Vegan Full Moon Cookies with Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Written by Lauren Arent (Lo Clark)
Owner of Bewitched Esthetics & Licensed Esthetician since 2013
June 2nd, 2023
Hello my darlings,
June 4th is a Full Moon so in honor of this Strawberry Moon I designed these Full Moon Cookies based on an Ayurvedic cookie recipe with a coconut cream frosting flavored with strawberry powder! Trust me when I tell you, they are going to be your new favorite healthy treat because there is NO SUGAR in these cookies! Not even sweeteners like honey or agave! The natural sweetness comes from the dates. And the frosting…oh the frosting!! It’s a vegan buttercream alternative which I am so thankful I discovered because I could eat a bowl of buttercream frosting on its own. PLUS you can use any left over frosting (if you have any) as a luxurious, buttery, and natural shaving cream.
If you regularly read my blog, you know I am a practicing holistic esthetician in Boise, Idaho and I aim to bring you recipes that will keep your skin looking healthy and radiant. Holistically speaking, your skin will look its best when we eliminate issues/disease/inflammation within the body. The key to this is using non-toxic, organic, and anti-inflammatory ingredients that #1. Eliminate the issues processed/chemical/toxin filled foods create. #2. Heal the body from within.
Benefits of Coconut Cream
We talk a lot about the benefits of Vitamin C for the skin, it’s a naturally occurring element incredibly beneficial for anti-aging found in coconut cream. Coconut cream has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties making it excellent for keeping skin clean & clear as well as reducing redness. You will also find coconut cream to be full of healthy fats, making for an excellent moisturizer that absorbs well without leaving behind a heavy oily appearance. I find using this frosting recipe as a shaving cream leaves my legs feeling soft and smooth after shaving. Since I have sensitive skin and can’t use most shaving creams, this recipe is a delicious blessing!
Benefits of Oats
I make my oat flour with rolled oats. They are naturally gluten free, which eliminates the risk of inflammation as gluten tends to be an ingredient that causes inflammation within the body whether or not you are intolerant or sensitive to it. Just a generally good idea to keep gluten consumption at a minimum for a healthy gut. Oats are very beneficial for skin hydration and to nourish damaged skin. Oatmeal has long been used as a restorative method for the skin.
Side note…did you know tahini is just pureed sesame seeds? You can easily make your own! Toast your sesame seeds to pull out the natural flavor and then pop into a grinder, honestly I use a coffee grinder for my sesame seeds and my oats. I find this to work the best to get things finely ground Basically after your seeds turn into a dense powder like what we use for seed cycling, you just keep grinding. It takes about 10 minutes or so.
Love the smell and the feel of coconut cream? Find it in the Coconut Age Corrective Moisturizer from Eminence Organic Skincare. I have long considered this my favorite daily moisturizer because it is ultra hydrating without feeling greasy or thick. PLUS it contains the Natural Retinol Alternative from Eminence, a great natural alternative to retinol, meaning it doesn’t stress out your skin and cause photosensitivity. You can get waxed or microbladed, you can even get a chemical peel while using this moisturizer daily! Definitely a huge perk as retinol can easily interfere with scheduling these activities.
Tips for Baking Vegan Full Moon Cookies & Coconut Cream Frosting
#1. Make sure you keep your Coconut Cream in the fridge overnight before making your frosting. I didn’t and my frosting came out curdled instead of creamed. It is really important to use only the part of the can that is solid and to pour out the liquid portion. (I usually freeze the liquid in an ice cube tray for smoothies.) If you whisk the thick cream for roughly 15 minutes on a medium speed, you will end up with the perfect creamy, buttery frosting that’s naturally a little sweet!
#2. Soak your dates. I’ve literally broken a food processor trying to puree dates without softening them. Three hours is a great amount of time. And don’t forget to save a little of the soaking water to make your cookie dough blend well.
#3. Speaking of blending, I found that adding a little of the date water facilitated making my dough smooth. Then I added a little more oat flour to make the dough less sticky.
#4. You can refrigerate your dough overnight to make the dough easier to work with. I feel like they also come out of the oven chewier.
Coconut Cream Frosting Shaving Cream
To make this into a shaving cream: make it the same as you would make the frosting. Honestly I know it sounds crazy, but my philosophy is making skincare so clean you can eat it! No preservatives. This means it is also important to get quality ingredients for your recipes. Organic coconut cream is great, making your own coconut cream even better! (Not that I did this for my recipe mind you.) I prefer vanilla bean paste but you can absolutely use pure vanilla extract. Strawberries are on the dirty dozen, so again reminding you to find the right source for your ingredients!
Recipe for Vegan Full Moon Cookies with Vegan Buttercream Frosting
INGREDIENTS FOR COOKIES
FOR THE COOKIES:
1 1/2 cups dates
1/2 cup tahini
3 cups oat flour
*Optional: pinch of sea salt
METHOD
#1. Prep for cookies by soaking your dates in water for 3 hours prior to making your cookie dough.
#2. Prep for frosting by refrigerating one can of coconut cream for 24 hours or at least one night before making.
#3. Preheat oven to 350°
#4. Add oat flour, soaked dates, tahini, sea salt and a tablespoon of the date water into the food processor. Puree until texture is smooth.
#5. *Optional, refrigerate dough overnight.*
#6. Take a scoop of your cookie dough and flatten into a circle in your hands. Place onto your cookie sheet pan. Repeat until cookie sheet pan is full.
#7. Bake for 15 minutes.
#8. Allow to cook before applying your vegan buttercream frosting.
INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING
FOR THE FROSTING:
1 can coconut cream
1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
METHOD
#1. Pour freeze dried strawberries into a mortar and use a pestle to grind into a fine powder.
#2. Take out your coconut cream. Separate out the liquid from the solid cream at the top.
#3. Pour the solid cream into a whisking bowl.
#4. Add vanilla and half of the strawberry powder.
#5. Whisk on medium high until texture is thick and creamy, making peaks like buttercream frosting.
#6. Keep your frosting in the fridge until ready to use. Allow cookies to cool before frosting. Decorate with the rest of your strawberry powder sprinkled on top.
Healthy Skin Begins Within
If you have tried everything but still struggle to find clear, healthy skin my number one recipe is to try and clean up your diet! Inflammation is a major cause of skin disorders like acne, rosacea, redness, psoriasis, even premature aging. If you’ve crossed out a lot of the obious causes, you may find you have some hidden sensitivies creating problems for you. The path to healthy skin isn’t always an easy one, if you have questions along the way or if you don’t even know where to start, book a consultation or a facial with me and let me help you get started.
Also, don’t forget to tag me in your clean recipe selfies. Whether you are eating these delicious babies or using the frosting to shave your legs, I wanna know! Tag me @bewitchedestheticsboise so I can share you on my stories XOXO
Wishing you a life full of beauty and blessings!
