These vegan apple pie protein cookies are 100% natural, refined sugar-free, super healthy and they really are as good as they look! But be warned: their intense caramel apple pie taste is deliciously… addictive. These clean eating cookies are also dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free and nut-free.
I went full fancy with these cookies today. My goal was in fact to make these look like whoopie pies. How they ended up looking like super fancy macaroons is still beyond me!
On the other hand, their fancy macaroon-style look really does give them justice, as these really do taste fancy, too!
Fancy protein-packed, caramel apple pie flavored, extra healthy macaroons ready under 30 minutes anyone? Yes, please!
Apple Pie Vegan Protein Cookies
Also, don’t be fooled by the way they look. These vegan protein cookies are very easy to make! No complicated steps here. All you’ll need is a mixing bowl and a good food processor. That’s it!
To shape the cookies, simply roll the dough into balls and flatten them on your cookie sheet.
The caramel filling is made of only 3 simple ingredients and again, no complicated stuff here. No need to use a stand mixer, adding ingredients at a very specific time, in a very specific order… Nope!
None of that overly complicated stuff. You’ll simply throw these 3 super simple ingredients in the food processor and forget about them for a few minutes until they turn into a delicious and healthy caramel-flavored frosting.
There is a very important step that you need to do ahead of time for this recipe to work though: You have to soak the pitted dates for at least 30 minutes in water before making the frosting. It is absolutely crucial, as this step will provide just enough moisture for your frosting to have the right consistency.
More Protein Cookie Recipes:
Vegan Apple Pie Protein Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 2/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 egg or flax egg Vegan, Egg-free version
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
- 1 1/2 cup pitted dates soaked in warm water for 30 mins
- 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder*
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/4 cup almond milk (Skip this ingredient when using whey)
Vegan Filling
- 1 1/2 cup pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 30 mins)
- 1/4 cup plant-based vanilla protein powder (I used VEGA)
- 1/2 cup soaking water (1/2 cup of the water used to soak the dates)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Process 1 2/3 cup rolled oats into a fine flour using a food processor or mixer.
- Pour your newly made oat flour into a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients from the “Cookies” section. Mix thoroughly with your hands.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls then press them into 1/2 inch thick discs. Place the discs on the lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, place all the ingredients from the “Filling” section into a food processor and process for 2 to 3 minutes or until there are no more date chunks left. The final product should be a very smooth frosting.
- Proceed to make 8 cookie sandwiches using about 1 tablespoon of frosting for each cookie.
Vegan Filling Instructions
Same as above, except that you will add 1/2 cup soaking water to the food processor.
Recipe Notes
* Use plant-based vanilla protein powder for the vegan version.
These cookies can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week in an airtight container, and up to three months in the freezer.
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated for the whey version only.
These look amazing! Though, not technically nut free if almond milk is used. 🙂 (My kiddo is allergic to both peanuts and tree nuts.) I’m planning to give this a go with a different type of milk!