Easy Samoa Cheesecake Recipe
My two favorite Girl Scout Cookies are Thin Mints and Samoas (or Caramel DeLites, depending on your area). In my childhood and teen years when calories and fat didn’t exist, I could literally polish off a sleeve of Thin Mints or half of a box of Samoas in a sitting. So for me the ultimate indulgence dessert comes in the form of this beloved homemade Samoa Cheesecake! The cheesecake itself is smooth, creamy, rich, sweet yet tangy, and dare I say just perfect. This decadent cheesecake is perched on top of an Oreo cookie crumb crust. To top the cheesecake, there’s a mixture of chewy toasted shredded coconut, caramel, and melted chocolate which makes it visually resemble Samoas Cookies. If you’re a little nervous about making cheesecake from scratch, don’t be! A water bath and some cooling time may seem cumbersome, but I promise that these steps are easy follow. And as soon as you take your first bite of this incredible cheesecake, you’ll see that your labor of love was well worth the effort. This is a special occasion dessert that’s perfect for the holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or make it for Valentine’s Day, a special birthday or anniversary, or anytime you’re wanting to recreate Girl Scout Cookie season in your own kitchen!
Ingredients in Samoas Cheesecake
Everything you need for your showstopping Samoas cheesecake are common and easy to find ingredients including the following: For the Crust:
Oreos Butter
For the Cheesecake:
Cream cheese Granulated sugar Light brown sugar Heavy cream Sour cream Vanilla extract Lime juice Salt Egg yolks Cornstarch
For the Samoa topping:
Sweetened shredded coconut Caramel sauce Chocolate chips
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Samoa Cheesecake with Oreo Crust
Every step of this process is straightforward and my goal is to keep the directions easy to follow despite it looking like a lot of words. Cheesecakes just are. Remember to scroll all the way down to the actual recipe card for full details! You’re going to appreciate how simple this impressive recipe really is so let’s get started!
Crust and Batter
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 9-inch springform pan by lining the base with parchment paper and spray well with cooking spray. Step 2: Blend whole Oreos in your food processor until you have crumbs. Then combine the crushed Oreos and butter until a wet sand forms. Press the crust into the prepared pan and form an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool and preheat the oven to 400°F. Step 3: In a stand mixer (or handheld electric mixer) beat together the cream cheese, brown sugar, and white sugar using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Step 4: Once smooth and creamy, add in the heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla extract, lime juice, salt, and beat until combined. If cream cheese lumps do remain at the end of making the batter, simply press them against the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula to disperse them as best as possible. Step 5: Add the egg yolks and beat for 15 seconds to incorporate before lastly adding the cornstarch and beating. Step 6: Pour the batter on top of the crust.
Baking Process
Step 7: Wrap the bottom and sides of the springform pan very well with heavy duty foil to prevent water from seeping in. Step 8: Place the springform pan into a larger baking pan and fill the larger pan with 1-inch of warm water. Step 9: Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Reduce to 250°F and bake for another hour and 15 minutes.
Cooling Process
Step 10: Turn off the heat and let the cheesecake sit in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes. I like to use a deep 9-13-inch roasting pan which is just big enough to encase the cheesecake. I also prop it up on the wire rack that comes with the pan but this is optional if you don’t have a wire rack – because remember – you wrapped your springform pan very well already with foil so water doesn’t leak in. Another option is a 9×13-inch baking pan depending on the exact measurements of both the baking pan and the springform pan. If you do not have a deep enough pan to fill with 1-inch of water, simply use a pan with enough depth or lip to hold a little bit of water. Partway through baking, add more water to the pan so that there is always water to steam. Step 11: Then, open the door and let the dessert rest for 30 minutes in the oven door open. Step 12: Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack to cool completely before transferring to the fridge and chill it for 8 hours.
Topping and Assembly
Step 13: Toast the shredded coconut and combine it with caramel sauce. And then chill for 8 hours in the fridge. Don’t shortcut the chilling time. This aids in completely setting the cheesecake which enhances the creaminess of it. Step 14: Spread the caramel coconut mixture all over the cheesecake. Step 15: Place additional caramel sauce into a small bag. Step 16: Melt the chocolate chips and add them into a small bag. Step 17: Drizzle the caramel sauce and melted chocolate over the top before slicing and serving your Samoas cheesecake with Oreo crust!
Ingredient Substitutions
Although this chocolate, caramel, and coconut cheesecake is absolutely dreamy perfection as written, if you’re wondering about substitutions, here are the most common:
Oreos – Not an Oreo lover? You can use graham crackers instead for a more traditional crust. Use the Graham Cracker Crust portion of the recipe from my Best No-Bake Cheesecake. Sugars – I use half white and half brown sugar in my cheesecake batter. After lots of trial and error, I find this to be just perfect, but can use all granulated sugar.. Sour Cream – Plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of the sour cream. Just note that there will simply be less acidity to enhance the cheesecake flavor. Cornstarch – All-purpose flour can be used instead. Simply increase the amount used to 3 tablespoons rather than the 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch that I call for.
Serving Suggestions for Samoa Cheesecake
Based on how rich and decadent this Samoas cheesecake is, thanks not only to the Oreo crust, creamy filling, and coconut, don’t forget there’s also melted chocolate and additional caramel sauce drizzled on top. Meaning, you really don’t need to serve it “with” anything. Maybe a cup of coffee or espresso. If you have extra caramel sauce on hand, you can also make my homemade Caramel Macchiato {Starbucks Copycat}.
Storage Instructions
This cheesecake makes a big amount. As long as you’re going through the work of making a cheesecake, leftovers aren’t a bad idea! The cheesecake will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips for the Best Samoa Cheesecake
When considering making this homemade Samoa cheesecake recipe, there is plenty to take into account! For quick serving and thawing purposes, I like to slice the cheesecake, wrap each slice very well in saran wrap, then freeze the slices. It’s less bulky to store slices wrapped in plastic wrap in my freezer than in containers, but you can use containers instead if you can make that work. When I’m ready for a slice, I take one out of the freezer, let it set on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes to thaw, and enjoy. Here are some of my tips and highlights at the top of my list that I want to be sure to share with you: Oreos – The recipe calls for 3 cup of Oreo cookie crumbs. You have two options: Cream Cheese – You’ll need three 8-ounce packages of brick-style cream cheese. I use the Philadelphia brand. Do not use anything type of “cream cheese” product labeled lite, fat free, spreadable, or whipped. Your cheesecake will not turn out since most are made with lots of water and fillers. Heavy Cream – Use heavy cream and not half-and-half. Sour Cream – You need full-fat sour cream. You may substitute with full-fat Greek yogurt, plain flavor. Do not use regular yogurt (non-Greek yogurt) because it’s too runny and your cheesecake won’t set up. If you do use Greek yogurt, your cheesecake won’t have quite as much tanginess compared to if you use sour cream. Eggs – Make sure to use large eggs and not another size. Save the whites for another use like this show stopping White Layer Cake. Or just make scrambled eggs with the whites. Lime vs. Lemon Juice – Lime juice enhances the flavor of the cream cheese helping to bring out that classic cheesecake flavor. Lemon juice adds to the tartness of the cream cheese, however it is more prominent or detectable in the final overall flavor of the cheesecake than lime juice. Lime juice enhances and lemon juice adds flavor. That’s why I choose lime. Cornstarch – This is what I suggest for the best texture in your homemade cheesecake, although if you don’t have it, use 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour instead. Coconut – I use Baker’s Sweetened Shredded Coconut. It’s my gold standard in baking. Coconut can vary a ton from brand to brand in terms of the size, thickness it’s cut, coarseness, softness, sweetness, moisture, and on it goes. Use Baker’s or a very similar type of coconut for best results. Make sure the coconut is sweetened because unsweetened coconut isn’t what you want. Caramel Sauce – You need 2 1/2 cups (or about 20 ounces) total.
More Easy Cheesecake Dessert Recipes:
Best No-Bake Cheesecake — Look no further than this EASY recipe for PERFECT no-bake cheesecake with a tangy, cream cheese-forward flavor, and a homemade graham cracker crust! Impress your family and friends by serving them the BEST no-bake cheesecake after a special family dinner, as a holiday dessert, or anytime you’re craving perfect cheesecake! Pay special attention to the baking process, including lowering the oven temp from 400F to 250F after 15 minutes, and then allowing the cheesecake to stay in the water bath in a powered-off oven with the door shut for 30 minutes, and then out of the water bath but in the oven with the door open for 30 more minutes. Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Mini Easter Cheesecake Bites — These cute little cheesecakes are perfect for Easter! Creamy cheesecake filling sits atop a shortbread crust and is topped with a cheesecake pudding whipped cream, coconut, and mini chocolate eggs! Strawberry Cheesecake Bars — Soft, buttery bars topped with cheesecake and swirled with strawberry jam! The best of all worlds in these fast, easy, and AMAZING bars!! Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars – EASY bars that taste like crème brûlée met a cheesecake on the way to the oven with a sugar cookie crust!! Rich, sinfully decadent, and a great make-ahead dessert for parties and events!! Easiest Crustless Cheesecake — No crust to make and whiz the batter together in the blender!! Easy, foolproof, and so good!! Death by Chocolate No-Bake Cheesecake Bars — Only for serious chocoholics because they’re rich, creamy, decadent, and loaded with chocolate!! NO-BAKE and an easy MAKE-AHEAD dessert!! Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars — A super chewy crust made with butterscotch chips and graham cracker crumbs that also doubles as the topping!! The silky smooth tangy cheesecake layer is the PERFECT contrast! A simple recipe that FAR EXCEEDED expectations!! Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars — These caramel apple cheesecake bars feature a buttery crust that’s topped with cheesecake and spiced apples. After they’re done baking, the bars are drizzled with salted caramel sauce! Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars — These bars are full of the flavors of fall! The soft yet dense apple cheesecake layer tops a crisp, brown sugar-graham cracker crust, while gooey, salted caramel drenches the top. Yum!! Salted Caramel Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars — These pumpkin cheesecake bars are a texture lover’s dream with a crisp brown sugar-graham cracker crust, a soft yet dense pumpkin cheesecake layer, and gooey soft salted caramel swirls the run like a river over the surface. No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes — These no-bake mini cheesecakes require just 5 ingredients and don’t require you to turn on your oven! Perfect for holiday parties, birthdays, and more!
