A simple dairy free cookie dough frosting, melt in the mouth delicious, speckled with chocolate chips, only 4 ingredients, and surprisingly includes fiber-rich oat flour.
Healthy Cookie Dough Frosting
This frosting is just so delicious. It's a mix of buttercream and edible cookie dough, and as you reach for a spoonful, get ready to swoon. And taste is not the only great aspect.
Normally the words "frosting" and "healthy" don't reside in the same sentence. And with good reason, frosting is normally high in fat and sugar with zero nutrition.
Well, my frosting is still pretty high in fat and sugar, but this recipe has a few redeeming qualities that make it lean toward a healthier frosting.
How this Cookie Dough Frosting is Healthy
First off this frosting uses organic powdered sugar which contains essential nutrients and tastes better than non organic powdered sugar. And I include oat flour, an ingredient not normally found in frosting but excellent here for stabilizing and for nutrition. And finally, I use a mix of vegan butter and a healthy organic shortening that actually contains more essential nutrients. Nothing like lard-based Crisco.
So what exactly are the ingredients in this magical cookie dough frosting?
Ingredients in Cookie Dough Frosting
Organic Powdered Sugar: This sugar contains tapioca instead of corn starch found in most commercial powdered sugars, and it tastes so much better that you might want to always buy organic. My favorite brand is Wholesome.
Vegan Butter: This butter provides half the fat and I normally use Earthbalance sticks. Be sure to allow the sticks to be at room temperature before use; this takes about two hours or overnight.
Organic Plant-based Shortening: The other half of the fat portion is shortening. Not the white lard-based shortening such as crisco however. That type is extremely unhealthy. Instead, I use a plant-based shortening that is a mix of red palm oil and coconut oil. It's also non-GMO and sourced without harming the rain forest.
You might have noticed that red palm oil is having a nutritional moment. For good reason, it is said to help reverse cholesterol, support the brain, contribute to a healthy hear. In this shortening, it is non hydrogenated and provides antioxidants as well as vitamins A & E.
The coconut oil provides nutrient-rich lauric acid. I use Nutiva brand but there are other plant-based shortenings as well.
Oat Flour: The final ingredient. This addition allows for smooth, perfect piping of this frosting, and oat flour brings fiber that aids digestion, as well as some essential nutrients not found in most foods. Oat flour is basically rolled oats ground into flour.
And you can actually make oat flour that way, but for the sake of a smoothie frosting texture, I'd advise that you buy oat flour. It's easy to find online and in many grocery stories. And it's fine to eat it raw; no need to heat treat as you would white flour.
Customize This Cookie Dough Frosting
I made chocolate chip cookie dough frosting so I used Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips. I chose to use 60% cacao because that is what my mini chips were, and mini chips are best for this frosting so as to not weigh it down. Enjoylife is my favorite mini chip brand.
But this frosting is easy to customize further. Fold in rainbow sprinkles for a funfetti cookie dough frosting, or chocolate sprinkles for a lighter chocolate chip cookie dough frosting, or even streaks of nut butter for a peanut butter cookie dough frosting. The options are endless.
How to Make Cookie Dough Frosting
This frosting is as easy to make as any basic buttercream frosting.
Step 1: Set the butter sticks out to reach room temperature, about two hours or overnight.
Step 2: Cream the butter, shortening and vanilla together until, well, creamy. I add about 3 tbsp of my favorite milk here. Almond milk works, so does coconut cream or any other milk you have on hand.
Step 3: Pour in the powdered sugar and flour. No need to sift. I mix this up with a hand mixer.
Step 4: Fold in chips and spoon frosting into frosting bags, or slather on cupcakes or a cake. I don't refrigerate in order to pipe it, the frosting holds any piping shape quite nicely. And as it dries, it creates a tiny stiff surface, just like a bakery cupcake.
How Much Frosting Does This Recipe Make?
This recipe makes enough frosting to frost about 18 cupcakes or 1 (2-layer) cake.
How to Store Frosting
I keep mine refrigerated for a week, or frozen for 3 months. However, I keep frosting cupcakes on the counter at room temperature for about 24 hours. After that I refrigerate them.
Other Vegan Frosting Recipes
If you like this frosting recipe, you might like to try these:
Vegan Royal Icing for Sugar Cooking Decorating
Dairy Free Frosting
Vegan Buttercream
2 ingredient Chocolate Frosting
Healthy Chocolate Frosting
Peanut Butter Frosting
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Healthier Cookie Dough Frosting
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter I used Earth Balance vegan butter
- ⅓ cup shortening I used Nutiva organic plant-based shortening
- 3 cups organic powdered sugar
- ¼ cup oat flour
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 tbsp milk Or more for texture. I used almond milk
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Set the butter stick out to reach room temperature, about two hours or overnight.
- Cream the butter, shortening and vanilla together until, well, creamy. Add the milk and vanilla and cream again.
- Pour in the powdered sugar and oat flour. No need to sift. I mix this up with a hand mixer.
- Fold in chips and spoon frosting into frosting bags, or slather on cupcakes or a cake. No need to refrigerate this frosting to make it pipable.
Store
- Refrigerate unused frosting for a week; freeze for three months. Frosted cupcakes or cake can be at room temperature for 1 day and refrigerated after that.
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