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I have been hearing much debate about this topic, but most have claimed that oreos are in fact actually already vegan. For the sake of this blog post, I decided to take a look around to confirm this. Peta UK and Huffington Post, two I would deem as reputable sources of information, both included this fact in their 44 Accidentally Vegan Snack Foods and 12 Surprising Vegan Foods posts, respectively. However, Oreo UK states in their FAQ page that “oreo is not suitable for vegans as they have the cross contact of milk.” I could not find a statement from the US branch of the company but I did see that oreos contain palm oil, and that was a red flag to turn away.
Regardless if they are or not, in the end, we shouldn’t be eating this ‘food’. Just take a look at the ingredients: sugar, unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, high oleic canola and palm oil), cocoa, high fructose corn syrup, leavening, cornstarch, salt, soy lecithin, vanillin (artificial flavor) and chocolate. Hell to the no thank you. My ingredients are not only simple, but also contain whole food ingredients, stuff that you can pronounce, identify, and benefit from consuming.Although my recipe is not identical in flavor to this traditional cookie, it is meant to be my healthy twist on a classic favorite. I used to scarf down oreos like there was no tomorrow, and now with this recipe, I can do just that…all of them ๐I had so much fun putting this recipe together, the anticipation of finally being able to go back to an old favorite of mine, in a healthier form was exciting. While these bake, your home will smell not only like chocolate, but like brownies! I swear. And to my surprise, these cookies were light and fluffy, as opposed to a traditional crunchy oreo. I actually prefer the former, because when I ate the cookies, I did too feel light (and fluffy, hehe). Make sure you tag me on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan or twitter @sweetsimpleveg and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of my recipes, I love to see your photos!
PrintHealthy Vegan Oreos {gluten-free}
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 20
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookies
- Dry:
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour*
- ยผ cup cacao or cocoa powder
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- Wet:
- 8 pitted dates, soaked for 30 minutes in warm water
- 1/4 cup coconut oil*
- 2 tbs date soaking liquid
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Filling
- 1/4 cup vegan powdered sugar*
- 3 tbs coconut butter
- 2 tbs almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cookies
- Combine dry ingredients (oat flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda) and stir.
- In a high speed blender or food processor, combine all liquid ingredients (1 teaspoon vanilla extract, coconut oil, dates) until uniform.
- Mix wet into dry to form the dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ยบ F.
- Roll out dough 1/2″ thick and cut circles using a 1 1/2″ diameter glass.
- Bake for 10 minutes, and cool completely on tray before filling.
Filling
- Blend all of the filling ingredients in a small food processor until smooth.
- Spread 1 teaspoon filling between two cooled cookies. You can then, if you would like, place them into the fridge for 10 minutes so filling firms up a bit.
- Store in the fridge, but allow it to sit at room temperature for 8-10 minutes to soften up before consuming.
Notes
-If you do not have oat flour, simply take 1 cup gluten-free oats and grind it in a high speed blender until a flour is formed.
-I used refined to avoid an added coconut flavor, but feel free to use what you prefer.
-If you can’t find any vegan powdered sugar, simply make your own by grinding sugar in a high speed blender until a powder is formed.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
Much healthier version of Oreos, I love it! Great recipe, I’ll definitely try this one out. Thank you for sharing!
What a great idea! I know Oreos are accidentally vegan but they’re still garbage – these look so much better!