By Jennifer Provenza at Good Food From The Heart

Whole food plant based, Oil Free, Sugar Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free

These whole food plant based oatmeal cookies are totally decadent and loaded with chocolate, yet free of oil, sugar, and gluten. Serve with a big glass of plant based milk!

Lazy Summer Days

We are really enjoying spending time together and relaxing at home this summer and playing with our sweet puppy, Coco. We haven’t done much this week, except take the kids to swim lessons and have a barbeque with Ian’s parents and his brother, in from Seattle. The next two weeks, our kids get to do summer camp. (Robot building camp, anyone?) Sounds awesome, right? And then, we have one last quick summer trip planned. This one will be a camping trip and one thing (besides S’mores) that I always bring when we go camping is cookies! Each day that we camp, we like to bring a picnic lunch on our hike or lake visit and I feel like a picnic is so much more festive and delicious with homemade cookies! One of our family favorites is whole food plant based oatmeal cinnamon chocolate chip cookies. My grandma used to make a version as one of her Christmas cookies and I always loved them. These ones, though? You won’t need to wait for Christmas because they are healthy enough to eat for breakfast. In fact, I give these to my six year old as a healthy snack or breakfast because getting whole grains and protein in that kid is practically impossible!

These vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are not only dairy free, oil free, gluten free, and sugar free, but they are packed with whole grains from the oatmeal and protein from the almond butter. But even better, they taste like a truly delicious cookie that even kids will love! Try taking them on your next camping trip. Or, on a cold winter day, settle in with a cup of tea or coffee, a journal or a book. They also make a great after school snack to eat while doing homework. I hope your family loves these cookies as much as mine does.

Ingredients

Oats and Oat Flour: You can use either regular rolled oats for this recipe, or certified gluten free oats if necessary for you. To make the oat flour, just blend the half of the oats called for in the recipe in a high speed blender or a food processor. Don’t use steel cut oats, as you will not get the correct consistancy. Alternatively, you could buy oat flour, but I’ve had issues with the store bought oat flour having a bitter flavor and it’s easy and quick to make your own!

Liquid Stevia or Coconut Sugar: As usual, I give you a totally calorie free version made with liquid stevia and a refined sugar free version made with coconut sugar. Use whichever sweetener you prefer. If using liquid stevia, mix it into the wet ingredients. If using coconut sugar, mix it into the dry ingredients. Either way, the cookies will come great!

Unsweetened Plant Milk: Use any kind you like, but I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Unsweetened Almond Butter: The almond butter replaces the butter in this recipe and gives you lots of protein instead of empty calories.

Vanilla: I love to use bourbon vanilla extract.

Cinnamon: The cinnamon really adds some sweetness and flavor to these cookies, so don’t skip it!

Chocolate chunks, chocolate chips, or raisins: I love using chocolate chunks or large chocolate chips to really give it that blast of chocolate flavor, but regular chocolate chips are fine too. Be sure to use dark chocolate with no dairy added. I also love using chocolate sweetened with stevia to keep it sugar free. There are also some brands that use unrefined sugar, so look around and see what you can find. Alternatively, these taste great made with raisins.

How To Make These Whole Food Plant Based Oatmeal Cookies

These whole food plant based cinnamon oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are so easy and quick to make! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, start by making your oat flour. Take one cup of the oats and blend them into a flour consistancy either in a high speed blender or in a food processor. Next, mix the oat flour, oats, cinnamon, and baking soda together in a large mixing bowl. If you are using coconut sugar, add it now too. Mix it all together and then take out a small bowl for your wet ingredients.

To the small bowl, add the almond butter. If it is very solid, you may need to heat it a bit in the microwave or in a small pot on the stovetop until it is more runny and mixable. Add the plant milk and vanilla and stir. If you are using liquid stevia, add that now too.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Finally, fold in the chocolate chunks, chocolate chips, or raisins.

Put a sheet of parchment paper over your baking sheet and use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to form the batter into cookies on the sheet. You may need to flatten them a bit with your fingers. This recipe will either make 12 small or 6 large cookies. I prefer to make mine large, but you do you. You can definitely also double the recipe and make 12 large cookies. I mean, why not? Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you’ve made the cookies small, definitely check them at 8 minutes or even a bit sooner. The large ones take 10 minutes for me.

Cool on the pan for five minutes and then transfer to a cookie rack. Store in an airtight container. These also freeze well. These cookies are delicious served with a tall glass of cold vanilla almond milk or with some coffee or tea. They also work well in my Plant Based Banana Pudding recipe. (Just omit the chocolate chips or raisins and add an extra 1/4 cup coconut sugar).

Whole Food Plant Based Oatmeal Cookies

These whole food plant based oatmeal cookies are totally decadent and loaded with chocolate, yet free of oil, sugar, and gluten. Serve with a big glass of plant based milk!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 6 cookies

Calories 220 kcal

Equipment

• cookie sheet
• Food Processor

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup oats (gluten free if necessary)
• 1 cup oats (gluten free if necessary) blended into flour in food processor or blender
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia or 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened plant milk
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips or raisins preferably sweetened with stevia or other unrefined sugar

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To begin, measure out a cup of oats and blend in a food processor or high speed blender to create oat flour. Measure a cup of this flour and add to a large bowl.
• Add the oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and coconut sugar (if using). Stir to combine.
• In a small bowl, combine the almond butter, liquid stevia (if using), plant milk, and vanilla.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well.
• Add the chocolate chunks, chocolate chips, or raisins and stir to combine.
• Place a sheet of parchment paper over the cookie sheet and scoop batter onto the cookie sheet. This batter will make 12 small or 6 large cookies. Flatten slightly with your fingers if necessary. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Let cool for five minutes, then transfer to a cookie rack to cool fully.
• These cookies are great served warm with a big glass of ice cold plant milk or with coffee or tea. They also work well crumbled and used in my Sugar Free Banana Pudding (just omit the chocolate chips and add an extra 1/4 cup coconut sugar).

Keyword cookies

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By: Jennifer Provenza at Good Food From The Heart

Whole Food Plant Based, Oil Free, Sugar Free, Soy free, Nut Free

This whole food plant based banana pudding combines coconut milk pudding, coconut whipped cream, and cookie crumbles to make a delicious southern-style dessert that will be a perfect addition to your summer bbq.

Sweet Summer Days

It has been hot here. Hot. With these temperatures over 100 degrees, it calls for a nice cold and delicious dessert to round out a summer barbeque. Luckily, we were able to escape the heat this last week with a quick trip to Monterey to celebrate my mother in law’s birthday. We got to visit the aquarium and check out the tide pools. We even saw a purple crab! My kids enjoyed themselves and I was excited to try some delicious vegan dishes from local restaurants, including an incredible curry from Julie’s Vegetarian restaurant and a portabello mushroom and eggplant sandwich from some other local restaurants (hold the cheese!). Now that we are back, it’s all about the dinners that we can cook without the oven and enjoy on our new patio table. Thank goodness our yard gets shade in the afternoon and early evening.

Dessert!

I love this vegan banana pudding and I know you will too! It comes together quickly and really satisfies that craving for a creamy, sweet summer dessert. To make this pudding without the egg, butter, and milk, you simply use coconut milk and arrowroot powder to thicken it. The coconut whipped cream comes together in a flash. If you are in a hurry, you could even use store bought coconut whipped cream and store (or bakery) bought plant based cookies. I prefer to make my own so that I can make them oil free, but you may be able to find some healthy plant based cookies at a specialty store.

Ingredients

Light Coconut Milk: I use light coconut milk for this recipe to make it a little lower in fat, but you could use full fat coconut milk for a richer dessert.

Sweetener: I use liquid stevia for no sugar, but you can definitely use maple syrup or coconut sugar for a refined sugar free version. Maple syrup will give it a slight maple flavor, which isn’t bad, but just be aware of that.

Arrowroot Powder: This is healthier than cornstarch, but does the same thing. (It thickens the milk into pudding).

Vanilla Extract: I love bourbon vanilla extract best, but use whatever kind you prefer. You could even add some vanilla bean for extra vanilla flavor.

Coconut Cream: This is used to make the coconut whipped cream. Make sure to only use the thick cream at the top of the can of coconut milk. If you include the liquidy part, it will not whip up.

Bananas: Be sure to use really nice, ripe bananas so that you get lots of sweetness. (Not overripe, though, or the result will not be very visually appealing.

Plant Based Cookies: I will share a recipe coming soon for plant based cookies, but feel free to make any recipe you like or buy some. Vanilla, sugar cookies, or oatmeal cookies will work best for this recipe.

How To Make This Plant Based Banana Pudding

To make this whole food plant based banana pudding, you will start by mixing the arrowroot powder and salt in a small bowl and combine it with the water, making sure there are no lumps. (Don’t skip this step! If you add the powder directly to the coconut milk you will end up with very lumpy pudding). Next, put the coconut milk and sweetener of choice in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then add the arrowroot powder mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for two minutes, then remove from the heat and add the vanilla. At this point, I recommend tasting it and making sure it is sweet enough for you. As written, this pudding is only lightly sweet. If necessary, add more sweetener to taste. Refrigerate the pudding for at least ten minutes.

While your pudding is cooling, add the plant based cookies to the food processor and pulse until you have 1-2 cups of cookie crumbs (depending on how much cookie you want in your vegan banana pudding).

Next, take the creamy parts from the tops of the cans of full fat coconut milk and add to a stand mixture. Add your sweetener of choice and blend with the whisk attachment until it reaches a whipped cream consistancy. Taste and add more sweetener if you prefer it sweeter.

Before assembling, slice your bananas into rounds.

Finally, assemble your plant based banana pudding by layering pudding, cookie crumbs, and banana slices. I like to make mine in individual glass jars, but you can also use a large bowl. Once assembled, refrigerate the pudding for at least two hours and serve cold from the refrigerator. Round out your summer meal with my Vanilla Bean and Rose Lemonade.

Plant Based Banana Pudding

This whole food plant based banana pudding combines coconut milk pudding, coconut whipped cream, and cookie crumbles to make a delicious southern-style dessert that will be a perfect addition to your summer bbq.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 347 kcal

Equipment

• sauce pan
• stand mixer
• Food Processor

Ingredients

  

For the Coconut Vanilla Pudding

• 2 cups light coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia or 1/2 cup coconut sugar or maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Coconut Whipped Cream

• 2 cans heavy coconut milk (use only the thick cream on top)
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia or 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or maple syrup or to taste

To Serve

• 2 ripe bananas sliced
• 1-2 cups plant based cookies, crumbled

Instructions

 

• Begin by making the coconut milk vanilla pudding. Mix the arrowroot powder with the salt and the water and stir until smooth. Set aside.
• In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, heat the coconut milk and your sweetener of choice over medium heat until it begins to boil. Add the arrowroot powder mixture.
• Stir contantly for two minutes, turning down the heat if necessary to keep the mixture from burning. When the mixture has thickened, remove from heat and add vanilla. Taste and add more sweetener if you prefer it to be sweeter.
• Refrigerate pudding for at least ten minutes.
• To make the coconut whipped cream, remove just the thick cream from the top of the cans of full fat coconut milk. Add the cream to a stand mixer, along with your sweetener of choice, and use the whisk attachment to beat on a high speed until you achieve a whipped cream texture. Taste and add sweetener if desired.
• Chop two ripe bananas into slices.
• Add your plant based cookies to a food processor and pulse several times until you have a cookie crumble.

To Assemble

• In four small jars or one large bowl, layer sliced bananas on the bottom. cover with a layer of coconut banana pudding, then a layer of coconut whipped cream. Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients or room in your bowl or jars. 3 layers is ideal. If necessary, slice additional bananas or crumble additional cookies. Refrigerate and serve when completely cold.

Notes

T

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By Jennifer Provenza at Good Food From The Heart

Whole food plant based, oil free, sugar free, gluten free, soy free

This vegan cherry pie filling is sweet as a summer day and goes perfectly in a pie or over ice cream, yogurt, or oatmeal.

4th of July Cherry Pie

What’s the perfect dessert for the fourth? Well, I love anything from coconut milk ice cream with berries to strawberry shortcake, but you just can’t beat pie for the fourth of July! This summer is shaping up to be a HOT one, but we are getting out and enjoying ourselves as much as we can. We just got back from a really fun trip to Disneyland and California Adventure with a detour to Universal Studios to check out Harry Potter land. The kids had a blast and we were able to visit my brother and sister in law and my adorable niece. On a side note, Disneyland has so many great vegan options now! I had a delicious cauliflower sandwich, cauliflower tacos, potato tacos, Dole Whip, and an Impossible Burger. It was all very yummy, but of course contained plenty of oil, which left me feeling a bit yucky. I’m so glad to be home and back to my normal whole food plant based diet. And, luckily, I still get to have delicious desserts, such as this vegan cherry pie filling that will be a perfect summertime treat. Along with my healthy whole wheat pie crust (made with a combo of whole wheat and almond flour), this is a great dessert to bring to picnics or potlucks.

Ingredients

Dark, Sweet Cherries: I just use frozen cherries for this recipe, because I am way too lazy to remove the pits from fresh cherries, but by all means go for it if you have more patience than I do. Just be sure the cherries are nice and ripe and sweet.

Arrowroot Powder: This will thicken your whole food plant based cherry pie filling. Cornstarch works too, but arrowroot powder is a healthier choice. Here is some more info on Arrowroot Powder if you are curious about it.

Fresh Lemon Juice: The tartness of the lemon juice really brings out the sweetness of the cherries. Don’t skip it!

Liquid Stevia or Maple Syrup: Personally, I use liquid stevia since it is a totally sugar free option, but maple syrup is still unrefined sugar and will give you a great flavor. The recipe as written is not super sweet, so feel free to add more sweetener to your liking. Depending on how sweet your cherries are, you may need to add more than the recipe calls for.

Almond Extract: This is optional and you could use vanilla instead if you prefer, but I love the way the almond extract brings out the flavor of the cherries. So good!

Whole Wheat Oil Free Pie Crust: You will also need my recipe for whole wheat oil free pie crust if you are using this whole food plant based cherry pie filling to make a pie.

Ingredients for Crumb Topping

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: Make sure to use this or white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour will be too grainy.

Oats: Just use regular oatmeal for this.

Light Coconut Milk: This helps bind the mixture together. Regular coconut milk is fine too but will add more fat.

Almond Butter: Be sure to use unsweetened almond butter. The almond butter provides a healthy fat and some protein.

Liquid Stevia or Coconut Sugar: Liquid stevia will give you a calorie and sugar free option, but coconut sugar is still unrefined and will work great.

How To Make This Vegan Cherry Pie Filling

This recipe is so quick and easy to make! If you are making a pie, start by making my whole wheat oil free pie crust. Then, all you need to do is combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then continue to cook it down for about 8-10 minutes, until it is nice and thick. At this point, give it a little taste and see if you need to add more sweetener. (You may want to let it cool just a bit so you don’t burn your tongue!) Once it tastes exactly as sweet as you like, you can either serve over vegan ice cream, yogurt, or oatmeal or pour it into an unbaked pie shell.

Next, you’ll want to make the crumb topping. In a small bowl, mix together the oats, flour, almond butter, cinnamon, light coconut milk, and liquid stevia or coconut sugar. Use your fingers to really mix it together into a crumbly texture and then sprinkle it evenly over the whole surface of the pie. Optionally, spray the top of the pie with some non stick spray. This will give it a more golden color as it bakes. Finally, bake in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes. If the crust starts to turn too dark, simply cover the pie with a sheet of aluminum foil. This vegan cherry pie filling is so versatile and delicious! It brings me right back to my childhood, eating cherry pie at my grandma’s house. At the same time, this version is so healthy you can easily enjoy it for breakfast! I highly recommend topping the pie with coconut milk whipped cream or vegan vanilla ice cream. And you might want to double the recipe because it won’t be around long! Yum!

Vegan Cherry Pie Filling

This vegan cherry pie filling is sweet as a summer day and goes perfectly in a pie or over ice cream, yogurt, or oat meal.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 67 kcal

Equipment

• sauce pan

Ingredients

  

• 5 cups dark, sweet cherries (frozen) or fresh and pits removed
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 11/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia or 2 tablespoons maple syrup or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 recipe whole wheat oil free pie crust

For Crumb Topping (If Making Pie)

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 3 tablespoons light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia or 1 tablespoon coconut sugar

Instructions

 

• If making a pie, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add all ingredients to a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Lower heat slightly to keep mixture simmering. Cook, stirring, for about 8-10 minutes until the filling is hot and thickened.
• If using for a pie, pour into an unbaked pie shell.
• In a small bowl, mix the oats, flour, stevia or coconut sugar, almond butter, and light coconut milk. Use your fingers to really mix it all together into a crumbly texture. Cover the top of the pie with the crumb mixture.
• Optionally, if desired, spray the top of the pie with a few sprays of nonstick spray to make it turn a golden color. It's good for all of the crumb topping to be moistened so you don't end up with any dry flour on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pie is lightly golden and the berry mixture is bubbling. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover with foil.
• This pie tastes great served warm with non dairy ice cream or coconut whipped cream on top.