No Bake Samoa Cheesecake

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This No Bake Samoa Cheesecake is the perfect treat to cure your Girl Scout cookie craving! It’s full of caramel, cookies, coconut, and chocolate. All of the flavors in a Samoa Girl Scout cookie; no actual Samoas required.

Why You’ll Love This Samoa Cheesecake Recipe

• Great texture. Between the slightly softened vanilla wafers in the creamy filling, the subtle chew of toasted coconut, and the slight crunch of mini chocolate chips, this dessert has the perfect combination of textures.
• Even better than the cookie. This no bake dessert turns the concept of Samoa Girl Scout cookies into a cheesecake. Amazing! And you don’t even have to wait for Girl Scout cookie season. You can make this dessert any time of year. No actual Samoas required.
• No bake. No problem. I love a good no bake dessert. This one in particular is so easy to put together and you don’t have to worry about hanging out by the oven for extended periods of time. Just assemble and chill!

What You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Samoa cheesecake recipe. Check out the recipe card below for precise measurements.

Crust

• Oreo crumbs – You’ll want to leave the filling in the Oreos. The crust uses less butter to account for it, so no need to spend time removing it.
• Unsalted butter – To hold the crumbs together. You could use salted, as well.

Cheesecake Filling

• Cream cheese – Allow the cream cheese to soften to room temperature before using. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a lumpy filling. You also want to use brick-style full fat cream cheese, which is thicker than tub-style and reduce fat versions.
• Granulated sugar and light brown sugar – The use of brown sugar in addition to granulated sugar deepens the flavor of the filling a bit.
• Vanilla extract and coconut extract
• Caramel Sauce – I made my own but you could use a store-bought version. Just note that your filling won’t thicken up quite as much.
• Vanilla wafer cookies
• Toasted sweetened coconut flakes – You can buy toasted sweetened coconut flakes, but I like to toast my own.
• Heavy whipping cream – Start with cold heavy cream. If it’s too warm, it won’t whip up and hold volume properly.
• Powdered sugar – The powdered sugar adds sweetness and also helps to stabilize the whipped cream and, thus, the filling to keep its volume.

Topping

• Mini chocolate chips – I prefer the size of mini chocolate chips here (they add a nice little crunch) but standard chocolate chips will also work. So would chopped or shaved chocolate.
• Toasted sweetened coconut flakes – You can buy toasted sweetened coconut flakes or toast your own.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips will also do the trick.
• Heavy whipping cream
• Caramel Sauce – A store-bought version will also do the trick.

Can I Use Store-Bought Sauces?

If you’re short on time, you can use store-bought caramel sauce and replace the chocolate ganache with store-bought chocolate sauce. The dessert will still be delicious but the cheesecake filling won’t get quite as thick. This is because homemade caramel sauce firms up in the fridge while store-bought sauce stays on the thinner side.

If you’re going to go with store-bought products, I suggest Smucker’s Chocolate Sundae Syrup and/or Smucker’s Caramel Sundae Syrup.

How To Make No Bake Samoa Cheesecake

Here’s a quick overview of how to make this decadent no bake dessert. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

• Prep. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Make the crust. Combine the crust ingredients and press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
• Toast the coconut flakes. Spread coconut onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, tossing every couple of minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

• Make the filling base. Beat the cream cheese and sugars together until smooth. Stir in the extracts and 1/2 cup caramel sauce. Fold in the cookies and toasted coconut.
• Add volume. Whip the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form and gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese base.

• Assemble. Spread 1/3 of the cheesecake filling over the crust and use a knife to swirl ¼ cup caramel sauce into the filling. Repeat once and then top with the remaining cheesecake filling.
• Chill. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours.

• Top. Remove your cheesecake from the springform pan, set it on a serving platter, and top with mini chocolate chips and toasted coconut flakes.
• Make the chocolate ganache. Microwave the heavy cream just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
• Finishing touches. Drizzle the ganache and the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the cheesecake.

Tips for Success

Ready to celebrate some serious Girl Scout cookie flavor? Follow these simple tips and tricks to learn how to get this recipe right the first time.

• Use a springform pan. Trust me. While you can line a regular cake pan with plastic wrap and a cardboard cake circle, a springform pan makes things much easier.
• Keep things moving. When toasting the coconut flakes, give them a stir every couple of minutes so they don’t burn.
• Room temperature cream cheese. It’s important to allow your cream cheese to soften to room temperature before you make the filling. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a lumpy filling.
• Cold heavy cream. The heavy cream in the filling needs to be cold. Otherwise, it won’t hold volume properly and you’ll end up with a flat cheesecake filling.
• Fold gently. When folding the whipped cream into the filling, do so gently in order to avoid knocking the volume out of the whipped cream.
• Careful with the knife. When swirling the caramel sauce into the cheesecake layers, be careful not to poke through to the crust. If you poke a hole in the crust, the filling will leak through.
• Don’t skip the chill. This no bake cheesecake needs ample time in the fridge to firm up. So give it a full 4-5 hours before you add the toppings. Otherwise, it will fall apart when you try to remove the sides of the springform pan.

Proper Storage

• Refrigerator. Seal the cheesecake in an airtight cake carrier or wrap it tightly with a double layer of plastic wrap. You can also arrange slices in a single layer in an airtight container. This dessert will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer. Flash freeze the cheesecake for about an hour. Wrap the cheesecake tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap or arrange slices in a single layer in an airtight container. You can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the cheesecake to thaw in the fridge before diving back in.

More No Bake Cheesecake Recipes

• No Bake Vanilla Cheesecake
• No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
• No Bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Cheesecake
• No Bake Oreo Cheesecake
• No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake
• No Bake Toasted Coconut Cheesecake
• No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

Watch How To Make It

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