4 Ingredient Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
These healthy carrot cake oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy and can be customized with your favorite mix-ins. The cookies are just 4 ingredients and don't need any flour, eggs, refined sugar, butter or oil.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (252 g) carrot puree, see note before starting
- 3 tbsp (1.5 fl oz/44 ml) maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp is less than 1 gram so I recommend using measuring spoon for this
- 1 3/4 cups (164 g) quick oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Add carrot puree, maple syrup and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl. Stir until the ingredients are evenly mixed. Add in oats and stir until they are evenly mixed in and coated. Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes so it thickens slightly. If you want to add mix-ins like chopped nuts, chocolate chips or raisins, stir them in.
- Use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop 2 tbsp of cookie batter per cookie. Release the cookie batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies about 1.5 inches apart.
- Use the back of a metal spoon to flatten dough slightly and shape the sides so that they form thick round disks (between 1/2 -3/4 inch thick). You can make your cookies thicker or thinner if you desire but know that your baking time may need to be adjusted. If your dough is too sticky, wet the spoon lightly with water and then shape the cookies. The cookies will not spread much during baking, so shape the cookies how you want the final outcome to be.
- Bake cookies for about 15-20 minutes or until done (mine took 18 minutes). When cookies are done, they should no longer look wet. They should also peel easily off of the parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Let cookies cool before removing and eating. You can also top the cookies with frosting before eating. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Carrot Puree note: If using store bought carrot puree, you want to choose one with a consistency similar to applesauce. I like Happy Baby carrot puree.* Avoid brands like Gerber where the consistency is too thin and watery. You can also make homemade puree with the recipe below.
- Homemade carrot puree:
- 1/2 lb baby cut carrots or peeled chopped regular carrots (try to choose thin tender ones if using regular carrots)
- 3/4 cup water
- Steam carrots until fork tender. Add carrots and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Measure out 1 cup for the recipe. The recipe yields around 1.5 cups of puree so don't use the full amount.
- For a good and not expensive maple syrup, I like using Member's Mark Organic Maple syrup.*
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Sweetness note: These cookies are only lightly sweetened as they are meant to be healthy cookies. If you prefer sweeter cookies, you can add another 1-2 tbsp of syrup to the cookie batter, or add sweet mix-ins like raisins or chocolate chips. You can also add a sweet frosting on top.
- Optional Healthy Frosting: The cookies in the photos are topped with a healthier "frosting" which is actually just vanilla Greek yogurt and some maple syrup. You can substitute with a dairy-free thick yogurt if you need these to be dairy-free. The frosting adds a little sweetness and creates a creamy topping for those who want frosting on their cookies but want a healthier alternative.
- 2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt
- maple syrup, if needed
- To make the frosting, add the yogurt to a medium bowl and whisk until it is smooth and creamy. If needed, you can add a little bit of maple syrup to thin it out if you need a runnier consistency. It should have a consistency similar to cream cheese frosting. Frost cookies with yogurt and garnish with some finely chopped pecans if desired.
- Estimated nutrition does not include optional frosting.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 56kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 0.001g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Sodium: 5mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, NET CARBS: 10
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!