The absolutely most delicious VEGAN OLD-FASHIONED ICED OATMEAL COOKIES made dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free and just 8 EASY ingredients!
Annnd cue the drooling. These cookies need to come with a warning. Like, I seriously can’t get over how incredibly delicious they turned out. I have so many fails in my kitchen when testing recipes. So many. But sometimes I have a successful recipe that even blows my own mind. Haha! These cookies are a perfect example. These Vegan Old-Fashioned Ice Oatmeal Cookies totally blew us all away at my house. They are that good.
I did the icing a couple of different ways. The full icing is of course the classic look of the Iced Oatmeal Cookies we ate as kids from the Mother’s brand or similar, but I have to say, the drizzle effect looks so much more pretty to me!
My weakness is cookies. I don’t struggle with wanting to gorge myself with things like candy or ice cream.
But. Cookies. I was nicknamed the cookie monster at one of my old jobs years ago because I ate them daily and apparently was in somewhat of a trance while I ate them, lol! I think that’s why one of my specialties has always been at creating cookie recipes because I am so passionate about eating them!
My point is that these cookies are so darn nostalgic and trance-worthy.
These cookies are the result of a little survey I took on my Facebook page asking which recipe to post next. It was between these Iced Oatmeal Cookies and Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Waffles.
My goodness, you all mean business with wanting the oatmeal cookies, lol. There was 300 comments and these won.
Since there was such a high demand for these cookies and a couple of requests regarding allergies, I worked endlessly in my kitchen creating 2 different versions and 4 different icing choices so that everybody could make these. Am I good to you all or what? 🙂
Guys, the originals are made with white flour, butter, lots of sugar and the store versions are of course full of processed ingredients. My version is SO much easier, so much healthier and yet, taste so similar?! Maybe they are magic cookies?
I ultimately had success doing a modified version of my Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on the blog.
UNBELIEVABLE HOW EASY THESE VEGAN ICED OATMEAL COOKIES ARE
Hard to believe these amazingly nostalgic Vegan Gluten-Free Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies require JUST 6 main ingredients for the cookie base and 2 for the icing, so 8 total (+salt):
- Old-fashioned whole oats
- White rice flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Maple syrup
- Raw Cashew butter
And the icing:
- Powdered sugar
- Plant milk, which I used coconut for the true bright white icing and thick texture
I kind of still can’t believe how much they look and taste like the original but made with completely different ingredients! I swear, these are every bit as delicious and so much less guilt eating them.
These Vegan Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies bake up and spread round and flat just like the originals and are wonderfully chewy like the original. The cashew butter, oats and rice flour really give them that awesome chew.
I always make my own cashew butter at home because it is so easy and cheaper. Plus, it’s so hard to find store versions that don’t have added oil. You do need a strong food processor though in order for it to work properly. I use my food processor on a near daily basis, so it is an incredible investment.
These beauties are soft, with an ever-so-slightly crispy edge and a decadent, rich and chewy center. Oh gosh. I’m salivating just typing that out.
Now, guess what? Before any of you start panicking that there is cashew butter and you or your kids are allergic to nuts, I also tested and created a nut-free low-fat version.
These Low-Fat Iced Oatmeal Cookies are truly delicious as well, so make these if you are needing to watch the fat or nuts!
OTHER VEGAN COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY:
- Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Butter Blossoms
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Grain-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) old-fashioned GF rolled oats, NOT quick oats
- 6 tablespoons (60g) white rice flour, do not use brown, they will crumble
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (240g) pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup (204g) raw cashew butter* (with NO added oil or sugar)
CLASSIC WHITE FULL ICING (This will yield the best most classic result and is enough to frost 18 cookies. For a lower sugar option, do half the recipe for the drizzle effect)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) canned "lite" coconut milk, can shaken well first
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (140g) powdered sugar, sifted if it is lumpy
- Please understand that other milks tested...soy, almond, rice ALL made a thinner, less white frosting that did not dry as well and is NOT recommended. Something magical about coconut milk that works best.
LOW-FAT & COCONUT-FREE ICING (this was my favorite for the drizzle effect & the one I used in the photos. It has a delicious cream cheese flavor)
- 4 teaspoons (20g) soy or almond dairy-free yogurt
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (70g) powdered sugar
UNREFINED SUGAR & NUT-FREE ICING (this obviously has a coconut flavor and is more yellow than white and is for drizzle only)
- 1/4 cup (60g) melted LIQUID coconut butter (make sure you've thoroughly mixed the jar before measuring)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (30g) maple syrup, room temp
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons (25g) non-dairy milk (I used coconut)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
UNREFINED SUGAR & COCONUT-FREE ICING (my least favorite for these cookies and I ONLY recommend the drizzle effect for this version)
- 2 tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons (64g) raw cashew butter
- 2 teaspoons any milk to thin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add the oats, white rice flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and stir well.
- Pour the maple syrup and cashew butter over the dry ingredients and stir for a couple of minutes until it all comes together into a very thick and sticky batter.
- Drop by large spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons) onto the pan, placing 9 on each sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart as they will spread a lot. With damp fingers (dipped in water), press the cookies down to about 1/4 inch thick and form a round shape with your fingers in a patting motion and round out the edges. The batter will be way too sticky to roll into balls. Please refer to my video above for a visual. This is an important step for how the cookies bake up beautifully and round and flat.
- Bake one pan at a time on the center rack for 12 minutes. The cookies should have spread nicely and have a beautiful crackle and light golden top. Cool for 5 minutes on the pan and then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack with a spatula. Do not use your hands to pull them off. They will firm up as they cool, so let them cool!
- For the classic icing (this was my favorite), add the powdered sugar and milk to a small bowl and whisk until completely smooth. It will seem too dry at first but keep whisking and it will come together. Do not be tempted to add more milk! It should become thick and white. Ice the cookies quickly as it does start to dry out fairly quickly. Use a spoon to dollop each cookie and spread out with the back of the spoon. Or, for a less sugar topping, add the icing to a baggie, cut a small tip off the corner and drizzle it on. FYI: I used the yogurt version for the drizzle. Please place the cookies in the fridge to allow the icing to set quickly and then you can either store them at room temp or fridge. I place a piece of parchment paper in between each layer of cookies so the icing doesn't stick to the other cookies.
- If using the coconut butter version, melt it gently (if it's hard) in the microwave for 30 secs or until warm and soft and is liquidy. Add the syrup, milk and vanilla and mix with a fork until totally smooth and a thick pudding consistency has formed. Add to a baggie and trim off a small corner and drizzle on the cookies. Place in the fridge to set.
- If using the cashew butter icing version, add the ingredients to a small bowl and mix with a fork until smooth. Add to a baggie and trim off a small corner and drizzle on the cookies. Place in the fridge to set. This will not harden as well as the powdered sugar version and it wasn't my favorite. The cashew flavor is strong, which is why I only recommend drizzling, not completely frosting.
If using the yogurt or coconut milk for the icing, do the cookies then need to be refrigerated?
Hi Ariel, yes, I keep mine stored in the fridge if they will not be eaten within a day. But they are fine to sit out for awhile too for a party or gathering!
These are absolutely amazing and truly taste like old fashioned oatmeal cookies! Will definitely be making these again for my family on Christmas!
Yay Carolyn! So happy to hear that! Thank you so much for the amazing review!
I loved this recipe! mine turned too thin and crushed hahaha. what made it happen?
do you have another option to replace the butter?
I will try them again because even they where crushed, they tasted amazing. And I will try another recipe too.
thank you
Hi! Are you sure you used cashew butter and not regular butter? Regular butter is oily so it would make them spread/melt too much. These shouldn’t be too thin because cashew butter is thick. I’m not sure what you mean by “crushed”. If you did in fact use cashew butter, it sounds like you used a brand with added oil. I only use raw cashew butter that I make myself. Only ingredient is cashews and it’s super thick as you can see in the video. Let me know what you used so I can help!
Brandi does it again! These cookies are fantastic! Crispy, chewy, sweet but not too sweet, they taste EXACTLY like the bad-for-you old fashioned iced oatmeal cookies I used to eat! And I may have made a double batch of icing hehe!
Omg. These cookies are amazing! I’ve recently been looking into vegan baking, GF and DF…these cookies are better tasting than regular cookies. I used coconut milk icing and left some uniced for my sugar free friend. Thank you for this incredible recipe I’ll be making these year round.
Woohoo, I love hearing that Karen, thank you so much! I really appreciate this review!
My family and I loved these!
So happy to hear that Katreena, thank you so much for the review!
These look amazing! I can’t wait to try them. I was wondering in I can use peanutbutter on place of cashew butter and honey in place of maple syrup?
Hi LeeAnn! Peanut butter should work fine if you don’t mind them tasting like peanut butter. They of course will not have that classic oatmeal cookie taste from the original, but should still be yummy. As far as honey though, I wouldn’t suggest it. It is SO much sweeter, thicker and stickier than maple syrup and do not believe it would work well in these. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to maple syrup, I would suggest agave. Otherwise, syrup really is the best and what I use for 90% of my dessert recipes 🙂
Had to review these because they are so delicious. I happened to have a jar of cashew butter on hand so I used it and then followed the rest of the recipe as written. They were such a hit over here, we LOVED them!!!
Yay! Thank you so much Stephanie for taking the time to review these, I appreciate it so much. So glad they were such a big hit!
I love all of the icing variations Brandi! It was an unexpected surprise – and I do love icing 🙂
I finally made these today and my whole family LOVES them (how could you not?)! Seriously amazing Brandi!
Aww, yay Naomi! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! Glad everybody loves them!
I AM drooling! These look amazing!
You went above and beyond with all of those different versions! I can only imagine how much fun you and your family had eating all of those cookies. I’m going to guess that you had some happy neighbors too. 🙂
Oh, I used to LOVE these cookie s when I was little. I can almost taste them right now! I’ll take the ones with ALL the icing please! 🙂
Good old fashioned oatmeal cookies are deeelish! And these full fat version ones are where it’s at. If I’m eating dessert give me some dessert woman!! Thank you! And yes please.
Yes, these are just like the classic ones I ate as a kid! Soooo good!
Cookies, also my weakness! And you’re such a doll making all these kinds of recipe variations! Love the cashew/maple icing ….will try this! xoooxoxox
Ashley
Thank you so much Ashley for such a lovely comment! If you love cashews, then you will like the cashew icing. It’s definitely different than traditional icing, but is still good!
I was hopeful that my cashew butter would turn out. Note to those who have never made it, do not use a nutribullet. I tripped the thermal overload on mine 🙁 Use a blender or a ninja processor or better. It turned out pretty good however one slight problem (user error) I tasted the batter by mistake and the equivalent of 2 large cookies never made it to the baking sheet. It took every once of me to not eat the batter instead of baking it – its one weakness. Next time I make these I am going to make 4 batches worth and freeze them for the future. There is no way these are sticking around for more than 2 days, behold the power of milk and cookies. These turned out thin but very large, almost like those jumbo cookies i remember from childhood.
Hi Chad! So very happy you loved these! I know right, the batter is sooo dang good, it’s hard not to eat it all right then, haha. Yes, you need a standard large and strong food processor to make cashew butter. I use this one and it makes it in about 5 minutes!
http://amzn.to/2vGcB0R
Chad, we had the same “problem” with the batter!
Haha, yes, the batter is to die for!
Oh, these are SO happening. LOVE a good oatmeal cookie!
Yay! Enjoy Karly!
There really are no words to describe the amazement of these cookies!! When I first tasted them, I literally laughed out loud because I was so delighted! They are one of, if not the best, cookies I’ve ever had! I made 3 batches yesterday for my daughter’s birthday party and people were going nuts!! (Obviously) I reeeeeally wanted to try them with coffee, so I hid a few away to sample with coffee this morning and O-M-G!!! Brandi, you are seriously a WIZARD!! People love coming to my house to eat because of the recipes you create!! Thank you endlessly. And also, they couldn’t be easier to make!!! Thank you!😊
You are such a sweetheart Brooke! This comment seriously made me so happy and I loved your pic on Facebook! I love that everybody loved them so much at your daughter’s birthday party, awesome!! I know right, they are so good with coffee!!
Thank you so much for your kind words!!
These cookies will be our go to oatmeal cookies!!
Thank you for all your testing, to come up with this fantastic cookie.
Awesome Tracey! So glad you loved them and they are your now go-to cookies, yay!
These cookies are so gorgeous. I made them using all purpose flour and almond butter and they turned out beautifully!
Thank you so much Carla! So glad to hear you enjoyed them so much!
Do you think I can use almond flour instead of rice flour?
No, almond flour will not work. It is way too moist and the cookies would fall apart. The white rice flour is necessary for the texture and it helps to bind the cookies really well.
Do you think the white rice flour could be substituted for tapioca or potato starch instead?
Hi Grace! Unfortunately, not. The white flour is the only flour in the recipe and the substance. The flour is what gives structure and chew to the cookie. Since tapioca and potato are starches, they don’t give the same structures as flours. They always have to be combined with flours to work best. I’m sure regular all-purpose flour would work in place of the white rice flour though if you would like to try that and you aren’t gluten-free.
This recipe came out amazing! I cannot have rice flour, but am also GF, so I substituted the rice flour with 5 tbsp of oat flour and 1 tbsp potato starch. I also subbed in honey for the maple syrup. Iced with the clasic white icing, these were delicious and have the perfect consistency! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Awesome Grace, so happy to hear that oat flour and starch sub worked well, yay! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!
These cookies are absolutely delicious and so easy to make! I have not had iced oatmeal cookies in a very long time and this recipe is spot on. The texture is amazing and even with the icing, they are not overly sweet. I very much appreciated the video to see how you shaped them prior to baking. Thank you for so many great recipes!!
Thank you so much for the amazing review Angela! So happy to hear you loved them so much!
“These beauties are soft, with an ever-so-slightly crispy edge and a decadent, rich and chewy center. Oh gosh. I’m salivating just typing that out.” When I read your cookie description I smiled big time and nodded my head in agreement. It makes me feel such a kinship to read such comments from other foodies. (Though I must say I’m not so specific as to be a cookie monster, more a general baked goods monster!) This past Saturday I returned from a monthlong trip to England (we usually go every three years to visit my husband’s side of the family) and while it was great and awe-inspiring to tour places like Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace, it was trying all the different vegan food options while we were out and about (lovingly researched for me by my father-in-law and sister-in-law via Happy Cow’s web site) that truly got me excited. (In case you’re curious and you’re ever in England, the best meal I had was at 222 Veggie Vegan in London: Seitan Stroganoff and Chocolate Gateau with a vanilla dessert drizzle (basically vegan-friendly warm custard)…. I’m salivating just thinking about it! I would love to try your latest creation but perhaps I should wait awhile since I gained almost five pounds while on holiday! Yikes, but so worth it! 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words Victoria and I’m sorry I missed this comment before! Your trip to England sounds like it was so amazing! Wow!
Yum! I have now made about 5 of your recipes and they have all been amazing so I can’t wait to also try these! Do you have a food processor you’d recommend to make nut butter?
So sweet and wonderful to hear Marie! I use this one and love it! http://amzn.to/2vKoQMj
Cue the drooling AND all the nostalgic after school cookie in the car snack memories right along with it!! Omg you nailed it. Of course I’m not surprised, but they look absolutely perfect from the texture to the icing to the little bits of oatmeal cookie peaking through the sweet white tops. I haven’t had the store-bought kind in forever, but I’m actually pretty positive yours would blow the original ones right away with that lovely golden color and so many favorite ingredients too! I cannot believe how many options you have here, your house must be full of cookies right about now (be right there haha!). So two cookie version and 4 icing version…that means I will need to make approximately 8 batches to fully experience the iced oatmeal magic then! Can’t wait to see what you have coming with the low-fat version, but my diet/fat intake always has room for cashew butter and cookies–I make sure of that 🙂
I seriously DIED laughing at your comment about my house being full of cookies and you coming over, hahaha! Yes, I’ve made SO many and eaten so many, lol. But, all in the name of testing of course 😉 It’s a dirty cookie job, but somebody’s got to do it, LOL! Yes, 8 batches, hahaha, you are killing me today!