Carrot Cake Cookies

Last week I experienced an incurable sweet tooth madness. There was zero sweets in the house, too lazy/cold outside to travel to the nearest grocery store, and I was determined to make something out of nothing. I had honey, maple syrup, and coconut oil surely there is something! As I'm flipping through one of my favorite cookbooks by Cookie & Kate (<--click to view) I land on THE recipe to save me from one hell of a craving...Carrot Cookies! It was truly meant to be since I had the exact amount of carrots needed, half a pound. I made two variations: First I followed recipe as is using cranberries in place of raisins (did not have any on hand) and Second I omitted the raisins, replaced with dark chocolate morsels and added protein powder.

Put on some music, cleaned up the "cooking" area, and got to work. These cookies take about a 10-15-minute prep time followed by 17-minutes in the oven. Quick, easy, real ingredients, and CARROTS! Serve these for on-the-go breakfast, snack, or dessert. Have a warm mug of coffee or hot chocolate? Dunk these cookies in for an even tastier treat. Kid approved (my daughter is 6 and loves them) and fun for kids to help make.

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Carrot Cake Cookies

Gluten Free + Vegan

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Oats

• 1 cup Oat Flour

• 1tsp Baking Powder

• 1tsp Ground Cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

• 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

• 1 1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots (approx. 1/2 lb)

• 1 cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

• Toast nuts if desired in oven for 3-5 minutes until they're browned. Gives cookie another level of awesomeness

• 1/4 cup Raisins or Cranberries

• 1/2 cup Honey or Maple Syrup (vegan)

• 1/2 cup Melted Coconut Oil

• **1.5 scoops Protein Powder

• **1/2 cup Chocolate Chip Morsels (or more if desired! <----Click to view brand I purchase)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, if you do not have simply spray pan with olive oil/coconut oil

2. Peel and grate carrots. If you have a food processor use it! It'll save you time. Peel carrots, cut finger length, place in processor, and pulse until a "grated" consistency.

3. In large bowl, whisk together oats, oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, protein powder (if using), and ginger.

4. Add in grated carrots, nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips (if using)

5. In medium bowl, whisk honey or maple syrup with warmed, melted coconut oil. Mix for about 1-2 minutes. Pour mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine with a spatula. Add in chocolate chips.

6. ***If using protein powder you will need a little extra coconut oil + maple syrup to combine cookies***

7. Using a 1/4 measuring cup, scoop out mixture and place on baking sheet. Leave plenty of room in between! I add 6 cookies per baking sheet.

8. PRO TIP: Since the mixture is "sticky" keep a small bowl of warm water nearby to dip measuring cup in after every 2 scoops. This will help the batter not stick to the cup allowing for easier distribution.

9. Bake for about 17-minutes until cookies are golden and firm around edges. Once done allow cookies to sit on baking sheet for 5-minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

I hope you enjoy this comfort-cookie!

Happy Forkin'

-Summer