Carrot Cake Cookies

Over the last couple weeks whenever I hit the grocery store, I would grab a seed packet here and there for my vegetable garden. I snagged a few of our favorites without much thought: string green beans, sugar snap peas, butter lettuce, basil. 

The seed packets sat on the kitchen counter while I benignly ignored them, busy with other things. The kids would ask when we were going to plant the garden and I would nod and say ‘soon!’ Several weeks passed in a blur of at-home school, nerf gun wars, an overloaded dishwasher and the never-ending ding of news alerts on my phone.

Finally this week, we got out the potting soil and seed trays. I rallied the kids to help me finish the last of the spring clean-up in the garden and we got the seeds planted in our trays. The promise of mild weather and warm sunshine this week was exactly what we needed to entice us into a project.

It felt good to plant seeds, the anticipation of something so tiny and good not lost on my weary self. We set the seeds out in the sunshine, letting them warm in the afternoon heat and rush to cover them gently at night, watching every day for little signs of life. I’m reminding myself to do the same for my family; a little sunshine everyday and lots of cozy warmth in the evening. 

These loaded-up cookies are a lovely stand-in for cake with a chewy texture and tons of flavor. They were the perfect project for Scarlet and I to do together and everyone gobbled up the cookies warm from the pan. I’m already looking forward to another batch this weekend.

I kept the cookies very simple, but you could dress them up with a little cream cheese frosting or powdered sugar glaze for an extra-special touch. And if you’re looking for an actual carrot cake recipe or really any recipe, you can always hop over to my Recipe Index and search for anything you might be looking for.

Carrot Cake Cookies

• 1/2 cup rolled oats

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

• 1 cup chopped pecans

• 2 heaping tablespoons drained crushed pineapple

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup coconut oil melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl combine rolled oats, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and baking powder. Use a whisk to combine ingredients. Shred carrots (about 3 large carrots) and add to the bowl. Stir in pecans, raisins and coconut. 

In a separate bowl combine melted coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract and crushed pineapple. Combine the wet ingredients with dry ingredients and mix to combine. 

Use a cookie scoop to scoop cookie balls onto baking sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes until cookies are golden brown.