Samoa Brownie Parfait with Salted Caramel Sauce

These Samoa Brownie Parfaits are everything you love about Samoa cookies in the form of a decadent dessert! Rich chocolate brownies, coconut whipped cream, and homemade salted caramel sauce combine to make an over-the-top Girl Scout cookie-inspired treat.

It’s almost that time of year again—Girl Scout Cookie season! I maintain that they are probably the next best indicator of spring after Punxatawny Phil being torn from his little den of slumber to tell us if there will be six more weeks of winter. This year, instead of polishing off a box of Samoas in one sitting, I highly recommend saving a few to make my Samoa Brownie Parfaits with Salted Caramel sauce and Coconut Whipped Cream. 

My favorite Girl Scout cookie has always been (and will always be) Samoas. I don’t think I’m alone here, right? Between the shortbread cookie, toasted coconut, sticky caramel, and drizzled chocolate, it’s pretty much the perfect cookie. I decided to take those flavors and put them in a parfait, and needless to say, it’s good.

And these parfaits aren’t just made with the flavors of Samoa cookies! They’re made with actual Samoas, too. Chopped Samoa cookies are baked into the rich brownie base; the brownies are topped with sweetened whipped cream infused with coconut flavor and toasted coconut, salted caramel sauce, and then more chopped Samoas for the perfect finishing touch.

(PS – If you love Samoas, then you should also try my Samoa Cookie Moose Munch and Samoa No-Bake Cheesecake!)

What You’ll Need

If you bake often, you probably have a lot of these ingredients on hand in your pantry!

For the Samoa Brownies:

• Semi-sweet chocolate
• Butter
• Cocoa powder – You can use Dutch process or natural cocoa; Dutch process has a richer, more bittersweet chocolate flavor.
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Flour
• Samoa cookies – In some parts of the country, these are sold as Caramel deLites.
• Toasted coconut flakes – Spread the coconut on a sheet pan and bake at 325ºF for 5 to 10 minutes, or until fragrant and golden brown. 

For the Coconut Whipped Cream:

• Heavy whipping cream
• Sugar
• Coconut extract – This allows you to get a lot of coconut flavor in your whipped cream without changing the texture or consistency.

For the Salted Caramel Sauce:

• Sugar
• Water
• Corn syrup – Use light corn syrup.
• Heavy whipping cream
• Butter
• Sea salt

To assemble:

• Samoa cookies
• Toasted coconut

What if I don’t have Samoas?

If it’s not Girl Scout cookie season, you can use Keebler Coconut Dreams cookies instead. Chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons (not macarons, which are something completely different!) will work too, although they don’t have the shortbread layer or caramel.

How to Make Samoa Brownie Parfaits

Be sure to allow yourself the time you need to make this recipe! You’ll want the brownies to cool completely before cutting them and assembling the parfaits.

Make the Samoa Brownies:

Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and position an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with two pieces of foil to form a sling so you can easily lift the brownies out of the pan, then spray the foil with non-stick baking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter. In a double-boiler or microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate. If you’re using a microwave, heat in 30-second bursts, stirring after each until the mixture is smooth.

Make the brownie batter. Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a mixing bowl, then whisk in the chocolate mixture until just combined. Stir in the flour, then fold in the chopped cookies and toasted coconut. 

Bake the brownies. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center out almost clean, with just a few crumbs. 

Cool. Place the brownies on a wire rack for at least 90 minutes, then remove them from the pan and cut them into one-inch pieces. You’ll have some extras to snack on!

Make the Coconut Whipped Cream:

Beat the whipped cream. Place a cup of heavy whipping cream in a mixing bowl or in your stand mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed and once the cream starts to thicken, slowly whip in the sugar and coconut extract. Just before stiff peaks form, add in the additional coconut flakes, if you’re using them.

Chill. Place the bowl of whipped cream in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

Make the Salted Caramel Sauce:

Start the caramel. Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to ensure all the sugar has melted. Boil until the mixture turns a dark, golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

Add the remaining ingredients. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir the cream into the mixture, being sure to stir constantly. The sauce will sputter and expand, so be careful, but keep stirring. Once combined, stir in the salt and butter. Let the sauce cool to room temperature.

Assemble. Place a dollop of whipped cream into the bottom of bowls, ramekins, or stemless wine glasses. Top this with the brownies and chopped Samoa cookies. Drizzle with the salted caramel sauce and repeat until the parfait reaches the top of whatever container you’re using. Top with extra toasted coconut and one whole Samoa cookie. Serve immediately or chill until serving.

Shortcuts

If you want to make Samoa brownie parfaits for a crowd, making each component from scratch might not be practical! I recommend making the brownies from scratch since the Samoas are baked into them. For the whipped cream, you can use frozen whipped topping and stir in coconut extract, or buy a can of coconut whipped cream. Then, you can use a high-quality store-bought salted caramel sauce in place of homemade.

How to Store

You can store these parfaits covered in the refrigerator for up to a day. After this, the whipped cream will start losing volume and getting watery.

Can This Be Frozen?

Yes, these parfaits can be frozen for later. Cover them tightly and let them thaw in the refrigerator before serving. They’ll last about 2 months in the freezer.

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*fine print* I was given 5 boxes of cookies by the GSoWW to create this recipe. I was not compensated for this post.