6tablespoonsmaple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
For the cookies:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius (340 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
Add the maple syrup, ground almonds, brown rice flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt and mix well – add a splash of milk if it’s looking too dry to combine.
If the dough looks too wet, place it in the fridge for an hour and it will firm up.
Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough (do this a small amount at a time) until a little less than ½ cm (¼ inch) thick - you should roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper as it’s very sticky!
Use a circular cookie cutter to cut cookies out of the dough – roll out the dough a few times until you use it all up (you should be able to make 28 cookies).
Transfer the cookies onto a baking tray lined with greased baking paper.
If you wish, use a smaller cookie cutter with a different shape to make a small indent in the surface of the cookies to make a pattern - be careful not to press it all the way down.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until firm to the touch (bearing in mind that they will firm up more once cooled and out of the oven).
Leave them to cool completely and firm up before spreading over the cream and sandwiching together.
For the cream:
Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the cacao butter****, maple syrup and vanilla.
Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.
To assemble:
Use a knife to spread 1 teaspoon of cream in the centre of half of the cookies.
Sandwich together with the remaining half of the cookies.
Taste best when fresh, but keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days (they do become softer the longer you leave them).
Video
Notes
*You can alternatively use almond flour.**You MUST use brown rice flour – white rice flour won’t create a crunchy shortbread-like texture.***Oreos are very dark because they are made using alkalised cocoa powder, which has a very dark colour. It doesn't really matter as the recipe will still work no matter what type of cocoa powder you use, but if you want an authentic Oreo look, I recommend using a dark cocoa powder.****If your food processor isn’t very powerful, it may have trouble with the cacao butter. In this case, melt the cacao butter first using a bain-marie before adding to the food processor.The number of cookies this recipe will yield will vary depending on the size and shape of the cookie cutters you use and how thick you roll out the dough.