These Carrot Cake Cookies are simple and healthy cookies made no eggs, no refined sugar, and no dairy but with all the traditional carrot cake flavors.
I love simple and healthy cookies, like my Healthy Lemon Cookies, 4-Ingredient Chewy Banana Cookies, or Healthy Oatmeal Cookies, but I also love carrot cake flavors so I decided to make carrot cake cookies.
The full recipe is just below, but don’t miss all my tips below, including ingredient swap, process shots, and baking tips.
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Carrot Cake Cookies
These Carrot Cake Cookies are simple and healthy cookies made no eggs, no refined sugar, and no dairy but with all the traditional carrot cake flavors.
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Servings: 12 cookies
Calories: 162.1 kcal
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Grated Carrot
- ½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce - (note 1)
- ⅓ cup Melted Coconut Oil - (note 2) use refined coconut oil for no coconut flavors
- ½ cup Coconut Sugar - (note 3)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract - optional
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger
- 1 ½ cup Self-Rising Flour - (note 4)
- ¼ cup Dried Raisins - (note 5)
- ¼ cup Chopped Walnuts - (note 6)
Optional Icing and decoration
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Almond Milk
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoons Chopped Cashews
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the grated carrots, applesauce, melted and cooled coconut oil, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir well to combine.
- Fold in the self-rising flour, dried raisins, and chopped walnuts.
- Stir for a few times until the dough is smooth and thick.
- Form 12 cookie dough balls of the same size and place them on the baking sheet leaving them an inch apart.
- Lightly oil your hand and press down the top of each cookie dough ball to form flatter cookies. These cookies expand in the oven so make sure they are not placed too close or they will touch each other as they bake.
- Bake the cookies on the center rack for 16-19 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until the sides are nicely golden brown.
- Let them cool down on the rack for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- If you want to decorate the cookies, wait until they reach room temperature – cold to the touch.
- Stir the powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth and thick.
- Drizzle on top of the cooled cookies, then add a pinch of crushed cashews.
Notes
Note 1: Or same amount of mashed banana.
Note 2: Any low-flavor oil work, like light olive oil or melted plant-based butter.
Note 3: Any crystal sweetener works, like sugar, brown sugar, demerara sugar, or sugar. You can’t use maple syrup though, the cookies will be gummy.
Note 4: I do not recommend gluten-free flour for this recipe as the cookies would be packed and dense. Almond flour doesn’t work.
Note 5: Feel free to swap for more chopped nuts like pecans, cashews, almonds or sunflower seeds.
Note 6: Or sunflower seeds for a nut-free option, or other nuts like cashews, almonds pecans, finely chopped and preferably roasted for best flavor.
Storage: You can store the cookies in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze them in a sealed box for up to 1 month, thaw the day before at room temperature.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 162.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 21.9g | Protein: 2.4g | Fat: 7.9g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.6g | Sodium: 19.4mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 5.8g | Vitamin A: 1192.2IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 10.1mg | Iron: 0.4mg | Magnesium: 10mg | Phosphorus: 29mg | Zinc: 0.2mg
Ingredients and Substitutions
This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe
You only need a few ingredients for these cookies. Here’s how to pick them (and swap them if you need).
- Grated Carrot – This provides the signature carrot cake flavor and moisture.
- Unsweetened Applesauce – It acts as a binder and adds moisture. Mashed banana also works.
- Melted Coconut Oil – This adds moisture and richness. Refined coconut oil (for no coconut flavor), light olive oil, or melted plant-based butter also work.
- Coconut Sugar – It sweetens the cookies and adds a subtle caramel flavor. Any crystal sweetener like sugar, brown sugar, or demerara sugar works. Maple syrup makes them more gummy.
- Vanilla Extract – This enhances the overall flavor.
- Cinnamon – It adds a warm, sweet spice and totally necessary for carrot cake flavors.
- Ginger – This adds a bit of zing and complements the cinnamon.
- Self-Rising Flour – This provides structure and lift. Gluten-free flour and almond flour are not recommended.
- Dried Raisins – These add sweetness and chewiness. Hemp seeds or more chopped nuts are fine. You can also use dried cranberries.
- Chopped Walnuts – These add texture and nuttiness. Sunflower seeds or other nuts like cashews, almonds, or pecans are fine.
- Powdered Sugar – This is used for the icing, adding sweetness and a smooth texture. You can use a sugar-free alternative like powdered allulose if you prefer.
- Almond Milk – This is used to thin the icing. Any dairy-free milk works, like cashew milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
- Chopped Cashews – These are used as a decorative topping.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies
These cookies are really easy to make. Here’s how in a few pictures.
Shred the carrots, add the coconut sugar, and liquid ingredients.
Incorporate the flour and raisin until the batter is well combined.
Form cookie dough balls and place them on a baking sheet.
Flatten the cookies and bake them for 16-19 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).
Carine’s Baking Tips
Let me share a few more tips for perfect cookies.
- Protein Boost – Swap raisins for hemp seeds to increase the protein content.
- Nut Variety – Use a mix of nuts like pecans, almonds, walnuts, or cashews for a richer flavor.
- Icing Addition – Add the icing and chopped nuts on top for enhanced taste and presentation.
- Spice Enhancement – Add 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg for a deeper spice flavor.
- Cooling Time – Allow cookies to cool completely before icing.
- Cookie Size – Ensure cookies are spaced to allow for spreading.
- Nut Free – Sunflower seeds are a great substitute for nuts.
Thank you!