Samoa Cheesecake

by Jillian
This Samoa Cheesecake is rich, dense, and indulgently creamy! It’s baked in a crisp shortbread cookie crust, topped with caramel coconut topping, drizzled in chocolate ganache, and crowned with everyone's favorite Samoa cookies!

This Samoa Cheesecake is rich, dense, and indulgently creamy! It’s baked in a crisp shortbread cookie crust, topped with caramel coconut topping, drizzled in chocolate ganache, and crowned with everyone’s favorite Samoa cookies!

Everyone tends to blame Valentine’s Day for ruining their New Year’s resolutions. However, I’m pretty sure Girl Scout cookie season is the real culprit here. Once the end of January comes around, those seemingly innocent Girl Scouts turn up in every single grocery store, ready to push “America’s crack” onto every unsuspecting customer.

While it’s undeniable how delicious those iconic cookies are, I’ve come up with a much more exquisite and lusciously tempting alternative to everyone’s favorite cookie…

This, my friends, is how you eat a Samoa…

Being that Samoas have a vanilla shortbread-like cookie for their base, I decided to go with a buttery shortbread cookie crust. I’m sure this cheesecake would be great with an Oreo cookie crust, but I wanted it to be as close to the original Samoa as possible! As for the type of shortbread cookie, I used Keebler’s Sandies cookies. They’re not too sweet and they’re much more buttery than Nilla wafers…SO much better, in my opinion. Once the cookies have been finely crushed, they’re tossed with a few tablespoons of sugar and some melted butter. Press this lovely mixture into the bottom and about halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan, and bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 8-10 minutes.

As the crust cools slightly, you can make up the batter. This is pretty much your standard New York-style cheesecake batter. Start by beating four packages (or 32 ounces) of cream cheese in a mixer until smooth and creamy. I know, I know…it’s A LOT of cream cheese. But hey, I never said this recipe was low-cal or keto-friendly!

To the beaten cream cheese, you’re gonna add some granulated sugar. Beat everything together for about 2 minutes, or until completely incorporated. Before adding more ingredients, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. This will keep the batter nice and smooth–a MUST for good cheesecakes!

Now you’ll add some cornstarch, a couple splashes of vanilla, and a dash of salt. The cornstarch helps to firm up the filling and create a smoother texture. It’s also supposed to prevent cracking, but we’ll get to that topic later on. Once those ingredients have been incorporated, the eggs are added, two at a time. After the eggs have been added, you want to avoid over-mixing since it’ll produce more air in your cheesecake, causing it to rise too much, thus forming cracks. 

After you pour the batter into the crust, smooth out the top, and bake it in the oven for about 70-80 minutes at 325ºF. When it comes to cheesecakes, there are countless methods for baking the perfect “crackless” cheesecake. However, I have yet to find one that actually works. So for this cheesecake, I kept things simple. Besides, the whole thing is going to be covered in a bunch of yummy goodness anyway, so why bother??

Due to how dense cheesecakes are, they require SEVERAL hours of cooling time. That’s why I prefer to bake cheesecakes the night before I want to serve it, allow it to cool for a couple of hours at room temperature, then refrigerate it overnight. By the next morning, it’s completely chilled and ready to go.

As the cheesecake cools, it’s the perfect time to make up the caramel since it needs plenty of time to cool completely. You also have the option of using store-bought caramel if you feel like taking a little shortcut. I won’t judge you! However, nothing compares to the taste of homemade caramel…

Whether you use store-bought or homemade, you’ll need about 1 and 3/4 cup for the topping. Start by combining 1 and 1/2 cup of caramel with the toasted shredded unsweetened coconut. If the mixture seems a little “dry,” add more of the caramel, a Tablespoon at a time. You can also use sweetened coconut if you can’t find unsweetened in the store. I just think the caramel makes the coconut topping sweet enough. Oh, and please do NOT skip the coconut-toasting step! This step is absolutely crucial for enhancing the flavor of the coconut.

After you’ve fought off SEVERAL urges to inhale the entire bowl of luscious caramel coconut topping, spread it evenly on top of the cheesecake.

The ganache is super simple. Just heat up some heavy cream (either in a saucepan on the stove, or in a glass measuring in the microwave) and pour it over some chocolate chips. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for a few minutes so that the heat from the cream softens the chocolate chips. Remove the plastic wrap, stir until smooth, and then drizzle the ganache on top of the cheesecake.

At this point, the cheesecake is done. HOWEVER, if you’d like to add a little more pizazz, you can pipe some fluffy whipped cream rosettes along the border of the cheesecake. I’d also recommend crowning each rosette with the star of the show–Samoas!

Oh…and don’t come after me, but I used store-brand “Samoas.” Keebler also makes a Samoa copycat called Coconut Dreams. The nice thing is that you can get these cookies all year round instead of just a few months out of the year…

You’re welcome!

This Samoa Cheesecake is rich, dense, and indulgently creamy! It’s baked in a crisp shortbread cookie crust, topped with caramel coconut topping, drizzled in chocolate ganache, and crowned with everyone's favorite Samoa cookies!

Samoa Cheesecake

This Samoa Cheesecake is rich, dense, and indulgently creamy! It’s baked in a crisp shortbread cookie crust, topped with caramel coconut topping, drizzled in chocolate ganache, and crowned with everyone's favorite Samoa cookies!
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Chill Time 10 hours
Total Time 13 hours 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Slices

Ingredients
  

Shortbread Cookie Crust:

  • 2 ½ cup crushed shortbread cookies (I used 20 Sandies cookies)
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Batter:

  • 32 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs

Caramel Coconut Topping:

  • 2 ½ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Ganache:

  • 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

To Decorate:

  • Fresh whipped cream
  • Samoa Cookies*

Instructions
 

Make the Crust:

  • Preaheat the oven to 350ºF.
  • Using a fork, toss the cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together in a medium bowl. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.

Make the Batter:

  • Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on high until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the cornstarch, vanilla, and salt, and beat until incorporated. Beat in the eggs, two at a time, until combined--try not to overmix.
  • Pour batter into the crust, smoothing out the top. Bake cheesecake for 70-80 minutes, or until center appears nearly set when shaken.
  • Transfer the cheesecake to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before covering cheesecake and chilling in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

Make the Caramel Coconut Topping:

  • Spread coconut evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a 350ºF oven, stirring occasionally, for about 7-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from oven and allow to cool completely while you make the caramel.
  • Pour the water into a medium saucepan. Pour the sugar into the center of the pan, making sure none of the sugar crystals hit the sides. Add the corn syrup.
  • Place pan over medium heat, leaving it alone for the first 5 minutes or until it the color begins to turn yellowish. Once you see some color, gently swirl the pan around occasionally as it boils. Continue boiling until the caramel reaches a golden amber color, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Remove pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Caramel will sizzle and bubble up. Stir in the salt, and continue whisking until caramel is smooth. If needed, return pan over medium-low heat, stirring until caramel is smooth. Transfer to dish or glass measuring cup to cool completely. Caramel will continue to thicken as it cools.
  • Place the toasted coconut into a mixing bowl. Add 1 and 1/2 cup of the caramel, stirring until combined. If mixture looks dry, add more caramel, a tablespoon at a time until you've reached desired consistency. Set aside.

Make the Ganache:

  • Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream into a glass measuring cup, and heat in the microwave until it just begins to boil. Keep a close eye on it! Pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for a few minutes.
  • Remove the plastic wrap and stir until smooth. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

To Assemble:

  • Spread the caramel coconut topping evenly on top of the cheesecake. Drizzle with the ganache. If desired, pipe whipped cream rosettes along the border of the cheesecake and decorate with Samoa cookies. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

*You can use "real" Girl Scout Samoa cookies OR you can use store-brand or Keebler's Coconut Dream cookies.
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