Well, I didn’t end up making the Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies, but I did end up making an off-spring!
Meet the carrot cake cookie in breakfast form. I cut down the oil (using applesauce to replace some of it) and amped up the protein, fibre, and healthy fats naturally using ground flax.
In my first version, I used protein powder instead of flax, but the texture was weird and the flavour was off. Ground flax all the way!
I also left them chunky instead of flattening them down. Much better.
The cookies are lightly sweet, with a lovely carrot cake flavour and the texture of a muffin top. I added in a full cup of grated carrots and a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger for a boost of nutrition and an authentic carrot cake flavour. Ginger also aids in digestion as an added bonus.
Eric summed them up nicely, “If I was looking for a healthy cookie, I would be happy with these. If I wanted a regular unhealthy dessert cookie, I might be a bit disappointed. But they are perfect for breakfast or a snack and I like that they taste like a muffin.”
I’m not sure I can add anything to that, so I’ll just give you the recipe! Nutritional info follows.
If you’re feeling like cake instead don’t forget to check out my Whole-grain Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf with Lemon Glaze.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Oh Mega Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
Yield
13 cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Like a healthy breakfast muffin in carrot cake cookie form. Coconut oil, maple syrup, and fresh ginger work well to create a nice carrot cake flavour, however if you are without those ingredients you can try subbing in another light tasting oil of your choice, other liquid sweetener, and ground ginger (maybe 1/4 tsp?).
Adapted from Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies, which was adapted from 101 Cookbooks.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 3/4 cup ground flax
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup regular rolled oats
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1 cup lightly packed shredded carrots (use finest grate)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (other liquid sweeteners should work)
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and toast the pecans for 10-11 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the batter. In a large bowl, mix together the flax, flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and raisins.
- Grate the carrots and ginger using the finest grate. In a smaller bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave for about 45-60 seconds. You want the oil hot so it doesn’t clump up when adding the cold wet ingredients. Now add in the maple syrup, carrots, applesauce, grated ginger, and vanilla. Stir well.
- Remove pecans from the oven and add to the dry ingredients. Increase oven temp to 350F. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. The dough will be very sticky, so not to worry.
- With a spoon, scoop about 13 cookies onto a lined baking sheet. They don’t spread much so you can put them an inch apart. Bake for 14-15 minutes at 350F and allow to cool on baking sheet.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Just a word of caution- the dough is very sticky so don’t be alarmed when you mix it up. It’s easiest to just scoop the dough with a spoon and drop it onto the baking sheet.
They are a lovely cookie for an on-the-go breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack. And like Eric says, keep in mind that it’s a healthier cookie and you won’t be disappointed.
Breakfast this morning was a lovely Green Monster with a side of cookie.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Superfood Green Monster
Yield
1 serving
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
This Green Monster packs in superfoods like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, chia seeds, and spinach! For more Green Monster recipes, visit the Green Monster Movement.
Ingredients
- 1 large handful spinach
- 1 cup + 2-3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup frozen mixed berries
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 scoop Garden of Life Raw Protein powder, or other powder
- Ice, if preferred
Directions
- Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Add ice if desired.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Note the hot tea in the background to warm me up!
[Mason glass was picked up in November while visiting Fish’s Eddy in NYC]
Have a great day!
This is my kinda cookie! I just pulled them out of the oven and they look delicious! To make gluten-free, I replaced the flour with: 1/2 cup sorghum flour, 1/4 cup arrowroot starch and 1/4 cup sweet rice flour. Then the oats with quinoa flakes. Yummy!! Going to pack 2 in my lunch for today. Thanks for the recipe, Angela.
WOW! I can’t wait to make these!!! And I just happen to have a ridiculous amount of carrots right now! Thank you for such a great idea.
Those cookies look great! I love a healthy carrot cake recipe!
I made these last night and had them for breakfast this morning! They are awesome, very filling and tasty. As a new vegan missing my sweets I don’t even notice these cookies didn’t have sugar, eggs or milk in this recipe. Amazing!
I made a GF version of these carrot cake cookies last night and used 1/2C buckwheat and 1/2C sorghum flour and they turned out amazing!! I even brought them to work to a non-vegan, non-GF crowd and everyone loves them. I think I will try them again with almond flour instead of the buckwheat just to see how they might be different. Delicious either way I suspect :) Thanks for the recipe!
can i replace the coconut oil with another oil???
Yes another oil should work! canola, extra virgin olive oil, etc
I love your carrot cake scuffins so I’m sure I’d love these too. They look delicious!
YUMMM to the cookies! I would have been tempted to just eat the straight dough ;)
I have been obsessed with your site for a good 3 weeks now! I just recently went vegetarian, and am slowly transitioning to vegan. Your site has soo many AMAZING recipes!! I especially love your VOO recipes! I am a huge breakfast fan, and anything that tastes yummy and can get me through my morning workouts is a thumbs up!! Soo happy i found your site!!!
Thank you Angel, what a nice thing to say! Congrats on going veg too!
I my goodness these look good! Will have to make them without the pecans as we are a nut free household. Carrot Cake is one of my favourite cakes!
Made these tonight! They were awesome! I will add them to my mid-morning snacks at work.
The carrot cake cookies sound amazing!!
I have a question though, will plain honey work instead of the maple syrup?? Or how about avoiding the ‘whole syrupy’ business altogether?? Will it work?
Mmm, we both had vegan carrot cake cookies on the brain. I just made some yesterday but a bit more basic ingredients. Mine were crisper almost like a wholesome cracker consistency. Can’t wait to try your version. Yum!
Yummy! I don’t personally like “sweets,” so my dessert creations always tend towards hearty, healthy, and comforting. And this cookie looks like it fits all the criteria (and then some). Thanks for sharing, Angela!
Angela – these look fabulous! My husband and I are newly vegan, but we are also omitting any type of oil. Do you have a version that leaves out the oil?
Hi Kara, No I’m sorry I don’t, but I assume you could replace the oil with applesauce…but they won’t be exactly the same.
Hi Angela,
I loved the sound of these cookies when I first read your post – I mean a breakfast cookie – what’s not to love! I made a batch on Saturday and they were such a big hit with my boyfriend I had to make more on Sunday! I had run out of ground flax but ground almond and extra oats worked a treat. The cookies are so tasty and we have been having them as pre and post workout snacks! Thanks :-)
I just had one these smoothies! Mine had spinach, banana, blueberries, soy milk, and orange juice in it. So yum!!
My ginger was really fibrous, so I think next time I’ll chop it up and smush it with my garlic press. I also think I’ll squeeze some of the moisture out of my carrots next time. I used a medium cookie scoop and ended up with over 30 cookies! Excellent recipe, I’ll be making these a lot!
I made these yesterday and they’re delicious!! I’m taking a week-long trip next week and want to bring healthy breakfast foods and snacks with me, and these will definitely be perfect. I had one and then froze the rest until I leave or else I’m sure they’d be gone before my trip! Thanks for the great recipe :)
What would you use in place of applesauce? I’m living in Brazil, and I can’t find applesauce yet, but these look so good, I’m going to try to bring them to a brunch tomorrow :)