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The best Homemade Dunkaroos Recipe to satisfy your '90s kid craving! These Dunkaroos are gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free! Easy cinnamon graham cookies plus a quick dairy-free vanilla frosting dip loaded with sprinkles! Bring back some nostalgia with this classic cookie and icing snack from childhood!
Mic drop. You may have heard the news that Dunkaroos are making a comeback this summer. That's great for all the "normal" eaters out there; all the cries for bringing this 90's childhood snack back, have finally been heard. BUT, what about all of us that will still be deprived due to celiac disease and food allergies? There shall be no missing out for us and I'm fixing that for you with another copycat homemade recipe!
What are Dunkaroos?
Little round cinnamon graham cookies that you dip (dunk) in a vanilla frosting with little rainbow sprinkles. Basically, they were a sugary dessert, made into a beloved packaged snack! Dunkaroos were released in 1990 by General Mills under the Betty Crocker brand. The snack came in a little blue plastic container with the cookies on one end and the small icing cup on the other end. Just peel back the cover and dunk your cookie in! The mascot of Dunkaroos was a Kangaroo, thus, the name "Dunk" (what you do with the cookies and frosting) "Roos" (short for kangaroo).
Why were they discontinued?
The peak in popularity was 1996 (the year I was born. Caveat, I'm pretty sure I never had real Dunkaroos). They were discontinued in the United States in 2012 due to General Mill's shift and focus on "healthier" snack options like Nature's Vally and Lärabar. Eventually, they were discontinued in Canada as well in 2017. After much begging, smuggling across the border, and Kim K. tweets, Dunkaroos really are coming back summer of 2020.
How to make Gluten-Free Dunkaroo Cookies
Are Dunkaroos gluten-free? No, the classic cookies are cinnamon graham cookies. But, we can make gluten-free cookies with this easy peasy recipe! The shape doesn't necessarily matter. The classic cookie shape was a small circle with a big D, a hot air balloon, or the Kangaroo mascot in various poses. A small circular shape seems like the easiest for you and me to make at home!
I used the little flower-shaped circle from this pack of tiny cookie cutters. Anything that's about an inch wide would be perfect! I won't fault you for making them cute teddy bears either...
Ingredients for gluten-free cinnamon graham cookies:
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- Brown Rice Flour
- Light Brown Sugar Sweetener (sugar-free)
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract
- Applesauce
- Vegan/Soy-Free Butter
Cookie Baking Tips:
- Depending on the cookie cutter you use, the number of cookies will vary (I got 60 cookies).
- Literally, these cookies are delicious as is...without the Dunkaroo dip!
- Try out other Dunkaroo cookie flavors like chocolate by adding a few tablespoons of cocoa powder in place of flour, mini chocolate chips, or leaving out the cinnamon.
- When rolling out your cookie dough, roll to about ⅛ inch thickness. This allows the cookies to be crunchy and soft on the inside, but not too thin and crisp.
- Store the cookies in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for 7-10 days.
How to make Vegan Dunkaroo Dip
Are Dunkaroos vegan? No, again. The cookies are vegan but contain soy. The frosting dip is just a long list of sugars, oils, shortening, dairy, and so many artificial ingredients and preservatives. The classic frosting was vanilla flavored with tiny little rainbow "sprinkles". Other varieties were chocolate or strawberry. The frosting was shelf-stable too (i.e. all the preservatives.) This homemade recipe is not.
Ingredients for vegan Dunkaroo dip:
- Vegan/Soy-Free Butter
- Powdered Sugar (sugar-free)
- Vanilla Extract
- Non-Dairy Vanilla Yogurt (or a full fat Non-Dairy Milk)
- Rainbow Confetti Sprinkles
Frosting Tips:
- Allow the stick of butter to soften first before creaming it together with the powdered sweetener and vanilla.
- Add the yogurt once the dip has actually come together, giving it one the last mix in the stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer).
- Fold in the sprinkles last by hand. Add more or less depending on your preference!
- Try other frosting flavors by adding some crushed up freeze-dried strawberries for a strawberry frosting or cocoa powder for a chocolate frosting.
- Store the frosting dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 to 10 days.
Are Dunkaroos healthy?
One pack of the classic Dunkaroos variety contained 10 cookies and a small 1 cubic inch of frosting. They actually only contained 110 calories, 3.5g Fat (1.5g of saturated fat), 19g carbs, 1g protein, 1g fiber, but 12g of sugar. Not horrible, as a processed "treat", but not a healthy snack by any means. However, THIS Dunkaroo recipe is...
- Gluten-Free
- Vegan
- Allergy-free (Dairy-Free,Soy-Free,Egg-Free,Nut-Free,Peanut-Free,Wheat-Free,Sesame-Free,Corn-Free,Coconut-Free)
- Oil-Free
- Low in Sugar (minus the sprinkles)
- Super Kid-Friendly
- No Preservatives or Artificial Ingredients
Are Dunkaroos a snack or dessert?
Well, I'm classifying them as a delicious cookie snack! A perfect cookie treat that tastes like cinnamon graham crackers with an extra little sweet accompaniment with the vanilla frosting dip! Great for an occasionally lunchbox treat or afternoon pick-me-up. They also work as a fun dessert for kids and adults. You can serve them in little containers with a dollop of the frosting like the authentic Dunkaroos, or serve the cookies on a platter with a big bowl of the frosting dip in the center for a party!
Homemade Dunkaroos
Homemade Dunkaroos Recipe (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Allergy-Free)
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5 from 2 reviews
The best Homemade Dunkaroos Recipe to satisfy your '90s kid craving! These Dunkaroos are gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free! Easy cinnamon graham cookies plus a quick dairy-free vanilla frosting dip loaded with sprinkles! Bring back some nostalgia with this classic cookie and icing snack from childhood!
- Author: Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 7 Minutes
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 60 Cookies 1x
- Category: Snack, Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Cinnamon Graham Cookies:
- ½ Cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- ½ Cup Brown Rice Flour
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar Erythritol (or preferred light brown sugar)
- ½ Tsp Baking Soda
- ½ Tsp Baking Powder
- ½ Tsp Cinnamon
- ½ Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
- 2 TB + 1 Tsp Unsweetened Applesauce
- 2 TB Vegan/Soy-Free Butter (cold, diced)
Rainbow Vanilla Frosting:
- 1 Stick Vegan/Soy-Free Butter (softened)
- 2 Cups Powdered Erythritol (or preferred powdered sugar)
- 1 TspPure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
- 2 TB Unsweetened Vanilla Non-Dairy Yogurt (or a Full Fat Non-Dairy Milk)
- 2 TB Allergy-Free Rainbow Confetti Sprinkles
Instructions
For the cookies:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the applesauce and butter. Mix together.
- Now add the applesauce and diced butter. Mix and knead the cookie dough using your hands.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes to chill and preheat the oven to 350°F in the meantime.
- On a floured flat surface, rolling the chilled dough out to about ⅛-inch thickness. Sprinkle extra flour on the dough when rolling, if needed.
- Cut our as many 1 inch sized cookies as you can with the dough, re-rolling as needed. I got 60 cookies using this cookie cutter.
- Evenly space the cookies out on aSilpatorparchment paper lined baking sheet and bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Remove and let cool.
For the vanilla frosting:
- In a stand mixer or in a bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and powdered sugar until you get a frosting texture.
- Next add in the vanilla extract and vanilla yogurt and blend to combine.
- By hand fold in the rainbow sprinkles.
- Chill the frosting in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10 Cookies
So, you and I may never be able to eat the real Dunkaroos when they come back to shelves in a few months...but we CAN make this allergy-free homemade Dunkaroos recipe and relive a bit of that 90s nostalgia (even though I never experienced it to begin with, haha!)
So tell me:
+ Did you ever have Dunkaroos in their heyday?
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