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!
Hi amy, Just made these. They are amazing!! I’m so glad that I doubled the recipe. I added 1 cup of cinnamon chips and 1/4 tsp nutmeg to the recipe and they came out great!! thanks so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Tracey, and the cinnamon chips sound amazing! I really need to try that with my next batch!
I made these cookies tonight. I followed the recipe exactly as provided, and they turned out completely dry?
A friend told me that you have to soak the oats before adding them. She said that if added dry they will soak up any moisture in the dough rendering the cookies dry.
There wasn’t a thing that I changed in the recipe and I baked them for 12 minutes. I was upset they didn’t turn out, they look delicious!
Any ideas what may have gone wrong?
I’m sorry the cookies turned out dry Dianne; that must’ve been disappointing. In general, dry cookies are a result of too many dry ingredients or not enough wet ingredients. If either the flour or oats were scooped directly from the container instead of lightly spooned and leveled into the measuring cup, you’d end up with 1.5 times as much of either, which would really dry out the cookies. The oats are the biggest culprit of this since they act as little sponges, so it’s especially important to measure them with a light hand! It isn’t necessary to soak them for this recipe though. If there wasn’t quite enough maple syrup added to the dough, that would also result in dry cookies. Does any of this help? I want to make sure we solve this so your next batch turns out perfectly!
Hi Amy..
Ooops, replied to Jenn instead of you..
I scooped the oats and flour, then added to my measuring cup..rather then directly scooping from the container as suggested.
I didn’t pack it either..
I added exactly 1/2 cup maple syrup.. I have no clue what happened, other than maybe needing to measure the oats and flour much lighter next time?
My cookies didn’t spread out either, that was my first clue something wasn’t right.
=(
Hmm, that’s strange Dianne. I think I’d go with your idea of measuring the oats and flour a little lighter next time. If your flour is clumpy, you may want to sift it ahead of time too because those clumps will stick together and add extra flour to the cookies as well. I’m hoping to post a video soon of what the texture of my oatmeal cookies’ dough should look like before and after chilling, so hopefully that’ll help too!
I am making them now and mine have not spread out in the oven like you say they will. I doubled the recipe and chilled for 30min. Oh well Hope they taste good at least. First batch is cooling now while second tray is in oven.
Hi Amy..
I scooped the oats and flour, then added to my measuring cup..rather then directly scooping from the container as suggested.
I didn’t pack it either..
I added exactly 1/2 cup maple syrup.. I have no clue what happened, other than maybe needing to measure the oats and flour much lighter next time?
My cookies didn’t spread out either, that was my first clue something wasn’t right.
=(
I’m glad you enjoy their taste Jenn! Cookies that don’t spread either have too many dry ingredients, too few wet ingredients, or were chilled for too long. If the oats and flour weren’t spooned and leveled lightly, then that is probably what led to the lack of spreading. Hopefully the next batch you bake spreads a little more!
Amy, how can I make these cookies sugarfree for a diabetic? Would like to use stevia if possible. Would I add milk for the liquid component?
I haven’t tried that myself Sonia, but it sounds like a good idea! Try adding 3-4 tablespoons of milk to start. When the cookie dough first comes together, it should have the consistency of extremely thick muffin batter. Depending on how much milk you add, you may be able to skip the chilling too. I’d love to hear what you try and how the cookies turn out!
I just made these and they turned out delish!!! I did use old fashioned oats and a large purple carrot and substituded agave for syrup. Just perfect!
Next I’m going to try adding dark chic. chips or raisins. I think grated apple would be great too.
Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Melissa! I love your twist of a purple carrot. That must’ve been so pretty! And I definitely want to try your grated apple idea too. Sounds incredible! 🙂
So I made 2 batches. 1 was the recipe above exactly. The other was with 8 tbsp skim milk & 1/4 cup Stevia instead of the maple syrup. Both batches tasted identical! Except the sugarfree batch was more moist. Thanks!
I’m so happy that the milk and Stevia worked for you Sonia! And thank you for sharing what you did. I’m going to have to try that version sometime! 🙂
Hi Amy! I just wanted to let you know that I’m featuring this amazing recipe in my post 102 Gluten Free Cookie Recipies. I’m also pinning it to my Gluten Free Cookie Madness Board. 🙂
You are more than welcome to share this amazing resource with your readers or link to this post if you’d like! Thanks so much for the inspiration! Here’s the url: 102 Gluten Free Cookie Recipies
Thank you so much for including me Gwen! 🙂
I know you are trying to keep it healthy but to me carrot cake isnt carrot cake without the cream cheese frosting! Maybe you could suggest to me a good recioe for a frosting to spread on the cookies? Maybe using light organic cream cheese?
Of course Kitty, cream cheese frosting on top of these cookies sounds great! I don’t have a light cream cheese frosting recipe on my blog, but this is the one I used on top of my classic carrot cake. 🙂
Ever completely lose your cookie sheet without the slightest clue where it ran off to? Haha, I’m wondering if I could use a mini muffin pan… I think it’s a pretty standard size, as used for what I’m learning are called “tartlettes” (isn’t that just the cutest word in the world…)
Really appreciate this wonderful recipe, and even more so your helpful advice 🙂
<3
Thanks Lauren! And yes, I’ve definitely misplaced my baking sheets before. I ended up flipping cake pans upside down to use as the “sheets” and lowered the oven rack by one rung to make up for the extra height. I love your idea of using mini muffin pans though! If you wanted the same number of cookies, I’d suggest using a regular muffin pan, but if you wanted twice as many little cookie cupcakes, go for the mini. I’d love to hear what you think and how they turn out!