Easily some of the sweetest days of my childhood were spent with my aunt and cousin. They’d drop by my house to pick me up. And we’d sneak off for the day and hit every mall in the city.
Yes, it was the 1980’s and malls were in their heyday.
We’d start downtown to walk through the skywalks and eat chow mein at Kaleidoscope at the Hub. Then, like an Orange Julius-fueled marathon, we’d hit each of Des Moines’ three area malls.
We’d stop by Paul Harris to check out the Pasta sweatshirts. We’d make a run through 5-7-9, and I’d covet the shoes at Baker’s. (Once I bought a pair of purple velvet & green burlap shoes from there that I still miss to this day.)
I had a growing mask collection. And I’d visit David’s Briar Shop to see which one would be next on my Christmas & birthday wish lists.
Since my two siblings are both male, those days were a peek into how the other half lives. It was female bonding time that once even involved getting my ears pierced at Claire’s Boutique at the upper level of Merle Hay Mall.
And after we’d worked up an appetite, I’d buy a chocolate chip Double Doozie at the Great American Cookie Company. Two large, soft and chewy cookies were sandwiched with sweet, whipped vanilla frosting.
I’d start into it with gusto and would inevitably end up with half of the cookie saved for later in its greasy parchment-like paper packaging.
There aren’t many non-vegan foods that I see in a mall now and wish they made a vegan version. But the Double Doozie is the exception. Occasionally I’ll find myself at the mall and get a whiff of vanilla and chocolate. And I can’t help but wish they had a vegan Double Doozie on offer.
Well, luckily that is a problem no longer!
For my Back in Thyme series, I made this Double Doozie using a dozen of Dreena Burton’s Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are my absolute favorite cookie, so much so that I have a hard time making any other kind.
They are perfectly chewy and moist with just the right balance of salty and sweet. Plus, they’re made with ingredients that most anyone would have in their cupboard.
(I love that for the inevitable time that I’m asked for the recipe. No specialty stores required.)
I sandwiched the cookies with the creamy, dreamy vanilla frosting that is my mom’s go-to recipe. This is what topped my birthday cakes throughout my childhood.
(When we wanted chocolate frosting, she’d just add cocoa powder as well.)
I don’t know the origins of this recipe, since it’s one that my mom simply has memorized and has been using for decades (although it wasn’t always made with vegan ingredients).
FYI, if you don’t use all of the frosting it keeps well in the refrigerator.
Oh, and one other tip! Make sure you wait until the cookies have completely cooled before frosting them. I know it’s hard, but resist!
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Vegan double doozies with vanilla frosting
Ingredients
- 12 homestyle chocolate chip cookies
- ½ cup vegan butter room temperature or non-hydrogenated organic vegetable shortening*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound confectioners sugar sifted**
- ⅛ to ¼ cup non-dairy milk I used vanilla soy milk
Instructions
- Allow the homestyle chocolate chip cookies to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, in a large mixing bowl use an electric beater to whip the vegan butter or non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening. Beat for a couple of minutes until light and whippy.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat for a minute or so longer.
- Add the confectioners sugar to the bowl and beat until combined. The frosting will likely be dry and pebbly by this point.
- Continue beating and slowly add the non-dairy milk by the tablespoonful.
- Once you have reached the amount of thinness you desire for the frosting, stop adding the non-dairy milk. For Double Doozies, I recommend keeping the frosting on the thicker side. (If you get the frosting too thin, simply add more confectioners sugar until it is at your desired consistency.)
- Frost 6 cookies with frosting. Top each one with a cookie to make a sandwich.
Savannah
Oh wow, these don’t even LOOK vegan!! They seriously look, and I’m sure taste, absolutely incredible. I always think it’s so fun to see people recreate their favorite recipes – yours look amazing!
Maggie Muggins
When I was a kid, the nearest mall was a 6 hour drive away, so whenever we went I would eat up every moment, now I run from those places, lol. We never had double doozies, I was more of a pretzel girl, but I’m sure I would have been all over these if they were around. Yours look incredible! I looove sandwich cookies!
Cadry
Wow, six hours away from a mall? It’s hard to imagine that! Those mall pretzels were awfully inviting too. I still remember the first time I ever had one. I was used to crunchy pretzels from a bag, and so a hot, soft one was quite a revelation!
celestedimilla
I remember Orange Julius – back in the day for sure!! Haha! Great post! Celeste 🙂
Cadry
Yes, it was quite the icon of its time! Thanks, Celeste!
Hannah
I wish someone would name their kid Double Doozie.
Ah, malls. I remember grade nine after-school snacks of plain white rice with hyper-pink sweet and sour sauce from the Chinese place in the food court. It was “healthy”.
Cadry
If only I was planning on having kids… I’ll have to leave that glorious name for you! 😉
I can totally picture the neon pink sweet and sour sauce and white rice in question! Too funny!
An Unrefined Vegan
Thanks for the mall memories! My pals and I would spend hours “mall walking” and then we’d go to Baker’s Square for pie (we’d split a whole one…only in one’s teens). Oh and an extra special thanks for the doozie recipe. Happy happy!
Cadry
Oh, yes! I know Baker’s Square very well! My aunt buys a French Silk Pie from them every Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas too. That’s something else that’s on my list of desserts I’d like to veganize!
Richa
i have made dreenas cookies a couple of times and they always hit the mark.. with this added frosting i bet these will be snatched up like crazy at bake sales!!
We used to live with our cousins till I was 12, with about 14 cousins in all and only 3 girls in the 14.(the Indian joint family system, not anything religious). The girls hardly ever got any alone time or even any time in the kitchen with 7 aunts managing in 2 kitchens:) I miss those days.
Cadry
The molasses and maple syrup in her cookies really gives them that extra edge over other chocolate chip cookies. That’s a great idea to sell these Double Doozies at bake sales! I’ve never taken part in one, but I’ll keep that in mind for someday.
That’s so wonderful that you grew up with your cousins. I’m sure that makes you feel very connected to them even now.
luminousvegans
Clearly I’ve been living under a rock because I have not tried those cookies yet. But what gets me is that thick dreamy vanilla frosting!! I want that buttercream frosting taste right now 🙂 I don’t have an electric beater mixy thing…do you think it’s possible to get such beautifulness by whipping by hand?
Cadry
I don’t know if whipping by hand would achieve the same lightness, but even so, I doubt there’s a way that sugar & vegan butter could taste bad. Amey made frosting recently by hand just using a fork. Give it a go and let me know how it works!
shaheen
I’m loving your theme and this post made me smile. Yeah shopping malls are def. straight from the 1980s, Not heard of doozies before,
Cadry
Oh, thank you, Shaheen! That’s really nice to hear! I think Double Doozies & Great American Cookie Company are a bit of a regional thing. They didn’t have them in California either.
veganmiam.com
I want this in such a serious way! Tasty and gorgeous!
Cadry
Thanks, sweetie!
flickingthevs
These look so good they could bring a tear of happiness to a statue’s eye! There’s a vegan baker near me that makes something similar and it’s always a challenge if I can buy one and not wolf it down in the 15 minutes it takes to get home!
Cadry
You’re so lucky to have a vegan baker nearby who makes something similar. I know how hard they can be to resist. I have one left in the kitchen that’s calling my name!
thepeacepatch
oh those carefree days of snacking and shopping at the mall…we had a Chocolate Factory and some place with wickedly addicting salty fries in a cup…yum!
I think I will try making these for my little nephew’s next birthday and jam a birthday candle in the middle…he’ll love it! Thanks! 🙂
Cadry
I love the birthday idea! That beats cake in my book!
Mel
They look incredibly wicked but in the best possible way! My young man adores chocolate chip cookies more than anything so I will have to up the ante one day and surprise him with these double doozies.
Cadry
You nailed it. Wicked in the best way. I’m sure your young man would love them!
Emmy
YUM with a capital everything!
Cadry
Thanks, Emmy!
VeganLisa
Whoa…that is quite a cookie. Dreena’s are my go-to chocolate chip cookies too. Well loved by all my friends and family members by now.
And like you, I only have brothers (3 of them) but I have 4 female cousins who we used to go shopping with in the States (that’s the USA of course) when I was a kid. It was such an adventure!
Cadry
Oh, that’s so sweet that you also had female cousins to bond with at the mall!
jessicacorra
I can’t stop staring at the picture! I gave up chocolate when I went vegan as well because I figured out I was having what is considered an allergic reaction (headaches, irritability, fatigue) but maybe I could use peanut butter chips? or vegan toffee? Or just cookie dough because do we really need an excuse?? 😀
Cadry
That’s too bad about your allergic reaction to chocolate, but good that you were able to pinpoint the culprit. I think any of the inclusions you mentioned would be delicious in the cookies! Or you could just swirl peanut butter in them or have them plain. Any way you do it, I don’t see how cookies and frosting could be a bad thing! 🙂
Doug
Those look amazing! Definitely will give these a try.
Cadry
Thanks, Doug! I hope you enjoy them!
Kylie - FotV
I remember begging my parents to drop my best friend and I off at the mall because it was the cool place to hang out and maybe you’d run into a cute boy from your school! I also got my ears pierced (for the second time) at Claires.
Cookie sandwiches are the best! Definitely filling though, I could never get through a whole one. These look amazingly scrumptious!
Cadry
I got my ears pierced for a second time at Claire’s too! Although, that time around I did it with a friend.
Yes, the cookie sandwiches are filling for sure! The next time I make these, I’m going to keep the cookies on the smaller side, since you’re already getting a second cookie and frosting with every bite.
Hannah
Oh damn, I used to looooove these. I still check them out when we go to the mall. Just to burn in my brain that I need to make my own vegan version. Yours look amaaazing!
Cadry
When there’s a long case of cookies, it’s hard not to look! You should definitely make your own vegan Doozie’s sometime.