So were you a fan of Little Debbie’s famous cream pies as a kid?

I liked them but I could never figure out how I really felt about them because they were obviously not healthy at all. On the other hand though, you sort of felt like they should be because they were oatmeal, you know?

That’s pretty much what this recipe is doing. I mean, they could be a lot worse but I’ll be honest and admit they’re not exactly the “healthiest” choice. They’re just a healthier alternative.

I just figured that if I was going to share a fresh treat this January it should at least pretend to be healthy, right? Hey, these are gluten free, dairy free, vegan, oil free, and pretty close to being refined sugar free. I did include a little powdered sugar in the filling because I wanted it to be a little bit whiter than using a hundred percent of a more natural sweetener. You could probably get away with simply using cashews and maple syrup if you want though.

Basically, these are the perfect indulgence if you’re wanting to bake something for friends and family that’s not majorly OTT but still feels naughty. They’re especially great of one of said friends has a gluten intolerance or other allergy. Anyway, I hope these are something you can make and enjoy this chilly Winter season.

Healthier Oatmeal Cream Pies (Vegan + GF)

Ever wanted to make you're own healthier version of this classic treat? Now you can!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 12 cream pies (about)

Ingredients

Cookies:
1/4 cup unsweetened natural almond butter you can replace with any nut butter
1/4 cup coconut cream *see note
1/2 pure maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar or raw cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup blanched almond flour
1 cup gluten free oat flour
2 cup old-fashioned oats gf if needed
2 cup quick cooking oats **see note
Frosting:
3/4 cup cashews soaked
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 cups organic powdered sugar
1/4 cup coconut cream *see note
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Mix coconut cream, nut butter, coconut sugar, and maple syrup until combined. Add vanilla, salt, and baking powder. Mix in almond and oat flour then oatmeal. Roll dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon sized balls, place evenly apart on parchment lined baking sheet, and flatten with palm because these cookies don't spread. (you should get about 24 cookies)
Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove and cool completely.
Whisk together ingredients for frosting in a medium bowl until smooth. When cookies are cool, use a knife to spread frosting between sets of 2 to make cream pies. (you should have about 12 pies)

Recipe Notes

*If you have trouble finding coconut cream at your local grocery store it's completely fine to use full-fat coconut milk and scrape the cream off of the top. Just be sure that it's cold enough to separate.

**if you don't mind the added texture, all old-fashioned oats work fine but the dough might be a bit difficult to work with.

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

If you're looking for more recipes check out some of my other recent posts!

1. Roasted Potato Salad with Almonds + Herbs
2. Sweet Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Scones
3. Chocolate Java Chip Spicy Fudge Cookies
4. Gluten Free Blueberry Almond Crumb Muffins
5. Cookie Dough Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes

Also, check out my recap of last year

1. Recapping 2018 for Gringalicious - Part 1
2. Recapping 2018 for Gringalicious - Part 2
3. Recapping 2018 for Gringalicious - Part 3