There’s a formidable gap between a) the frequency with which I enjoy eating carrot cake (anytime you care to set a slice in front of me), b) how often I feel motivated to bake carrot cake (once a year, twice if I owe you), and c) the number of times it would be a healthy decision to eat carrot cake for breakfast (somewhere between a and b). Here to bridge the divide: Carrot Cookies! These chewy oatmeal Carrot Cookies have the signature ingredients and flavors of your favorite carrot cake but only take minutes to make and are made of healthy ingredients too.
Every spring, I come down with a fierce craving for carrot cake. It’s the way of Mother Nature.
The frost melts. The tulips bloom. The baby animals are born.
I am seized by an emergency need for carrot cake.
At the same time, however, I can’t in good conscience say that keeping an entire carrot cake around for a household of three, even this Healthy Carrot Cake recipe, is a particularly prudent idea.
It becomes even less prudent when you consider that one member of said household is a crazy man who doesn’t like carrot cake (I KNOW!) and the other is a 25-pound beagle.
And the third household member? Well, she wants carrot cake, but she doesn’t want to wait the 4+ hours she’d need to bake, cool, and frost the cake, plus wash the dishes.
As it turns out, the best way to have your carrot cake and eat it too isn’t a cake at all. It’s Carrot Cookies!
Carrot Cookies—Wholesome AND Delicious!
These quick and easy Carrot Cookies are made entirely of wholesome ingredients. The base is oat flour, so they are gluten free (you can find oat flour in many grocery stores, online here, or simply make your own in the food processor—directions below).
Instead of butter, these oatmeal Carrot Cookies use coconut oil, which gives them a soft yet satisfying texture. They’re naturally sweetened with applesauce and honey, and if you’d like to make them vegan carrot cookies, you can use maple syrup instead.
I crave my carrot cake fully loaded with yummy mix-ins, and you’ll find that preference reflected in this carrot cookie recipe.
In addition to a whopping 1 1/2 cups of freshly grated carrots (Carrot Cookies healthy enough for breakfast? I say yes!), I added chopped walnuts, raisins, and warm, signature carrot cake spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
I know some of these mix-ins (and by “some” I mean “raisins”) are cause for division in the carrot dessert kingdom, so if they aren’t your thing, you can simply omit them.
In an effort to further our Carrot-Cookies-for-Breakfast cause, I also added a few tablespoons of flaxseed for an extra nutritional boost.
If you’d like to keep this recipe as virtuous as possible, these chewy Carrot Cookies are wonderful just as they are, completely unadorned.
That said…I couldn’t resist the urge to drizzle my Carrot Cookies with orange icing, because that’s how my grandma topped her carrot cookies when I was growing up (you can find her recipe called Orange Cookies on my site).
For the carrot cake traditionalists, you can also top these Carrot Cookies with cream cheese frosting. (Need a recipe? Check out the cream cheese frosting on top of this Pumpkin Sheet Cake.)
How to Store and Freeze
- To Store. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container lined with a paper towel at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze. If freezing the cookies, I recommend waiting to frost them or freezing the frosting separately. If your cookies are already frosted, to freeze, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookies harden, then transfer the cookies to an airtight container or ziptop bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Recommended Tools to Make Carrot Cookies
- Best-ever cookie sheets
- Parchment paper (these precut parchment sheets are a great time saver)
Carrot Cookies with Orange Icing
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Ingredients
FOR THE CARROT COOKIES:
- 1 ¼ cups quick-cooking oats I recommend quick oats over rolled oats, as the rolled oats will have a much firmer texture that is harder to chew
- 1 cup oat flour see notes to make your own
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups peeled grated carrots (about 8 ounces or 2 large carrots)
- ¾ cup chopped raw walnuts or pecans
- ¼ cup raisins or additional walnuts or pecans
- ⅓ cup honey or pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce at room temperature
- ¼ cup melted cooled coconut oil or unsalted butter (I used coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FOR THE ORANGE ICING (optional):
- ½ cup powdered sugar sifted if lumpy
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice plus additional as needed
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, oat flour, flaxseed, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Add the carrots, walnuts, and raisins. With a rubber spatula, stir to combine.
- In a separate medium bowl, briskly whisk together the honey, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. If your coconut oil resolidifies, pop the mixture in the microwave for a few seconds, then stir until smooth. Pour the liquid mixture into the oat mixture and fold in by hand, just until combined. The dough will be thick, wet, and sticky.
- With a large cookie scoop or 1/4 cup measure, portion the dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each. Carefully flatten each cookie to be about 3/4 inch thick. If the dough is sticking to your hands, wet your palms slightly to make the process easier.
- Bake until the cookies are lightly golden and firm at the edges and on the top, 12 to 14 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack (do not keep it on top of your hot oven) and let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies from the sheet to the wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- For the orange icing: Whisk the powdered sugar, orange juice, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Wait a few minutes to allow the icing to set. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container lined with a paper towel at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- If freezing the cookies, I recommend waiting to frost them or freezing the frosting separately. If your cookies are already frosted, to freeze, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookies harden, then transfer the cookies to an airtight container or ziptop bag.
- TO MAKE YOUR OWN OAT FLOUR: To make your own oat flour, pulse 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon rolled or quick oats in a food processor until they are well ground. Measure out 1 cup for the recipe, then use as directed.
Nutrition
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These cookies look delicious! I sometimes buy the bags of pre-grated carrots at the grocery store for certain recipes. Then, I inevitably end up with half a bag leftover that I don’t know what to do with. This recipe will solve that problem going forward so thank you! :)
Sounds like a perfect use for those leftover carrots, Jana! I hope you love the cookies!
That orange icing is the perfect finish for these carrot cookies! These look so delicious!
Just made these. DELICIOUS!
These…are….THE…BEST…cookies I have ever had! Made 1 batch last night and don’t have any left!! Will try to make more this week, but maybe a little smaller…so they last longer…LOL!!
WOOHOO! I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Michelle. Thanks so much for taking the time to share this review!
Made these today and they are so yummy and easy to make! I love how the cookie itself isn’t overly sweet but than you add on the orange glaze and it just gives it a perfect taste.
Had my husband taste test and he loved it as well.
Thanks so much will for sure bake these again.
Megan
I’m so happy to hear the cookies are a hit, Megan! Thank you so much for giving them a try and reporting back. :)
I made a triple batch of these last weekend as a treat for a big family get together and they were A-mazing!!!! Seriously, we all ate 2 or 3 and raved about how packed with flavor they were and how satisfying they seemed! I will be making these again for Easter! Thanks for a wonderful and memory making cookie
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this wonderful review, Natalie! I’m so glad to hear the cookies were a hit!
The cookies are delicious and so easy to put together as I had everything on hand. Thank you so very much for the recipe.
I’m so glad to hear it, Elaine! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and for taking the time to review!
Made these cookies yesterday and had them for breakfast this morning – really good and not too sweet. I didn’t add the frosting because I planned on them for breakfast. My husband can’t eat flax seed so I subbed wheat germ. This is a nice low calorie treat.
Chris, I’m so glad the cookies were a hit! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your review!
Hi.. has anyone tried making these cookies in the microwave?
Mickie, I have never heard of that and I honestly can’t recommend it. I think the matter would melt into a puddle; they really do need to bake in an oven. If you try the recipe, I hope you love them.
Hello erin, how can substitute the applesauce? Im in dominican republic and its to expensive here…
Hi Ivonne, you could try playing around with canola oil, but I haven’t tried that myself so it’d definitely be an experiment. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes.
I used pre-shredded, tri-colored, carrots from the grocery store, and they turned out both beautiful and delicious! The orange icing really took the cookies to the next level. Yum!
Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe, Shannon! That sounds delish!
I finally got round to baking these this morning and they are divine and healthy! My favorite carrot cake cookies to date. I halved the honey and it was still sweet enough for me. Thank you Erin.
Hooray! I’m glad they were a hit. Thanks for reporting back, Lyf!
Would almond flour be ok instead of the oat flour? Thanks!
Hi Chereal! I’ve never tried to swap out the oat flour in this recipe, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Easy to make and delicious! I used gluten free flour instead of oat flour and pumpkin purée combined with applesauce. They turned out great!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Marina! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I haven’t even made these yet but girl… the way you expressed your need for carrot cake in springtime really touched me! Thanks and here I go.
I hope you love the recipe, Roxy!
Can I chill the dough overnight?
Hi Sylvia! Maybe? I haven’t tested these out by chilling the dough so it’s really hard for me to say. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Made these tonight and only made two subs and two changes: gf flour for the oat flour, and vegetable oil for the applesauce; I also squeezed almost all the juice out of the carrots after grating them and added a very very tiny amount of orange extract to the icing since my orange was not very flavorful.
They are so so good!! What a great recipe and way to use up some carrots! I will plan to make these again and freeze to have as a treat over the long-term.
So glad to hear, thank you Margaret!
I followed directions but my cookies are way too dry. Any suggestions?
I’m sorry to hear you had problems with the recipe, Nancy. I’d try taking them out of the oven a minute or two earlier and see if this helps. It has worked well for myself (and others) and I wished it would have been a hit for you too.
This looks like a great recipe! Is there anyway I can omit flaxseed? I rather not have to buy it just for two tbs. Thank you!!
Hi Aly, I haven’t tested it out myself, but you likely could. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!