Packed with wholesome ingredients, these healthy carrot cake cookies are great for breakfast or dessert. Chewy and full of carrots, pecans, coconut and raisins. Dairy-free, gluten-free (with almond meal) and vegetarian.
Cookies on a Monday morning? Yes—especially when they’re the healthier kind. These carrot cake cookies brighten an otherwise ordinary start to the week and make a satisfying breakfast or guilt-free treat.
They evolved from a simple, well-loved cookie base with a small tweak to the sweeteners (a different balance of honey and maple syrup) so the dough bakes up a bit sturdier. Then shredded carrot, raisins, coconut and chopped pecans were folded in for texture, natural sweetness and flavor.
Enjoy them warm from the oven or packed into a lunchbox. They hold together well and stay chewy, making them convenient for on-the-go mornings or a cozy afternoon snack.
These cookies are naturally dairy-free and can be gluten-free if you choose almond meal instead of whole wheat pastry flour. The recipe yields about 15–18 cookies and takes roughly 32 minutes total from start to finish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR 1 cup almond meal*
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil**
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut
- ¼ cup chopped raw pecans
- 1 medium carrot, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour (or almond meal), oats, ground flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, honey, applesauce, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the raisins, coconut, pecans and shredded carrot.
- Scoop about 1½ to 2 tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten each cookie slightly; they can be placed fairly close together as they won’t spread much while baking.
- Bake for 11–13 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- *Use either the whole wheat pastry flour OR the almond meal—do not combine both. The dough will be slightly wetter with almond meal. To keep the cookies gluten-free, use almond meal.
- **Melt the coconut oil before measuring to ensure you use the correct amount.
Nutrition (approximate per cookie)
Calories: 156; Total Fat: 11 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Unsaturated Fat: 6 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 106 mg; Carbohydrates: 14 g; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 6 g; Protein: 3 g.
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Healthy Carrot Cake Cookies
about 15 to 18 cookies
20 minutes
12 minutes
32 minutes
Packed with wholesome ingredients, these chewy cookies are perfect for breakfast or dessert and suit dairy-free and vegetarian diets. Use almond meal to make them gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR 1 cup almond meal*
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil**
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut
- ¼ cup chopped raw pecans
- 1 medium carrot, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
- Stir the wet into the dry until just combined, then fold in the raisins, coconut, pecans and shredded carrot.
- Scoop dough in 1½–2 tablespoon portions onto the baking sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake 11–13 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
Notes
*Choose either whole wheat pastry flour or almond meal; do not combine. Almond meal makes the dough slightly wetter and keeps the recipe gluten-free.
**Measure melted coconut oil to ensure accuracy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 156
Total Fat: 11g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Trans Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 106mg
Carbohydrates: 14g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 6g
Protein: 3g
Nutrition data is an estimate for informational purposes only and may vary based on ingredient choices. Values shown assume almond meal was used.