this indulgent treat. This Samoas cheesecake is a delicious tribute to a classic Girl Scouts cookie.
It's so fun (and yummy!) to try and make good things even better. Like, what if we could get all the best flavors of a Samoas cookie, but in a rich, creamy cheesecake? I'm not going to lie, cheesecakes are one of my top 5 favorite desserts. Ever. So I've made a lot of cheesecakes. Like hundreds and hundreds of cheesecakes. I especially love when I can bring a new flavor to a cheesecake. The mouth watering combination of caramel, chocolate and toasted coconut is not new. There's good reason that Samoas (or Carmel deLites depending on where you live) are one of the most beloved Girl Scouts cookies of all time. And bringing those flavors to a cheesecake just takes cheesecake to a whole next level!
Need more Samoas recipes? Check out my recipe for Samoas Cupcakes!
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Ingredients
- Samoas cookies
- Graham crackers
- Salted butter
- White sugar
- Cream cheese
- Eggs
- Store bought or homemade salted caramel sauce
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Shredded coconut
- Melting chocolate wafers
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Make the crust and bake at 325 degrees for 6 minutes.
Step 2: Make the cheesecake filling and bake in a water bath at 325 degrees for 60 minutes. Cool and refrigerate overnight.
- Step 3: Toast the shredded coconut. Use a non-stick pan and turn the heat to medium. DO NOT use any cooking spray, oil or butter. Add the shredded or flaked coconut in a single layer and STIR CONSTANTLY until over half of the coconut is light golden brown, approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately transfer the coconut to a plate to cool as it will continue cooking in the hot pan.
- Step 4: After Samoas cheesecake has cooled completely (preferably overnight), decorate the cheesecake with ganache or melting chocolate, toasted coconut and Samoas cookies.
HOW TO BAKE A CHEESECAKE WITHOUT CRACKS
Okay, let's get to one of the biggest issues with cheesecakes: unsightly cracks. Cracks don't make the cheesecake taste any differently and, of course, they could be covered up. But, there are two main things to know to avoid cracks: baking temperature and water baths.
BAKE AT A LOWER TEMPERATURE
For temperature, cheesecakes turn out best when baked at a lower temperature. For that reason, I bake almost all of my cheesecakes, including this one, at 325 degrees.
USE THE MOAT METHOD FOR A WATER BATH
The most basic way to do a water bath is to wrap the springform pan with aluminum foil and place it in a roasting pan with water and then hope it doesn't leak. But, have you ever wrapped it super carefully with the extra wide aluminum foil only to discover that it still leaked? Yes, me too. Instead, I use the moat method. To use the moat method, place your 8 or 9 inch springform pan inside a 10 inch cake pan. Then place the 10 inch cake pan into a larger roasting pan with water. With this moat method, there is no possible way that water gets in to your springform pan. I've never had a cheesecake crack when I've combined a lower baking temperature with the moat method.
Variations
- Decorating - there are many, many ways to vary the cheesecake decorations. You can use a ganache instead of the melting chocolate for a softer texture. You can add a salted caramel drizzle on top. You could use coconut flakes instead of shreds. You can add a whipped cream topping. Crumbled cookies, only cookies on top or no cookies. So many options!
- No cookies - Somoas cookies aren't required for this recipe. You can entirely leave them out of the crust, the filling and the toppings. While I do buy extra Girl Scout cookies, sometimes I crave this cheesecake in October when I can't get any new cookies. And I make it anyway without cookies. This Somoas cheesecake still has the great flavor profile of caramel, chocolate and toasted caramel even without the cookies. It will always be inspired by the cookie, even when we can't get the cookies.
Equipment
To make the best cheesecakes, a stand up mixer or hand held mixer is needed. Also, a springform pan is super helpful if you want to take the cheesecake easily out of the pan.
Storage
Store the Samoas cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
Next Level Tips
- Always use room temperature cream cheese and room temperature eggs for cheesecakes.
- The very best way to avoid cheesecake cracks is to bake at a lower temperature and use the moat method, as described above and in the FAQs. This is where you place your springform pan inside of a cake pan and then put the cake pan in a roasting pan with water. This avoids leaky aluminum foil yet still doesn't allow direct heat on the springform pan.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven without touching it for two hours. Then move the springform pan to a cooling rack and allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator.
- Cheesecake needs time to set in the refrigerator after baking. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours; however, overnight is best.
- I love to use offset or artsy designs on the tops of cheesecakes. If you like a dead-center kind of centerpiece or a ring of whipping cream swirls around the edges, go for it. I've done lots and lots of those. Currently, I go for more of an artsy look. Another reason I love the intentionally off-center look is because that design looks like you meant to do it that way. If you are going for a dead center kind of look but are slightly off, it can look like you just missed the middle. BUT, if you go with a more extreme off-center look, it looks like it was intentional. Like art! Before you start, think of what you want to do, take a deep breath and go for it!
FAQ
Yes! However, you can carefully speed up this process if you forgot to set out the cream cheese and eggs. Most microwaves now have a soften option. You can carefully soften the cream cheese in the microwave to room temperature but not melted. For the eggs, you can place them from the refrigerator into a bowl of warm (not hot) water to quicken up the process for the eggs. However, I do recommend letting the cream cheese and eggs come to room temperature naturally on the counter. Unless you're in a pinch, of course. We've all been there!
The reason we pack the crust tightly, but not too tightly, into the springform pan is so that we can easily remove the bottom of the springform pan without the crust crumbling. After the rim of the springform pan is off, take a cake lifter (or metal pizza peel or a very large spatula) and gently slide it in between cheesecake crust and bottom of springform pan (see below photo). Don't lift the cheesecake up in the air. Instead, use the cake lifter to slide the cheesecake off of the springform bottom onto a serving plate or a round cardboard cake board. You can buy a cheap cake lifter on Amazon or at a Hobby Lobby type store in the baking section. If you're using a large metal spatula, run it under the entire outer edge first before using it to gently slide the cheesecake. 
The moat method creates a barrier between the springform pan and the direct heat of the oven. Kind of like in the olden days when castles used moats to protect the castles from invaders! So, in the moat method, we place the springform pan into a larger cake pan before putting the cake pan into a larger roasting pan with the water bath. There ends up to be a moat (of air) that separates the springform pan from the cake pan and the water bath. I highly recommend doing it this way as it works great.
You can use your favorite brand of candy chocolate melts or even make a ganache. I've been using Ghirardelli dark chocolate flavored melting wafers as they taste good, work well and are easily found in regular grocery stores.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Samoas Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 Stand or hand mixer
Ingredients
Crust
- 1½ sleeves graham crackers (approx. 13 ½ full sheets)
- 3 Samoas cookies
- 8 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
Cheesecake filling
- 4 cream cheese clocks (8 ounces each) room temperature
- ⅓ cup store bought or homemade salted caramel sauce
- 1 cup white sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 3 Samoas cookies chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cheesecake toppings
- ½ cup shredded coconut toasted
- ½ cup melting chocolate wafers melted
- Samoas cookies
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat oven to 325°. Spray 8 or 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Use a food processor to grind the graham crackers and Samoas cookies into small crumbs. It's ok to have some bigger pieces of cookie or crackers. We don't want the grind to be too fine.
- Mix the crumb mixture, melted butter and 2 tablespoons of white sugar together until well combined.
- Add the crumb mixture to the springform pan. Pat down flat with hands or a flat measuring cup with medium pressure. It should be packed firmly but not too hard.
- Bake for 6 minutes and set aside to cool.
Make the Filling
- Place the room temperature cream cheese and the salted caramel sauce into the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until creamy and all lumps are gone. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Add the white sugar, vanilla and salt to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Next, add the eggs one at a time. Mix on low speed just until each egg is combined before adding the next egg. Between eggs, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Gently stir in the chopped Samoas cookies until evenly distributed.
Bake and Cool the Cheesecake
- Add the filling to the springform pan. Place the springform pan in a larger cake pan (or cover sides of springform pan with aluminum foil). Fill the roasting pan with one inch of water. Carefully add the springform pan in a cake pan (moat method) or with an aluminum foil wrap into roasting pan filled with water. [See FAQ or post description on why the moat method is preferred.]
- Bake at 325° for about 60 minutes until the center is mostly set. Then, turn off the oven and open the oven door to start cooling. Leave alone for two hours. After two hours, remove the cake pan (or wrapped springform pan) from the oven and the water bath and let cool on cooling rack until room temperature.
- Before placing in the refrigerator, run a knife around the edges to loosen the cheesecake from the sides. Cover and refrigerate a minimum of 6 hours but preferably overnight.
- After 6 hours, or preferably the next day, remove the rim. Also, remove the cheesecake from the bottom of the springform pan (see FAQ if needed) if so desired and decorate the cheesecake.
Toast the coconut
- Use a non-stick pan and turn the heat to medium. DO NOT use any cooking spray, oil or butter. Add the shredded or flaked coconut in a single layer and STIR CONSTANTLY until over half of the coconut is light golden brown, approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately transfer the coconut to a plate to cool and stop the cooking process.
Decorate the cheesecake
- Melt the melting chocolate wafers in the microwave according to the package instructions. Most melt in less than 60 seconds. Using a decorator squeeze bottle, a piping bag or a spoon, drizzle the chocolate onto the cheesecake.
- Add the toasted coconut or any additional desired toppings.
- Finish with some Samoas cookies for decorations, if so desired. You can press them into the cheesecake directly or cut off a piece of the cookie on one side to make a flat side and then lightly press them into the melting chocolate.
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