Recipe: Carrot Cake Cookies

Apart from bananas, another thing that I nearly always have in the fridge are carrots. I like carrot cake but I wanted cookies so I thought why not make carrot cake cookies! 

These cookies are so soft and cake-like, and the addition of the spices make them extra moreish. They are also loaded with heaps of grated carrots which is a rich source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a vitamin A precursor which means it gets turned into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is needed to maintain the health of your eyes, skin, and immunity. 

A 19-30 year old male is recommended to have 900 µg/day and females 700 µg/day of vitamin A. One carrot provides roughly that amount, so have a carrot a day and you'll be A-okay. 

  

If I were to make these cookies again I would add some chopped walnuts to it to increase the protein content and I think it would add a really nice nutty flavour to the cookies and not to mention the nutrients in those brain shaped nuts either! (But I'll save that for anuther time)

Carrot Cake Cookies (20 cookies)

Ingredients 

• 2 cups rolled oats 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• 2 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger 
• 1/8 tsp salt 
• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 tsp vanila extract 
• 1/3 cup honey 
• 2 carrots, grated  

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper. 

In a food processor, process 1 cup of oats into oat flour and 1 cup of oats into smaller pieces of oats (similar to instant oat size). 

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 

Puree the banana in the food processor and combine with the dry ingredients along with the other wet ingredients. MIx until combined. 

Spoon onto the cookie mixture onto the line baking tray and flatten slightly. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the centre is a little under. Take out of the oven and leave the cookies on the tray for 15 minutes. The remaining heat from the baking tray will allow the cookies to cook through.