I’m the type of person that gets on “kicks” with food. For example, I’ve been eating atleast one avocado a day, for the past two weeks. Random. Another kick I’ve had lately, has been vegan oatmeal cream pies. Ever since I had one at my local co-op a week ago, I’ve been in hot pursuit of more. After finding it a pain in the ass to try and track one down, I decided to just make some. I started with a recipe for oatmeal cream pies that I found online, and veganized it with earth balance and Ener-g egg replacer. The first round turned out almost exactly like the originals, but at the time, I thought the cookies were a little thin and brittle. This recipe has come a long way- I now use flax seed for the egg replacer, and I actually went back to preferring the thinner cookies, because they are closer to the originals. I think the reason they were thin and brittle the first round was due to flattening them too much, and baking them too long.

the first try:

The second try (the thicker version):

*Recipe Updated: 1/25/10*

Oatmeal Cream Pies
1 cup earth balance
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 flax “eggs” (2 T ground flaxseed + 6 T warm water)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Filling:
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup Non-Hydrogenated vegetable shortening
1/4 cup tofutti vegan cream cheese (optional)
5 tbsp plain soymilk
1-2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Cream together the Earth Balance and both sugars. Add the molasses, vanilla, and flax eggs, and beat on medium until incorporated. Make sure when you mix up your flax egg, you whisk the flax meal and water until mixture is gooey or well combined. I usually let it sit for five minutes before adding, too. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the mix. It’s important that you do not over whip the mixture; the dough will be lighter if either your butter was too soft, or you mixed it too long. Scoop out cookies onto cookie tray (about 2 tbsp, each), and flatten. bake at 350 degrees, for 10-14 minutes (I usually give ‘em about 12 minutes). Do not over bake or they will be crispy when they cool. Move cookies to a rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, make your filling. Mix all the ingredients on low until incorporated, then beat on medium-high for about 5 minutes for a fluffy cream. Once your cookies are completely cool, either scoop the filling on to the cookies with a spoon or ice cream scoop, or pipe it on with a piping bag and decorative tip. Don’t spread the filling all the way to the edge of the cookie, because when you sandwich them together, it will spread on it’s own. I usually let the cookies “set up” for up to an hour, or until the icing has firmed up.

Tip: For a thicker cookie with more body (pictured), use 2 cups oats, and 1 3/4 cups flour. Keep in mind, your cookies will spread less with more flour and oats, so flatten them a bit more before baking. Also, consider adding some raisins, a tiny bit of coconut shreds, or even some tiny pieces of dehydrated apple (TINY!) to your cookies. It’s yummy!

move over, little debbie!