A sandwich cookie so wholesome it can incorporated into a super balanced breakfast or eaten as a snack. What?! These cookies are full of fiber, whole ingredients, no refined sugars, and much healthier fat from almond butter instead of oil. What’s more is the cream filling is made using a very healthy surprise vegetable ingredient.
The oatmeal cookies can also be frosted individually to make frosted cookies. They are also completely delicious and flavorful on their own and can be baked solo without making the cream filling component if desired.
What’s the secret ingredient for the sandwich filling? A sweet potato! A Japanese sweet potato, specifically. Japanese sweet potatoes have a sweet, pleasantly nutty taste. Because of their sweetness, Japanese sweet potatoes lend themselves well to baked goods and desserts. They also make a great base for “cream” due to their starchy, firm texture so the cream filling naturally holds its shape. Think how sweet a sweet potato pie or casserole can be, and using a sweet potato makes sense as a stand in for buttercream.
Japanese sweet potatoes are the best in this application because of their white color and neutral taste, but I believe a regular sweet potato would work great as well. The buttercream would simply be a darker color.
If the idea of sweet potato buttercream seems a little too out there, cashew cream would also be delicious. Simply add soaked cashews and maple syrup to the bowl of a food processor, adding liquid until it’s the right consistency. I’d use 1 to 1 1/2 cup of cashews, 2 to 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, and 1/4 – 1/2 cups of non-dairy milk. If there’s any leftover, cashew cream is amazingly delicious with just about anything, but especially with berries, on top of pancakes, muffins, or oatmeal.
Ingredients for these healthier Oatmeal Cream Pie Sandwiches—
— Sprouted spelt and oat flour are the flours used in this recipe. Spelt flour, especially when the grains have been sprouted prior to milling, has enhanced nutritional benefits. The nutrients and vitamins contained within the grain become more bioavailable, and the fiber remains intact, which is very important. Sprouting also aids with digesting whole grains. If unable to find sprouted flour or even regular spelt flour, opt for a whole wheat. This recipe has been tested with sprouted whole wheat, as well as some chickpea flour with wonderful results! The oat flour used in this recipe is homemade–simply grind oats in the food processor until a fine flour forms. Homemade oat flour isn’t as finely milled as store-bought, but I find some store-bought brands can become gloopy.
— Quick-cooking oats… because it wouldn’t be an oatmeal cookie without oatmeal! Quick-cooking oats are also called instant oats. Make sure to use plain oats without anything added.
— Almond butter is used instead of oil or butter to make a healthier treat. I used homemade roasted almond butter, but store-bought natural drippy almond butter is great too. I always buy nut butters that are 100% nuts or seeds without added oils or sugars–just give it a good stir before. A different nut butter can be substituted, but I’d recommend avoiding peanut butter and tahini as they may dominate the other flavors.
— Date syrup and date sugar are the unrefined sweeteners in the cookies, and maple syrup is used in the cream filling. If date syrup and sugar aren’t in your pantry, I’d highly suggest buying some. They are arguably the healthiest sweeteners around–the fiber remains intact and it has a lovely caramel taste that sometimes I prefer over maple syrup. Maple syrup is used in the filling to sweeten the sweet potato, only because it is lighter in color than date syrup.
— A Japanese sweet potato is the surprise ingredient that makes up the filling. You just need a medium sized potato, and it can either be baked (the longest method), steamed in the microwave, or steamed in the instant pot (my preferred method). Be aware that microwaving the potato can result in a drier, starchy potato if overcooked.
Making vegan oatmeal cream pies—
— These cookies are so easy to make and really can be made in one bowl. All you need is a spatula or spoon for mixing. However, it is suggested to use a stand mixer to make the cream filling. A stand mixer smooths out any lumps from the sweet potato and makes a smooth, fluffy cream that would be difficult to do by hand. I think a potato ricer could also be used in place of a mixer, as a ricer would prevent lumps and make the potato fluffier.
— Chia seeds, specifically ground chia seeds, are used as an egg replacement. A flax egg (one tablespoon ground flax + three tablespoons water) should work perfectly fine in this recipe, but I have gravitated toward using chia seeds because they bind with liquid more efficiently and become viscus like an egg. I find ground chia seeds work best, but a tablespoon (12 grams) of whole chia seeds will work as well, but they won’t disappear into baked goods like ground chia seeds. Ground chia seeds can be bought pre-ground or they can be milled in a spice grinder at home.
— These cookies have a delicate spiced flavor from the cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, and optional maple extract. The cardamom really lends a delicate flavor profile to the cookies–it’s one of my favorite spices. It helps to use good quality ground cardamom and cinnamon that haven’t been sitting in your spice rack for too long. A touch of maple extract is added to the cream filling which gives it a well-rounded flavor that complements the spices.
HEALTHIER OATMEAL CREAM PIES (COOKIE SANDWICHES)
Makes 16-18 cookies or 8-9 sandwiches
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE COOKIES
- 3/4 cup (90 g) spelt flour
- 1/4 cup (30 g) oat flour
- 3/4 cup (60 g) quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 cup (100 g) date sugar
- 3 tablespoons (60 g) date syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons (75 g) natural, runny almond butter
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) ground chia seed mixed with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) non-dairy milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE CREAM FILLING
- 3/4 cup (200 g) cooked Japanese sweet potato
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon maple extract, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1-2 tablespoons (15 – 30 ml) non-dairy milk, if needed, up to 1/4 cup (60 ml)
- pinch of sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
First, cook the sweet potato and set aside to cool and then peel. For a baked potato, pierce a scrubbed potato with a fork five to six times and place in a 400 F oven for 45-60 minutes until soft. To use the microwave method, wrap a pierced potato in a wet cloth or paper towel and microwave for 6-7 minutes, turning over once halfway. To cook a potato in the instant pot, pour one cup of water into the base and place the trivet in the base. Add the pierced potato and cook on high pressure for 15-16 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then remove the potato. A traditional steamer could also be used.
To make the chia egg, stir the ground chia seeds and water together in a small bowl until it begins to gel. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flours, oats, baking powder and soda, spices, and salt. In a separate large mixing bowl, stir together date sugar, date syrup, and almond butter (gently heat the almond butter in the oven or microwave beforehand if it is hard). Add the chia egg and vanilla extract, then add the plant milk. Pour in the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Place in the fridge and chill for 15-30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350 F.
Use a medium sized cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon to portion the dough and roll into discs. Place on a lined baking sheet. With wet hands, gently flatten and smooth each disc into even, thin circles about the height of a regular baked cookie–the cookies do not really spread.
Cook the cookies for 8-9 minutes. Once out of the oven, use a flat silicone turner/flipping utensil to flatten each cookie (optional, but makes the cookie compressed–perfect for sandwiching). Cool the cookies on a baking sheet for 7 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
While the cookies are cooling, place the cooled sweet potato, syrup, salt, and vanilla and maple extracts into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium high speed until smooth, then add the cornstarch. The cream should be soft, smooth, and easily hold its shape. Add one or two tablespoons of non-dairy milk. If it’s too runny, add more cornstarch.
Once the cookies are completely cooled, dollop a tablespoon of cream on each half and spread with an offset spatula. Gently sandwich with another cookie–twisting slightly to seal. Best stored in the refrigerator, but I think the cookies taste best after sitting out 5-10 minutes before consuming. They also freeze well.
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