Oreo Cakesters without Palm Oil ~ Make Soft Oreos Easily

I stopped buying Oreos when they changed their ingredients to include palm oil. This was around 2018. It was disappointing but meant I needed to get creative. The great thing is this Oreo Cakesters recipe is delicious and easy to make. 

I started baking all of our desserts when we learned palm oil makes my son sick. Over the years, I’ve gotten better at baking, and it’s gotten a lot easier too. 

Here’s how to make homemade Oreo Cakesters, where Oreos meet cake. They are fun for snacks at home, parties, and more. You can also add peppermint extract to make mint Oreo Cakesters.

Oreo Cakesters Recipe

This sandwich cookie recipe combines two chocolate cake cookies with a creamy vanilla filling, just like soft Oreo Cakesters. You can adjust the filling-to-cookie cake ratio as you wish. This recipe makes 24 cookies with some leftover frosting. The cookie part is light and fluffy like cake.

If you use black cocoa powder, they will be darker like classic Oreos. I didn’t have black cocoa and so I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder. It worked just fine. You can also use regular cocoa powder. The cookies will be lighter, more like milk chocolate instead of black like Oreos. They will still taste amazing!

As far as taste and texture goes, they are soft baked, fudgy, and filled with delicious vanilla buttercream. While Oreo Cakesters from the store sort of remind me of a whoopie pie, Ho-Ho’s, or Ding-Dongs — complete with the chemical taste — these homemade Cakester cookies are moist and fluffy and made with real ingredients.  

Instructions

Use these step-by-step directions to make Oreo Cakesters. While you’re cleaning up your kitchen to make space to make these soft Oreos, take out 2 sticks of butter to soften. Otherwise, you can soften them in the microwave.

These soft-baked Oreos take 20 minutes to prep and 7 minutes to bake. After they cool, you’ll need an additional 3 – 5 minutes to spread the filling and make them into sandwich cookies. They are so easy to make!

What You Need to Make Oreo Cakesters

Many of these ingredients are pantry staples. There are two parts, making the soft-baked Oreo cookie and making the cream filling.

Ingredients to make soft Oreo cookies:

• 1 stick salted butter – Softened on counter in advance 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil or vegetable oil 
• 2 cups flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder – Black preferred but any will do
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Oreo cream filling

• 1 stick salted butter – Softened on the counter
• 3 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• Up to ¼ cup organic heavy whipping cream or organic whole milk – Both of these are typically palm oil free
• Optional: ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract if you want to make mint Oreo Cakester cookies

You can use this recipe to make the filling or use this easy vanilla frosting recipe which is almost the same. 

Important note on heavy whipping cream: If you are avoiding palm oil, you will likely need to buy organic heavy whipping cream. The others I found in my grocery store and at Target all contained Mono- & Diglycerides and Polysorbate 80. These are typically made from palm oil unless otherwise noted.

Also, if you choose organic whole milk, you will avoid palm oil as well. Whole milk isn’t fortified with Vitamin A Palmitate like 2%, skim, etc.

How to Make Oreo Cakesters

Use these step-by-step directions to make the best sandwich cookies ever.

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Soften butter in microwave if necessary.

3. Line baking pan with parchment paper.

4. Cream together butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and avocado or vegetable oil. Blend using a hand mixer or stand mixer. It should be smooth and creamy without lumps.

5. In a separate bowl, add flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix well by hand.

6. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together.

7. Use dough scoop or tablespoon and roll into balls. Use 1 tablespoon of dough for each ball.

8. Place dough balls on cookie sheet leaving two inches between each. Flatten each dough ball slightly. You can fit about 12 on a cookie sheet. 

9. Set in oven and bake at 375 degrees F for 7 minutes. Turn on the oven light and see if the dough has spread.

10. Remove cookies and leave on baking pan for about 5 minutes. Then transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

11. In the meantime, bake the second batch of cookies. Repeat Steps 8 – 10.

12. Allow cookies to cool for about 30 minutes.

How to make Oreo cream filling

You can make the vanilla buttercream filling as they cool or just before you are ready to fill them. You can also make Oreos without cream if you prefer.

1. Cream the butter until smooth.

2. Add in the confectioners sugar a bit at a time so it doesn’t fly everywhere. Combine with the butter.

3. Add in heavy whipping cream, a bit at a time, along with the remaining confectioners sugar.

4. Add the pure vanilla extract. Reserve half of the frosting if you want to make mint and vanilla-filled Oreo Cakesters. You can add the peppermint extract separately.

5. Keep mixing until the consistency is like frosting. You can add more heavy whipping cream if needed but add sparingly because you want it to be thick and not runny.

6. Turn the half of the cookies so the top is down and spread the Oreo filling on them. You can use a knife or a spoon.

7. Take the remaining cookies, without the icing, and place them on top of the filling. Press lightly so they come together.

Serve and enjoy!

Mint Oreo Cakesters

You can easily make these mint-filled Oreos by adding ⅛ teaspoon of peppermint extract to the vanilla filling. You can make the entire batch mint-flavored or make half mint and half vanilla. You can adjust the amount of mint extract according to your taste. 

Tips

• Baking

Do not overbake. You want them to be soft Oreos like they are in Oreo Cakesters, not hard like they are in classic Oreos. To remain soft, check the cookies for doneness after 6 minutes.

• Heavy whipping cream or milk

When making the Oreo filling, do not add all of the heavy whipping cream at once. Add enough so you can combine the powdered sugar and butter but you don’t want too much liquid. You can add additional heavy whipping cream after you add the vanilla. 

I made them with heavy whipping cream but you could also use whole milk.

• Cool completely and soften butter

The Oreo Cakester chocolate cookies will take about 25 – 30 minutes to cool completely. You can set the butter out to soften to make the cream center. About 20 minutes later, start to make the cream filling. 

• Using black cocoa power or regular cocoa powder

Dark cocoa power / cacao powder will have a stronger chocolate taste and taste more like Oreos. However, you can use whatever cocoa power you have. For this recipe, I used Hershey’s Cocoa Special Dark.

Storing Homemade Soft Oreos

You can store them at room temperature, and out of the direct sunlight. They will last on the counter for up to 5 days. Keep them sealed in an air-tight container. I put Saran Wrap over a container after I made them and as my family is eating them.

You can also store them in a freezer bag for up to three months. They taste excellent as they begin to thaw!

For an Authentic Look

These are like the Oreo Cakesters in stores but better because they are homemade. The difference will be in appearance. Store-bought cookies will be more uniform in size. 

Black cocoa powder

Using Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder will result in a darker cookie than using the regular Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder.

For an even darker cookie, use black cocoa powder. This is give you the color of a traditional Oreo cookie. Black cocoa is available on Amazon and many grocery stores such as Sprouts, Whole Foods, etc. I used the Special Dark which resulted in very dark brown, almost black cookies.

Black cocoa powder is an ultra-dutch processed cocoa powder that has been heavily alkalized to remove the acidity. 

Clear vanilla flavor vs pure vanilla extract

If you are avoiding palm oil, be sure to use pure vanilla extract, not Clear Vanilla Flavor. Many Oreo Cakester recipes call for using clear vanilla because it is clear and colorless whereas vanilla extract is brown. This is not necessary. The Oreo Cakester filling will still be white even if you use regular vanilla extract. 

There is a difference between “pure” extract and “flavored” or “flavor”.

Clear Vanilla Flavor isn’t pure vanilla extract. McCormick makes Clear Vanilla Flavor which on the label spells out: Water, Alcohol (13%), Vanillin, and Other Artificial Flavorings, and Citric Acid. When I emailed them to ask if there was Glycerin or Propylene Glycol in it, they responded saying there was Propylene Glycol. In extracts, this is typically made from palm oil.

It’s perfectly fine to use pure vanilla extract even though it’s brown rather than clear (colorless) vanilla. The filling will still turn out white. I highly recommend using pure vanilla extract to avoid palm oil and extra chemicals.

Uniform circles

If you want to have less of a homemade look, you can use a small glass to shape the cookies after you flatten them. Turn a small juice glass or small bowl upside down and press into the dough to make them perfect circles. 

Ingredients in Store-Bought Oreo Cakesters vs Homemade Oreo Cakesters

There are less ingredients when you make soft Oreos at home than when you buy them at the store. You will also know what they are.

Oreo Cakesters contain 30 ingredients: 

They include palm oil as well as several palm oil derivatives: Glycerin, Propylene Glycol Esters of Fatty Acids, Monoglycerides, and Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate. 

Sugar, Bleached Enriched Flour, Palm Oil, Fructose, Water, Cocoa, Soybean &/or Canola Oil, Cornstarch, Glycerin, Dextrose, Wheat Starch, Nonfat Milk, Dried Eggs, Salt, Baking Powder, Corn Syrup, Dried Egg Whites, Baking Soda, Soy Lecithin, Modified Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol Esters of Fatty Acids, Monoglycerides, Corn Flour, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate,  Malic Acid, Calcium Phosphate, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sodium Alginate, Sodium Phosphate

Homemade Oreo Cakesters recipe contains 12 ingredients: 

Butter, Granulated Sugar, Eggs, Pure Vanilla Extract, All-Purpose Flour, Dark Cocoa Powder, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Salt, Vegetable Oil, Confectioners Sugar, Heavy Whipping Cream

FAQs

What are Oreo Cakesters?

Oreo Cakesters are cookies and cake coming together. The cookies are soft and fluffy chocolate circles which sandwich together a creamy vanilla frosting. They are black (chocolate cookie part) and white (vanilla cream filling) sort of like a whoopie pie. 

Can you still get Oreo Cakesters?

Oreo Cakesters are available at Walmart, Target, stores such as Walgreens, CVS, etc., and nationwide grocery store chains. If you use this Oreo Cakesters recipe, you won’t have to worry about them being discontinued or being out of stock.

Why were Oreo Cakesters discontinued?

Oreo continually introduces new cookie flavors, especially around the holidays. Sometimes, the stores may not carry them even though they are still available. They may also be sold out. 

What are Oreo Cakesters?

Many people compare Oreo Cakesters to a whoopie pie. The two cookies are stuffed with creamy filling and put together to become a sandwich cookie. Instead of hard cookies, like traditional Oreos, the are fluffy and soft, like cake. They taste similar to a Hostess Cupcake with an Oreo taste. 

Are Oreo Cakesters the same as Oreo Mega Stuf?

No. While they are both sandwich cookies, Oreo Cakesters have a softer exterior. They are moist and fluffy like cake while the Oreo Mega Stuf has a hard cookie, like classic Oreos. Oreo Mega Stuf are more similar to Oreo Double Stuf. The difference is Mega Stuf has more filling.

When you make Oreo Cakesters yourself, you can stuff them with as much filling as you want!

Oreos and Palm Oil

Palm oil is a cheap oil companies use in many ways, including desserts. All of Nabisco’s Oreo products list palm oil in their ingredients. Some people avoid palm oil for environmental concerns with deforestation and others for dietary concerns. I avoid it for both reasons. 

Another reason to make Oreo Cakesters is that you won’t have to worry about them being discontinued or out of stock. 

In my house, we eliminated palm oil because it makes my son sick. Coupled with the environmental concerns, I have learned to bake all of our desserts from scratch. You’ll find these cake Oreo cookies to be moist, soft, and delicious.

They may not be as uniformly circular as store-bought, but they will be made with love and a desire to use more real ingredients and less chemicals.

Homemade Oreo Cakester Cookies

Learning how to make Oreo Cakesters at home means we can still enjoy this iconic cookie but do it in a way that keeps my son healthy and reduces the overall demand for palm oil. In addition, I’d say they are “better” for us too: Instead of buying them as a processed food, we are making them. They contain less ingredients than store-bought Oreo Cakesters and are made of “real” ingredients. 

I make lots of cookies from scratch. Check out my other cookie recipes:

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peanut Butter Cookies 3 Ingredients
• Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cookies
• Pizzelles Recipe
• Peanut Butter Blossoms

Learn more about how companies use palm oil in cookies. There are still a few cookies without palm oil you can find in grocery stores, Target, Walmart, etc. 

Thanks so much for reading about how to make Oreo Cakesters. I sure hope you will try these easy homemade Oreos for a fun treat. They are simple to make and use ingredients you may already have in your pantry. If you have kids, involve them in the process.

Learn about making other palm oil free desserts.