Two weekends ago, my mom started craving carrot cake. She talked about it at lunch, mentioned it at dinner, and finally caved at 9 pm and drove to Safeway to pick up a slice. When she arrived home, she grabbed a fork, plopped down in her favorite armchair, and slowly savored every bite, stopping with enough left to finish the following day.
Although Mom bought me a slice of my favorite 6-layer chocolate cake at the same time, I couldn’t help but stare and hope with all of my fingers crossed behind my back that she’d offer me a taste. That cream cheese frosting… Those soft streaks of carrot… The tender cinnamon cake… It looked mesmerizing!
Despite enjoying every last morsel of my chocolate dessert, I couldn’t get carrot cake off of my mind. I pictured that square during every run (since my path went past the same grocery store) and whenever I stuck my head into the fridge for fresh fruit and veggie snacks.
I seriously contemplated baking my own again, but knowing that my self-control sometimes flies straight out the window with any type of cake, I went with the next best thing…
Cookies! These Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies blew me away, and not just from their built-in portion control. The cozy oats, the comforting cinnamon, the soft carrots… They truly tasted just like carrot cake. Pure bliss in every bite!
Even better? These cookies are really easy to make — and faster than regular carrot cake too!
KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY CARROT CAKE OATMEAL COOKIES
Let’s talk about the key ingredients that you’ll need to make these healthy carrot cake oatmeal cookies! I based them off of the most popular recipe on my site: my oatmeal raisin cookies. Have you tried those yet? Hands down, they’re the BEST oatmeal cookies I’ve ever eaten. They’re soft, tender, chewy — everything a cookie should be — and countless readers have said nobody believes that they’re lightened up and made without refined flour or refined sugar!
Oats. Like many of my other healthy oatmeal cookie recipes, you’ll use instant oats to make these. They’re also called “quick cooking” and “one minute” oats. They’re not the ones that come in packets with flavors like maple brown sugar and apple cinnamon!
Just like old-fashioned rolled oats, instant oats contain just one ingredient: oats! However, they differ in one key way. Instant oats are smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. This smaller size means they soften faster, and that yields the best soft and chewy texture in your oatmeal cookies.
Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy carrot cake oatmeal cookies gluten-free, then substitute certified gluten-free instant oats. They work perfectly!
Flour. I opted for whole wheat flour to make these oatmeal cookies. I love how it has more fiber and micronutrients!
Tip: If you’d like to make your carrot cake oatmeal cookies gluten-free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve included how to do so there!
Cinnamon. It’s a carrot cake staple! I love the cozy flavor it adds to both regular carrot cake and these healthy oatmeal cookies. If you’re a big cinnamon fan (like I am!), I highly recommend this variety. It tastes a bit stronger, sweeter, and richer than regular cinnamon. Many stores have started stocking it, but I generally buy it online here. It’s really affordable — and basically the only kind I now use in my baking!
Unsalted butter or coconut oil. Just a bit! Unlike more traditional cookie recipes that call for ½ cup or more, you only need 2 tablespoons. That really helps keep your healthy carrot cake oatmeal cookies low calorie and low fat!
Tip: Both work equally well, so feel free to use whichever one you normally keep on hand. If you use coconut oil, your healthy carrot cake oatmeal cookies will be dairy-free!
Egg. A common oatmeal cookie ingredient! The egg binds everything together, and it also yields a beautifully chewy texture.
Sweetener. For this version, I swapped out the honey from my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe for pure maple syrup. I love its sweet and cozy flavor in my carrot cake recipe, and I had a feeling it’d work well in these cookies too. Spoiler alert: It was perfect!
Pure maple syrup often comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this). It only contains one ingredient: maple syrup!
Tip: Skip the pancake syrup and sugar-free maple syrup! These contain other ingredients, which can change the way they behave in baking recipes. This is particularly true of sugar-free maple syrup! It’s usually water-based, and that will make your cookies cakey or bready, rather than chewy.
Carrots. Lots and lots of carrots. I love my regular carrot cake positively packed with them — not just a plain spice cake with the occasional fleck of orange — so I took the same approach with these healthy oatmeal cookies. That turned out so well!
For the best taste and texture, use peeled and freshly grated carrots. Don’t substitute store-bought, pre-shredded carrots! They’re also called “matchstick carrots.” They’re thicker and drier, so they don’t soften properly. It only takes a few moments to grate your own, and I promise the results are completely worth it!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CARROT CAKE OATMEAL COOKIES
Let’s quickly go over how to make the best carrot cake oatmeal cookies! This recipe is easy and straightforward — I promise! — and I also have some tips to ensure your cookies turn out beautifully soft, chewy, and flavorful.
Measure correctly. This is one of the most crucial parts of this recipe! It’s extremely important to measure the oats and flour correctly. Do NOT scoop them directly from the container! Instead, use this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Scooping or improperly measuring can result in up to 1 ½ times as much of either ingredient. That extra amount of flour or oats will change the texture of your cookies, especially the oats! They act like little sponges by soaking up lots of moisture in the dough. Too much of either will dry out your cookies and make them cakey, bready, or dry — but if you measure them correctly, your cookies will be perfectly soft and chewy!
Chill the dough. Chilling is mandatory! It gives the oats time to soak up some moisture and helps reduce spreading. If you skipped chilling, the cookie dough would flatten thinner than a pancake while in the oven and create one huge cookie blob on the baking sheet. Not good! So avoid cookie blobs and chill your dough. Just 30 minutes — that’s it!
Drop + shape. The cookie dough will still be somewhat soft and sticky after chilling, so use a spoon and spatula to drop it onto the baking sheet. Because it only spreads some — but not a lot — you’ll also flatten it a bit to give your cookies a “head start” on spreading.
Tip: These are the spatulas I use. They’re so handy — and really cute too!
Bake + cool. It’s time! Slide that baking sheet in the oven. To ensure these cookies stay soft and chewy, you’ll underbake them ever so slightly. Just by a hair! Pull them out when the centers still feel a little soft and squidgy. You’ll let the cookies cool for a full 10-15 minutes on the warm baking sheet, and the residual heat will finish cooking those centers all the way through without the outsides turning cakey, bready, or crunchy. This is my #1 tip for the best soft and chewy oatmeal cookies! They’ll stay soft for an entire week… If they last that long!
Reshape (optional). If your cookies look a little lopsided and not completely round when you remove them from the oven, then immediately grab a butter knife and gently nudge any misshapen bits back into place. Their sides are still a bit malleable when they’re hot and fresh from the oven, but since these cookies set and firm up within minutes, work really quickly!
I secretly tried hoarding these healthy carrot cake oatmeal cookies, but that plan didn’t stand a chance around my hungry sweet-toothed family. Every time I walked by the counter, another one had mysteriously disappeared from the jar!
Oh well, at least we’re getting some extra veggies in… Right? 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy carrot cake oatmeal cookies!
Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup (room temperature)
- ¾ cup (68g) freshly grated carrots (about 1 smallish medium, peeled first!)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup until thoroughly incorporated. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the carrots. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 14 rounded scoops on the baking sheet. Flatten slightly using a spatula. (These cookies don't spread very much!) Bake at 325°F for 12-15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Ultimate Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Ultimate Healthy Carrot Cake
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes
…and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes and healthy carrot cake flavored recipes!
great recipe, i added 1 cup carrots and turned out delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Ana! 🙂
I was intending on making somewhat healthy mini muffins in a couple of days. However, now I know what I will be making instead! I am a carrot cake FIEND and my husband is just not a fan. I can’t/won’t eat a whole cake alone so, I rarely get a chance to enjoy my favorite treat.
Just based on my previous baking experience/preferences, I know I’ll be making some tweaks. In case this gives anyone some ideas, I’ll share.
I plan on:
* using whole wheat pastry flour for a more tender crumb.
* using rolled barley instead of oats to up the fiber content (they’re the texture of old fashioned oats, may have to think on this one to get a bit more moisture in somehow. 2% milk maybe? I’d rather keep them whole.)
* use an extra egg yolk for additional moisture/fat/tenderness. (I do this in almost all cookie recipes!)
* apple sauce to replace the 2 T of butter/coconut oil (loss of fat is offset by egg yolk – if I had unrefined coconut oil, I may reconsider, but refined has very little coconut flavor anyway)
* can’t have carrot cake without toasted walnuts; ditto shredded, unsweetened coconut!
* may subagave for maple syrup for lower glycemic hit
* if texture of dough allows, will add some flax and/or hemp seeds just because I can
That’s a long list of substitutions, I know. I’ve had several GI surgeries and I have some interesting needs.
Your recipe is a wonderful launching pad. I never would have thought to make these! They’re going to be a fantastic guilt free treat. I intend to bake off half dozen or so, scoop the dough and freeze it, well wrapped, to bake as the mood strikes.
I hope you enjoy the cookies Jackie! Based off of your intended modifications, especially the applesauce, they’ll turn out on the cakey side rather than chewy. I don’t recommend freezing the raw dough because the cookies will not spread while baking and will remain looking little balls. Instead, I’d suggest baking all of the cookie dough and freezing the cookies once they’ve cooled completely to room temperature. The baked cookies freeze really well (I actually have some in my freezer right now!), and they taste wonderful when defrosted and reheated in the microwave. 🙂
Hey Amy these look good would love to make them I do a lot of counting Cals and portion control was wondering if you know how many calories each cookie provides and how many bikkies per serving and could you leave the maple syrup out to avoid sugar thanks
The full Nutrition Information is already included beneath the recipe. I also answer your question regarding maple syrup on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page, which is linked to in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies Andrew!
Hi Amy:)
I just wanted to say how much I love your page and recipes! Each one that I have tried has been a huge success and was simply delicious ? Just like this one! I took them to work yesterday and everybody loved those cookies. The only downside is that now they are all gone? But oh well, I am already on your site looking for the next thing to bake;)
Katja x
Thank you so much for your sweet comment Katja! That means so much to me that you’ve loved all of the recipes that you’ve tried. I’m truly touched! ♥ That’s so kind of you to share these cookies with your coworkers — they must adore you! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you try next!
I made them this morning, literally in 45 minutes, without having to go to the supermarket, and they taste delicious!! Thanks for replacing my high calories cookies from a local bakery. Finally something healthy and tasty to eat!! I am going to explore this website a whole lot more.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Sandra! That means a lot to me that you loved them, and I’m truly touched that you’re planning on looking through the rest of my recipes. I can’t wait to hear what you pick next!
Hello Amy! I loved all of your recipes! I just have a question about the recipe, how can I make the cookies crunchier instead of soft? Because I like it to be more crunchy! Thank you!
Thanks for your sweet words about my recipes Angel — that means a lot to me! 🙂 If you flatten the cookie dough so its thinner (use a spatula since the dough is typically too sticky for hands!) and bake them for longer, then that should make them less chewy and more crunchy. I’d love to hear what you think if you try that!
Hello again!
I could not resist to stay away from trying these, so I baked a batch this morning and I’m eating the first one as I type. Oh. My. Goodness! They turned out wonderfully! I added 1/8 tsp of nutmeg to the mix and around 1/3 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut. I cannot believe how incredible these are! Beyond my expectations, honestly. Thank you Amy for teaching me the art of oatmeal cookies (:
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies too Sof, and thanks for taking the time to tell me while eating one! (Hopefully you aren’t as clumsy as me… I always seem to drop crumbs on my keyboard as I type! 😉 ) That means a lot to me that they exceeded your expectations! 🙂
just made some in the uk(london), mhhhh tasty in this cold weather 🙂
I’m so glad you loved the cookies Martin! Stay warm! 🙂
It’s soo simple and so good! So far I have only tried oatmeal with fruits but the carrots are an excellent idea!
I’d love to hear what you think if you try these cookies Edi!
these were very good but I’m worried I did something wrong… they had a very muffin like texture (which is fine because I was actually craving carrot cake muffins and decided to make this recipe instead) and I only got 8 cookies, about the size of my palm, out of this recipe. I used all purpose flour instead of wheat, and half honey, half dark brown sugar, plus a splash of milk. Are they meant to be that soft muffin like texture? I am worried I put too much oats in which caused it to be dry, but I’m stumped why it would only come out with 8 cookies (mine look about the same size as yours in the video, just a little thicker maybe.) Would love to make them again and have them be more chewy
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sammie! I cover what causes the cakey/muffin-like texture on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, which is linked to in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. You’re correct in thinking it was too much oats. The cookies are meant to be about ½ to ¾ of the area of your palm (although I do have smaller hands than most adults! 😉 ). It sounds like your cookies were both larger and thicker than mine, which is why your batch only yielded 8 instead of 15. If you measure the oats as I explained in the links in the recipe and use about half the amount of dough for each cookie, your cookies should turn out perfectly chewy and with the full 15! 🙂