Carrot Cake Cookies

Carrot is my favorite type of cake.   This whole going dairy-free thing has opened up some new doors for baking.  Mostly for how to replace butter.  You'd think since I'm not cooking with butter that I would refrain from watching Paula Deen, but you would be wrong.  

There are several vegan bakers out there on the big world of the internet, and one of my favorites is Angela at Oh She Glows.  She uses real ingredients, and her recipes taste great.  Nothing is worse than a healthy cookie that tastes overly healthy. Or one that's full of scary substitute chemical ingredients. 

I was having a major sweet craving yesterday, which led me to attempt a strawberry chocolate sorbet in the blender.  The noise of frozen strawberries in the blender scared the baby, so I felt like a terrible mother and still had no dessert.  Today I took a different approach, and the results were much better.  

These are like a combination of little bite sized cake and cookie.  I loved them.  My taste tester announced he doesn't like coconut, so his review is biased.  

My comments on the ingredients are in italics.  

Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies

recipe from Oh She Glows

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup regular oats
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut (I used sweetened, and cut back a little on the maple syrup)
• 1/4-1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I used almonds)
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots, packed
• 1/4 cup raisins, soaked in water overnight (I soaked mine in hot water for 10 minutes)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, room temperature
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed for about 25 seconds in microwave
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment or a Silpat.  

Whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Stir in the nuts, coconut, raisins and carrot.

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and ginger.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined.

Using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop, drop onto baking sheet.  Use your hands to roll into balls (it helps to have wet hands).

Bake for 12 minutes and allow to cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet.

Makes 14 cookies.