Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies

Carrot cake is one of those misleading desserts. People assume it’s the healthier option cause it has all those vegetables in it, right? Wrong. Most carrot cakes have an excess of sugar to cover the flavor of those so called veggies. And then they get smothered in cream cheese frosting and any benefit from the carrot is surely lost. Now this doesn’t mean you can’t make a lighter version that still has all of the heart of the original. Making them into cookies not only means the portion size issue has been tackled but it makes them more portable. The healthy dose of oats helps to make this an easy on the go pick me up!

Recipe adapted from Amy’s Healthy Baking

1 cup oats, pulsed in a blender or food processor for 30 seconds

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 cup grated carrots, about 1 medium

For the glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 teaspoons powdered ginger

2 1/2 teaspoons skim milk

  1. In a large bowl combine the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  2. Whisk the butter into the egg. Add in the vanilla extract and the maple and combined all of these together. Stir the wet ingredients into the dries until mostly combined. Fold in the carrots and mix until a cohesive dough is formed.
  3. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Scoop out the cookie dough and flatten them slightly (they don’t change much shape when they bake.)
  5. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool before glazing.
  6. To make the glaze. Whisk the sugar and ginger together. Whisk in the milk until you can drizzle the mixture. Drizzle on top of the cookies or dip the cookies into the glaze.