Homemade Paleo Oreos with a vegan option. These cookies are also gluten-free and nut-free and will help satisfy your Oreo craving without blowing your diet!
Who doesn’t loves Oreo cookies?!?
Oreos are a sweet treat that I’ve wanted to recreate for a while now. Every now and then I get a craving for foods I ate as a child. There’s something about the nostalgia of eating the foods I had when I was young that brings me back to those carefree days of long summers with no school and no worries! I remember going swimming or jumping on the trampoline with my sister in the backyard while stuffing our faces with cookies and not knowing or caring at all about our health! Ahh…to be a kid again.
Oreos were one of my favorite childhood snacks. And now, I occasionally find myself wondering down the cookie aisle in the grocery store. My eyes catch that blue Oreo bag; I stop in my tracks and stare at the package thinking, “why not?” And then I pick up the bag, turn it over, and look at the ingredients…
Ingredients of a Nabisco Oreo cookie:
SUGAR, ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), HIGH OLEIC CANOLA OIL AND/OR PALM OIL AND/OR CANOLA OIL, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, BAKING SODA, CORNSTARCH, SALT, SOY LECITHIN (EMULSIFIER), VANILLIN-AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CHOCOLATE
Although I’ve definitely seen worse ingredients, for me I know that eating even just a few Oreos will ultimately lead to heartburn, a stomachache, and worst of all – regret.
How to read an ingredient list:
When you look at a food product label, the ingredients are listed by quantity or prominence. So the first ingredient listed is therefore the most prominent or has the highest quantity than any of the following ingredients. In the case of Oreo cookies, sugar makes the top of the list and then is spotted half way through again (high fructose corn syrup). So…yah, these cookies are pretty much loaded with sugar!
Another thing to be mindful of when reading a product label is any ingredient that includes the word “artificial.” That should definitely raise some red flags. Do you want to be eating something artificial? Didn’t think so. I have one more little rule of thumb when it comes to reading an ingredient list: If you can’t pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t be eating it. Unless it’s a foreign word, (non-English or in Latin, for instance) if you don’t know what it is, don’t put it in your mouth. Luckily the ingredients in Oreo cookies seem somewhat straight forward, except for the variety of oils that it could contain. I’ll vent on that later.
Ingredients in these Homemade Paleo Oreos:
COCONUT FLOUR, COCOA POWDER, TAPIOCA POWDER, MAPLE SYRUP, BAKING SODA, SEA SALT, COCONUT OIL, VANILLA EXTRACT, POWDERED MONK FRUIT, GRASS-FED BUTTER.
Hmmm…I bet you know what all of those ingredients are?? Hooray! So in my take on this childhood favorite, I’ve replaced the processed flour with coconut flour, which is made from – you guessed it – coconut! In place of “high oleic canola oil and/or palm oil, and/or canola oil”, I use coconut oil. (Let the venting begin): What’s with the 3 possible oils you’re using, Nabisco? Will you guys please make up your minds and give it to us straight?! Ok, venting over. In place of refined white sugar and high fructose corn syrup, I sweeten these cookies with maple syrup. And instead of that ghastly artificial flavor: vanillin, I use good old vanilla extract.
A much healthier alternative:
All in all this recipe offers a much healthier version of Oreo cookies. Your sweet tooth will be satiated and your body kept free of artificial flavors, refined flours and oils, and tons of sugar. Your teeth, stomach, and brain all thank you. I thank you. Your future self thanks you. There’s just gratitude galore going around!
I hope you as you bite into my Homemade Oreo cookies they bring you back to carefree days of dunking cookies in milk and rolling down grass hills!
Specialty Ingredients for this Recipe:
Homemade Paleo Oreos
Paleo | Gluten-Free | Vegan option
Ingredients
Chocolate cookie:
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder double dutch
- 1/2 cup tapioca powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (or agave) room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons coconut oil softened
Cream Center:
- 1 and 1/2 cups powdered monk fruit sweetener or powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted grass-fed butter (or vegan butter for vegan option) room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened plant milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the coconut flour, cocoa powder, tapioca flour, baking soda, xanthan gum and sea salt using a whisk to remove any lumps. In a separate smaller bowl cream together the softened coconut oil and maple syrup. If the coconut oil is in solid form, warm slightly in the microwave to a soft, but not liquid state.
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Combine the wet to the dry. The dough will seem to dry at first, but keep mixing. I like to use clean, damp hands to work together. If your coconut oil was too warm, the batter might be too wet. If this is the case, simply cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 10 - 15 minutes to firm up.
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Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of your batter into a ball and place on baking sheet. Flatten gently with your hand.
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These cookies wont spread, so make them as wide as you would like them to ultimately be. I prefer them about the size of a typical Oreo, or slightly bigger. Bake for about 8 – 10 minutes.
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In the meantime make the cream filling. In a small bowl using a handheld or stand mixer beat the butter. Add the powdered sugar, plant milk and vanilla extract. Beat until creamy and combined. The cream filling is thick. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until ready to use.
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Once the cookies are done baking, don’t remove from the baking sheet. Let them cool on the counter for about 5 minutes, and then place in the freezer to chill completely. This will take about 5 - 10 minutes.
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Once cookies are cooled, spread one bottom side with cream filling and top with a second cookie.
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Store these cookies in the fridge so that the cream center stays firm. I've noticed that storing them uncovered in the fridge allows them to develop a nice crunch similar to traditional Oreos!
If you make this recipe, let us know with a comment below or tag us with your photos on Instagram @NaturalTastyChef or on Facebook @Alison Charbonneau, Natural Tasty Chef! We LOVE hearing about and seeing your re-creations ?
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