Cookie Cake {vegan, gluten free option}

It is Birthday Week in our home and it’s crazy in this house!

2 birthdays are back to back & but their parties are not scheduled until weeks away (blame it on our crazy schedules). What’s a mom to do? How about make the kids this heavenly birthday cookie now to celebrate as a family then make the cake for the parties. Sounds like the perfect plan, right?

So with 2 hours before they had to be picked up from school, I brought out my trusty cookie recipe and threw this together and prayed for the best. I had never made a cookie cake before, so this was a new venture for me. Luckily my kiddos are willing to try any kitchen experiments, even if they don’t turn out so pretty.

However, this turned out so much better than I expected! I did have a little hiccup when the center of the cake dropped a little and pulled from the edges, BUT its nothing that a little icing can’t cover up, right? I used a springform pan instead of a pizza pan which gave it a wonderful cake-like consistency but next time, I would use a knife to release the cake from its sides before it cooled, and hope that would help it from cracking. Regardless of the slight crack in the cake, it turned out so tasty and was a HUGE hit! Even the icing which was thrown together last minute turned out quite yummy.

This cake really could be eaten plain or with any icing of choice but I chose to make an icing that would help make this more like a candy-bar cookie cake. I used a combination of Oreos and No-Nut Butter, although if you do not have nut allergies, a creamy almond butter would taste amazing in this recipe. And did you know that Oreos are actually dairy and egg free? They are considered vegan, but that doesn’t mean its healthy! But this recipe wasn’t created to fall under the “healthy” category. It was created under the “special treat for a special occasion and eat in moderation, if you can” category.

Whatever occasion you decide to make this for, maybe a Halloween party, Thanksgiving get-together, Christmas party, or even a birthday for your loved one, you’ll be getting lots of smiles for making this one! Especially since it is gluten (just change or OMIT the sandwich cookies), dairy, egg, soy and nut free because anyone can have a bite!

The Recipe

To make this completely Gluten-free, simply omit the Oreos in the icing & topping. Feel free to use a “safe” sandwich cookie or your choice.

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Cookie Cake from Heaven

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Baked chocolate goodness all in this 9" Cookie Cake with Oreo Buttercream.

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Ingredients

Cookie Cake:

• 2 C. gluten free flour (Used Bob's Red Mill GF, but can also use all-purpose)
• 1/4 C. oat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 TB. arrowroot (or cornstarch)
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 C. vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 3/4 C. Organic Brown Sugar
• 1/4 C. sugar
• 1/4 C. water
• 1 TB. pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 C. dairy free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)

Oreo Buttercream Icing:

• 1/2 cup Vegan butter, at room temperature (Earth Balance Soy Free sticks)
• 1/4 cup creamy no nut butter (Sunbutter)
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• Pinch of sea salt
• 9 Oreos, finely chopped into crumbs

for decoration:

• 6 Oreos, cut into quarters

Instructions

1. Cookie Cake:
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray one 9" cake pan (I used a springform pan) with non-stick baking spray.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, arrowroot, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugars, water and vanilla on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and slowly add the dry mixer to the wet, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the Oreo pieces with a rubber spatula until just combined.
6. Scoop the dough into the prepared pan and press down gently until evenly spread out. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until edges just start to turn golden brown. Allow the cookie cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. No-Nut butter Oreo Buttercream:
8. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter and no-nut butter on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until light and creamy. Turn the speed down to low and slowly add the confectioners' sugar. Once all of the sugar is added, turn up the speed to medium and beat for a minute or so. Add the milk and salt and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes until smooth. Fold the crushed Oreos in with a rubber spatula and mix until well incorporated.
9. Transfer buttercream to a piping bag fit with a large star tip (large round will also do) and pipe a border along the edge of your cooled cookie cake. Decorate with the quartered Oreos and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes

* Can use all GF flour, just substitute for the Oat Flour. **If wanting to use regular flour, simply replace GF with All-purpose and DO NOT use xanthan gum in recipe. *These also make amazing cookie! Simply Scoop 1 TB of dough onto prepared baking sheets (2" apart) and bake 10-12 minutes.