Golden Oreos from scratch with healthier real food ingredients–nothing from a package can compete with these vanilla cream-stuffed sweet cookie sandwiches!
This is a recipe is long overdue. I posted the original easy vegan oreo recipe over a year ago, and I really have no excuse for why it has taken me so long to make it’s cacao-free counterpart.
But I’ve learned a lot about life cookies since that post…
1) As the number of ingredients decreases the willingness to bake increases at a rate of approximately cookie raised to the cream filling-th power.
2) If a cookie isn’t made with oat flour…well it should be. Or at least come with an oat-y option.
3) If a cookie is made with oat flour, it needs some sort of fat source in the dough to be both rollable and not as dry as a saltine cracker in the desert on a hot day after baking.
4) Rolling and cookie cutting leads to much more neat and refined edges than the plop-and-squish method.
5) If you sub cocoa for cacao powder in a 3 ingredient recipe involving a lot of cacao powder you may end up with a bitter cookie. But that one doesn’t really apply here considering the golden part of this version.
6) Coconut butter makes for a much less messy filling than coconut cream and actually hardens into a very Oreo-mimicking texure when chilled.
7) Oreos are already vegan. Oreos are vegan. Did you know Oreos are vegan? Oreos. Are. Vegan. If I had a quarter for every time…then my bag would be real heavy since I only use cash like three times a year.
8) I had way more to say about cookie lessons than I realized…huh.
I originally intended to make these little golden cookie guys similar to the original recipe just minus the chocolate. But unless I was going to change the name from Golden Oreos to Pale & Pasty Oreos and force us both to suffer through the chewy cookie weirdenss that was trial one of this recipe, some tweaking needed to happen. Who would’ve thought cacao powder (or lack thereof) would affect the texture so much?
And when I say “tweaking” what I mean is I overhauled the entire recipe and the only ingredient they have in common at this point is maple syrup. It was for the best.
And when I say “best” what I mean is they are golden, sweet, crispy-edged, soft-centered cookie perfection just waiting to be smushed around a cream filling and cookie monster munched away into the sunset!
When the brown rice flour version flopped, I stared at the bottom shelf of my pantry debating the flour options. Almond flour appealed to me since I know it does golden very well. And tigernut makes a mean shortbread cookie, so it crossed my mind too. Coconut flour would be a sure-fire fail. And where the heck did that gluten-free muffin mix come from?
But since I get lots of questions asking how to sub oat flour into the original Oreo recipe, it is the clear flour favorite. I had my doubts about oat’s ability to pull off this cutout cookie job (see #3 on the list above), but I’m willing to try any most some things once.
My plan for combatting the oat-y dryness was coconut butter. And it worked marvelously. And the cookie dough rolled and cut and even rolled again from the scraps. And they baked into lovely golden Oreo halves. Turns out the cookies just wanted a little bit of that filling richness infused into them too. Can’t blame ’em.
Simple scrumptious 4-ingredient golden cookie–DONE.
The filling just follows right along with the coconut-butter-is-magical theme. Because melted and mixed with a little non-dairy milk and optional sweeter, it makes for a very Oreo-ish cream filling.
As we all know by now, store-bought Oreos are already vegan. But they are not gluten free (which is a bit surprising since everyone seems to be jumping on that right now…Nabisco?) Or made with real food ingredients. Or customizable with about a kazillion potential filling options…
-(My favorite little fruity hack) a banana slice.
–Chocolate ganache for a decadent dessert-eo.
-Fruit jam or jelly in whatever flavor makes you happy.
–Date paste. Because it can do all the things.
–Chocolate protein powder frosting. Or vanilla protein frosting even as long as you have a really non-yucky brand of protein powder.
–Nicecream. Because it can do all the things too, only colder. Nicecream + date paste = power couple.
-Anything else that sounds yummy sandwiched between two cookies!
I am still undecided, but I just might prefer these to the original chocolate version. Which is saying a lot because you know how I feel about chocolate. But there is something about vanilla and coconut and crispy brown edges that I just can’t resist.
Happy coconut cream squished in a cookie-sandwich snacking!
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Golden Oreos from scratch with healthier real-food ingredients–nothing from a package can compete with these vanilla cream-stuffed sweet cookie sandwiches!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup oat flour
- 3 tbsp coconut butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt ((optional))
Cream Filling
- 1/4 cup coconut butter ((softened))
- 2–3 tbsp non-dairy milk
- 1 tbsp maple syrup ((optional))
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Combine all the cookie ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix to form a sticky but roll-able dough.
- Roll out between 2 pieces of wax paper to about 1/4 inch thickness.
- Cut out with a round cookie cutter (or any shape you like). Carefully transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350F. Cool completely before filling.
- For the filling, combine the softened coconut butter and maple syrup (if using). Add the non-dairy milk 1 tbsp at a time. It will initially seize up and become clumpy, but keep stirring and adding milk until it is a thick creamy consistency.
- Dollop onto half of the cookies. Top with the other half to form sandwiches. Refrigerate until the filling is firm.
- Enjoy! Keep in the fridge.
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These photos are so bright, airy, and beautiful!! And these cookies?! Swooooooon.
As a kid I used to get upset when my mom would pick up golden oreos over the chocolate-y ones, but times have changed and I would be happy to have a batch or two of these lil golden gems in front of me! And I appreciate all of your cookie wisdom <3
Well if you were expecting chocolate and suddenly found yourself with vanilla cookiewiches I can absolutely understand the disappointment, but actually I think I prefer the golden to the original. Really it’s the vanilla vs chocolate ice cream debate all over again through…too hard to choose and I love them both for different reasons☺️ And thank you my dear, sooooo want to update the photos on the original post now too?
THESE. Cookies. Oh my. Just… These. COOKIES!! I don’t know which I’m more fond of… the concept of these amazing homemade golden oreos… these beautiful photos… or somehow requesting a batch of these in the mail via BBB post (via a mini portable fridge, of course). Hmm… Also, totally fascinated and wearing my most studious glasses (yes, there is such a thing) whilst reading all the life/cookie lessons you learned during the time between this post and your OG oreos. Thank you for overhauling, I mean tweaking, and besting that old recipe to give us this golden new one! All of your hard work paid off. I’m drooling, ever so attractively, like it’s nobody’s business! Ha. Love this! xoxo
It’s procuring said mini ship-able fridge that is proving to be the tricky part of that request? Will a double batch of cookies and a jar of coconut butter with “some assembly required” do? But you will have to send me a pair of those studious glasses in return because they sound like they could do wonders for my productivity? Thanks missy? Xo
Natalie… you must be a mind reader! I was sincerely looking at your original oreo recipe a few days ago and wondering if there was a way to transform those little cream-filled coins of chocolatey goodness into a scrumptious golden vanilla. You have managed to blow me away yet again. You are truly a culinary genius! Thank you for adding a little extra sunshine to my day and those of countless others. Your talents are truly appreciated and admired- wishing you a wonderful rest of your day!
Ha no way!! Well then I’m glad I decided to share these today, save you the experimenting trouble? Chocolate is delicious and all, but sometimes vanilla + golden calls my name even more! I hope you try them, and thanks for the kind words?
oat flour NEVER disappoints! I actually forgot that golden oreos even existed but I’m 10000000 percent sure that your version tastes 1432143654346265436456543x better! Oh and that coconut butter filling though……<3
I’m pretty sure you got the math just right? So does that mean we need to eat that many cookies now?
Am I able to make the dough ahead of time and freeze it to bake later? BTW These look amazing I might be drooling.
I haven’t tested that with this recipe, but since its not a super puffy cookie that requires a lot of rise it should work fine!
Girl STOP because honestly I am a total chocolate person all the way, but these are actually making me drool and reconsider my cocoa addiction. They look SO cute and poppable and dangerously amazing! First of all, couldn’t support you more on the oat flour route. So many options, and that’s always reliable and tasty. Second, love the idea of using coconut butter as filling! Because you’re so right, it tastes amazing of course but is a little too loose and not very reminiscent of the actual oreo. I also love the idea of your other quick, easy fillings, too! So many options, which means more cookies to eat 🙂 These look to die for, and their golden glow is a little too irresistible!
Persuading people to betray their allegiance to cocoa–that was my goal precisely lol! Yeah I think I might need to make a second batch just to thoroughly “test” all those filling options? Thanks Sara!
Baking with oat flour FTW!!! Literally the BEST GF flour out there!! And of course I discovered it all thanks to YOUUUU! These cookies look incredible. Heck I don’t even like Golden Oreos but I would TOTALLY eat these. 😀
With a little coconut richness oat flour totally kills it on cookie texture and flavor! How do you not like golden Oreos though!?!????
These oreos are perfection! They look so delicious 🙂
Thank you Pamela!! I love chocolate and all, but sometimes a little golden cookie goodness is even better?
OH Natalie this is exactly what I Need right now. Your golden Oreos are perfect. I hope to make them soon. Thank you for this recipe. Many Hugs!
A middle of the week cookie sandwich sounds pretty perfect to me right now too! Thanks for coming over to check them out Annelina❤️
I have eaten an entire box of oreos in one sitting, so I should probably stop what I’m doing now and just make these healthier ones instead. What a genius idea. Love your recipes, Natalie!
Haha been there done that too? Luckily not recently though. And even more luckily one batch only makes 6-8 sandwiches so we are a little safer this way for many reasons? Thanks Nisha!
Oh heck yes! Coconut butter and oat flour is literally one of my favorite combos! You know what is funny is that I never even knew that golden oreos existed and thanks to you I now know they do! Haha! And of course, yours are a billion times healthier than the storebought oreos. I love the original oreos I must admit, they are like crack to me which is why I can never buy them because seriously, I’ll eat half the bag in a matter of mere minutes. They are SO good and with these beauties having their coconut butter in them I know they would be sooo dang delicious too! Crunchy, buttery and healthy…seriously, what’s not to love?! They are just beautiful Natalie!
You didn’t know about golden oreos!?! How sad…or good haha! I remember when they came out and I could plow through a pack of those much faster than the chocolate ones actually. Idk why I’m a total chocoholic too, but I think I prefer my chocolate in straight up bar form and my cookies in vanilla 🙂 The coconut butter in the cookie is of course perfect for moisture/texture as we both know, but it makes the PERFECT oreo cream mimic especially when you chill them and it hardens just right. So yummy! Thanks Brandi <3
I’ve never had a golden Oreo because I know I’d be disappointed. I am a cookie purist – homemade, fresh from the oven all the way! Turns out I have been holding out for this lovely whole-food version. They look incredible! Isn’t coconut butter the greatest?!
Don’t even bother wasting time on the mediocre packaged stuff–I like your style! Warm from the oven plain is often even better if you ask me than waiting for cakes/cookies to cool enough to add frosting 🙂 Thanks Ashley!
Natalie, these pictures are mouthwatering!!! Mine don’t even stand a chance compared to yours! Great recipe and I LOVED the filling more than actual cookie 🙂 thank you for the recipe!
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The filling is so dreamy right!?! It’s one of my favorite ways to make “frosting” lately, so easy and yummy on donuts and cupcakes too 🙂 I am so happy you liked it, enjoy!!
Love these! Not only are the more-real than the packaged golden oreos, theyre SO much prettier too! Cannot wait to try these!
Ha yes the mysterious little disk of cream filling in the store-bought kind…not even going to ask. Coconut instead please! Thank you Karly 🙂
Oh, how I loved the golden oreos back in the day….I actually preferred them over the chocolate ones! But these??? These are gorgeous. Haha! Sounds like you learned a lot since making your original oreo recipe – gotta love cookie lessons. Well I’m glad you tweaked the recipe because Pale & Pasty just doesn’t quite have the right ring to it 😉 Can we talk about the filling for a moment? Heaven. Perfection. If I were to make these, I’d be content with just the filling…Willow could eat the actual cookie 😉 No, but really, these look fantastic – especially because you rolled the dough and used cookie cutters to create perfect little circles. We devoured the original oreos that you created, so I know these would be a hit, too. I absolutely LOVED the video for these! So much fun! I’ve been working on an AIP cookie sandwich recipe myself, but they look nowhere near as wonderful as these! Oh, and funny that you should mention finding that gluten-free muffin mix while scanning your flours…that happened to me, too! Hope you have a great week, Natalie! <3
An AIP sandwich cookie–oooh I hope that works out!! Soon! You have that really yummy sugar cookie already though, I imagine it could be tweaked and stuffed 🙂 I actually always preferred the golden ones too! Haha sounds like the perfect cookie sharing system. Hmmm well apparently the world (or maybe just our pantries) is telling us to make muffins lol. But I like the AIP sandwich cookie plan better, so let’s just ignore it 😀
Can you make Oat flour out of oats in the blendtec?
Yes absolutely!! That’s how I always do it, much cheaper 🙂
I made these cookies today and they were a crowd pleaser. The only change I made was adding a bit of cinnamon to the batter. They don’t taste like golden oreos with the cinnamon but they were delightful. I didn’t feel they needed the filling. I don’t care for filling in regular oreos anyway.
Something made me get coconut butter at the store today and I’m so glad I did as I was able to try this recipe. Thank you!
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Oh I love the sound of your non-sandwiched cinnamon version Gerry! Haha random grocery purchases for no reason ftw🙌😂 Appreciate your feedback!
That cream filling 😍 it’s the best. I make a similar sandwich cookie (though based in almonds, not dates) with a coconut butter filling… it’s the bestest and you’ve captured it so well in the photos I’m hungry for a cookie now!
I almost made the cookie out of almond flour actually but to avoid all the inevitable oat-y questions I switched. I bet it tastes buttery and amazing with the almonds though!!😋
lol I just realized that I wrote dates instead of oats 😮 Glad you knew what I meant anyways 😀
Well, now that you have an oat version, better make an almond too — you can just tell the oat crowd to come here instead 😉
DEFINITELY have to try these! Do you think I could opt for agave nectar instead of the maple syrup? Thank you! <3
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Yep, agave will be fine too! Enjoy Jessica 🙂
I’ll be making these in a few days and can’t wait!
I tried signing up for your newsletter on my phone but there’s no submit button after clicking that I’ve consented and have read and agreed to the privacy policy. Worked fine on my laptop, though!
And at the top of this post it says: [wprm-recipe-jump]
Thought you might want to know. 🙂
Ah can’t wait to hear what you think! Hmm weird about the signup, I’ll look into it on mobile. I do everything on my laptop so I forget to check that–thanks for letting me know. Ha I know, I need to go back through and delete all those [wprm-recipe-jump]…so many little things to do always😆
Really good!! Will definitely be saving this recipe to make again!!
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Aw yay!! I am so happy you liked them🤗
I made a half batch of these the night before a trip and ate them all before we left. 😀 Haha. Oh well. They were delicious! I’ll make a double batch next time. 😉 Thanks for the recipe!
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Hahaha!! Well so much for travel snacks😆 But still a good sign…snacks for while you pack should be a thing too😉
what can you use in stand of maple syrupy?
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Any liquid sweetener will work, like honey or agave too!
How would I make a lemon filling? Lemon juice in place of the liquid and maybe some zest?
Yep, just swap in lemon juice for the nondairy milk and yes like a tsp of zest too! That sounds delicious, great idea🍋🍋😋