Coconut Caramel Cookie Tart (Gluten-Free)

This Coconut Caramel Cookie Tart tastes similar to a Samoa cookie. Each beautiful wedge of the tart is drizzled with chocolate ganache and ready to dive into!

When I was a little girl, I was a Brownie and Girl Scout. I was proud to wear my uniform each week, work to earn my badges and attend the meetings with my friends. I learned to sing the national anthem for our scout meetings. When my family moved to Portland, Oregon, being in the Girl Scouts helped me make friends and feel more at home.

As any Girl Scout knows, the biggest fund-raiser of the year is cookie sales and there is a lot of pressure to sell the most boxes. I was incredibly shy as a child and this was the hardest part of year for me. Unlike most of my friend’s parents, my dad refused to take orders at the office. He believed that it was my responsibility to make all the sales myself. Needless to say, I was never the high-seller in my troop.

I had two favorites, the shortbreads and the coconut cookies called Samoas or Caramel deLites. Today’s Chocolate Monday treat is a spin on the Samoa … the cookie has become a tart! That’s right folks, you get the all the flavors of the cookies in a classy, creamy, coconuty tart that is the cat’s meow for coconut lovers! Eating this tart was like taking a walk down memory lane.

In order to make this gluten-free, I substituted my favorite nut crust that I use with cheesecakes. It worked perfectly and the almonds complemented the flavor of the coconut without making the tart too sweet. If you don’t have to avoid gluten, you can use a regular graham cracker crust – either way this Coconut Caramel Tart is a real winner!

While I was making the filling, my house smelled like a candy factory and I was in heaven! The caramel is made with coconut milk, giving it a subtle coconut flavor that is delightful. My mind is swirling with ideas of how to utilize this caramel in other desserts.

But what I love most is that if you are cooking for people who cannot eat dairy, this is a dairy-free caramel! If you want to make this a wholly dairy-free dessert, swap out the butter in the crust and chocolate drizzle with alternatives such as Earth Balance Spread and Enjoy Life Foods brands.

If you are a coconut lover, this Coconut Caramel Cookie Tart is the dessert for you. If you want even more chocolate, you could spread the entire surface with a layer of ganache and create a dessert that would be close to the flavors of a Mounds or Almond Joy bar. Hmmm, that might just be a future version of this tart, LOL!

Happy Chocolate Monday everyone!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!

 

Ingredients needed for Coconut Caramel Cookie Tart:

• Almond flour, sugar, butter, unsweetened coconut milk, brown sugar
• Salt, vanilla, unsweetened coconut, chocolate chips, oil or butter

 

PRO Tip:

For the easiest way to drizzle your baked goods with chocolate and other glazes, pour the warm-to-the-touch chocolate into a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Press it into one corner and twist the top to close the bag. Turn it point side up in your palm and use scissors to trim the point of the corner off. Start with a tiny hole and then cut more off if you want a thicker stream. You can also use a piping bag with a tip if you prefer.  

 

How to make Coconut Caramel Cookie Tart:

1. Make the Crust: Lightly butter a 10-inch springform pan and set aside. Mix together the almond flour and sugar then add the butter and stir with a fork until crumbly. Press into the bottom and part way up the sides of the prepared pan. Bate at 350°F for about 12 minutes until browned around the edges. Remove from the oven.
2. Prepare the Filling: Combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, and salt in a saucepan, whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and simmer about 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking at a low simmer for an additional 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and syrupy.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla then set aside to cool. When warm but not hot stir in the coconut and milk, whisking until smooth. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
5. Pour filling into the cooled crust, smoothing the top with an off-set spatula. Set aside while you make the ganache.
6. Make the Ganache: Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan with the oil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat when most of the chips have melted and continue stirring off the heat until smooth and completely melted.
7. Decorate the Tart: Drizzle the ganache over the top of the tart. Let the chocolate set up and cool before cutting the tart into wedges and serving.

 

PRO Tip:

You can make the filling in advance. Store, covered, in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave about 15 seconds to soften slightly and return to a pourable consistency before continuing with the recipe.

 

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Kitchen scale
• 10-inch springform pan
• Mixing bowls
• Medium saucepan
• Whisk
• Off-set spatula
• Small saucepan

 

Gluten-Free Tips:

By using the almond crust, these cookie bars are gluten-free!

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

*You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.

 

 

 

 

Create a New Tradition Today!

 

Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. This post was first shared in Sept 2013. The article was updated in 2023.