Description
These Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour, grated carrots, and instant oats. Sweetened with pure maple syrup and flavored with cinnamon, they make a nutritious snack or breakfast treat that’s easy to prepare and gluten-free adaptable.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- 3/4 cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120mL) pure maple syrup (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup (68g) freshly grated carrots (about 1 smallish medium, peeled first!)
Instructions
- Prep the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, whole wheat flour (or gluten-free flour), baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted and slightly cooled coconut oil or butter, room temperature egg, and vanilla extract. Stir in the pure maple syrup until fully incorporated.
- Combine Dough: Add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the freshly grated carrots, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to help firm it up for shaping.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Shape the Cookies: Use a spoon and spatula to drop the dough into 14 rounded scoops on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each scoop slightly with a spatula as these cookies do not spread much during baking.
- Bake: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 325°F. Remove them when the cookie centers still feel slightly soft and underdone to avoid over-baking.
- Cool the Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes so residual heat completes cooking and they firm up. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.
Notes
- Measure oats and flour carefully using a kitchen scale or the specified method to prevent dry or cakey cookies.
- Do not use pre-shredded store-bought carrots; freshly grate your own for the best texture and flavor.
- Remove cookies from the oven when centers feel slightly soft to avoid dry cookies as they firm up during cooling.
- If cookies feel flimsy after cooling 15 minutes, let them cool completely at room temperature to set while keeping soft texture.
- Use instant oats (quick cooking or one-minute) rather than flavored packet oats. To make your own instant oats, pulse old-fashioned oats in a food processor 10-12 times.
- Whole wheat flour can be substituted with white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, all-purpose flour, or oat flour for gluten-free versions (measure carefully with oat flour).
- For richer cinnamon flavor, use Saigon cinnamon.
- Use melted vegan stick butter or margarine as alternatives to coconut oil or butter; ensure egg is room temperature to avoid clumps.
- Pure maple syrup can be substituted with honey or agave but should be at room temperature to prevent fat re-solidifying.
- Do not substitute sugar-free maple syrup as it can make cookies cakey or bready due to water content.
- Dairy-free option: use coconut oil or vegan butter. Nut-free option: use unsalted butter.
- Gluten-free option: use certified gluten-free instant oats and the recommended gluten-free flour blend (millet flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum) or a store-bought gluten-free flour blend measured carefully.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerated for 5 days to a week, or freeze them once fully cooled for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
