OCOOKIEOS

Hoppen Hierarchy: ★★★⭑

Cookie/Donut Confections

Perfect For: Baked Goods

Standout Dishes: OWasHoppenO; OBougieO; OTastyO; OSugarO; Vegan OGalaxyO

Nichole Bartlett had no aspirations of creating a new food item. She was a home baker and loving mom looking for a solution when one of her sons developed a gluten allergy.

After months of trial and error working with all manner of flours, she found her solution… and created a thriving business in the process.

The result was OCookieOs, a company that combines the soft insides of a cake donut with the crispy edges of a cookie. These sweet confections employ oat flour, but they don’t have the grainy consistency other gluten-free flours can have. That’s because Nichole grinds the flour herself, a labor of love that shines through in the final product’s consistency and flavor.

OCookieOs operates out of Kitchen Council in Council Bluffs and offers delivery right to your doorstep. Its goods can also be found at Wohlner’s Grocery in Midtown or at various coffee shops around the area, including CTRL Coffee & Cereal Bar and Dundee Double Shot.

Baking has been a part of Nichole’s family for generations, so when her son’s gluten allergy was discovered, simply giving it up wasn’t an option. She spent six months tirelessly working with all manner of different flours before finally landing on one that gave her cookies the consistency she desired.

But it didn’t work for donuts. Try as she might, Nichole couldn’t find a workable recipe for gluten-free donuts… until one of her boy suggested she just shape her cookies in donut form.

And thus, OCookieOs was born.

All of OCookieOs’ products start with the same brilliant base: a fluffy, crumbly center combined with a crispy outside. They’re soft, pliable, and loaded with protein, so (unlike a regular sugar bomb of a donut) you won’t be hungry again an hour after eating one.

The first iteration is what’s now known as The Original O, a combination of oatmeal, peanut butter, and three types of chocolate. The latter two ingredients give a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup vibe, while the oatmeal adds a hearty, chewy consistency.

That original recipe has been tweaked to create all kinds of new flavors, including:

OBougieO: Shown in the header photo, this is a chocolate lover’s dream. With three different types of chocolate and espresso chips, it adds a rich brownie element to the cookie/donut cross.
OSugarO: A sweet, classic sugar cookie with sprinkles and large sugar crystals adding texture.
OWasHoppenO: OK,maybe I’m biased because it bears my name, but this is my personal favorite. This mint/chocolate combo tastes like a gooey brownie with subtle mint and is interspersed with chunks of Andes Mints and crushed Oreos.
OVelvetyO: The lush, rich flavor of chocolate cake is interspersed with gobs of tangy cream cheese for a combo that’s superior to most bakeries version of red velvet cake.
Vegan OGalaxyO: OCookieOs’ take on cookies and cream, this cookie has crisp bits of crushed sandwiches cookies and gooey marshmallow ribbons flowing through it.
OTastyO: Peanut butter fiends, eat your heart out. With a peanut butter base, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and a peanut topping, this is an ode to America’s favorite nutty condiment.

ONamelessO: With a layer of vanilla dough in between two out chocolate layers (not to mention two types of sprinkles for texture), this is a classic black and white cookie.
ODoodlyO: Patterned after a snickerdoodle, this cookie/donut has the familiar, homey flavor combo of a sugar cookie with a good dose of cinnamon.

OFattieO: The peanut butter base adds a nuttiness that’s complimented by Reese’s cups, peanuts, chocolate chips, and caramelized crispy rice. It’s a smorgasbord of texture and flavor.
ODaddyO: Developed for Nichole’s father, this is the kitchen sink of cookies. A rich chocolate base is laced with peanut butter and loaded with butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, caramel, pecans, and toffee chips. There’s so much going on that it takes a few bites to figure it out. This is definitely one of the nuttier, chewier versions of OCookieO’s products.

Each OCookieO runs between 300-400 calories, but if you’re looking for a smaller version, OCookieOs also offers 3-packs of mini cookies.

There are also OCrispyOs, which are essentially an upper-echelon rice crispy treat in donut shape. They have the familiar combination of gooey crunchiness that makes rice crispy treats so beloved, while also being gluten-free and vegan-friendly.

OCookieOs may have been developed as an accident, but it’s evolved into an ever-growing business that causes each customer to ask, “Why have I never thought of this combination before?” Cookies and donuts are a match made in Heaven, as OCookieOs is all too ready to showcase.