Throughout my childhood, I looked forward to Easter almost as much as Christmas. Although the holiday came with far fewer presents, the Easter Bunny still stopped by while my brother and I slept and left Easter baskets filled with goodies… Just like how Santa stuffed our stockings!
So early Easter morning, typically before the sun started peeking out over the horizon, my brother and I dashed downstairs and skidded to a stop at the kitchen table. Once Mom snapped our picture for her photo albums, we began pawing through the shiny plastic grass in our special pink (mine) and blue (my brother’s) baskets.
The Easter Bunny hid most of our treats inside of plastic eggs, so we rattled each one to guess its contents before popping apart the two halves, watching at the candy spilled out. Milk chocolate eggs, a few peanut butter cups, plenty of Starburst-flavored jelly beans (our favorite!), some chocolate kisses… And if we behaved, Mom even let us have a piece or two before church!
To make sure the Easter Bunny remembered our house (and gave us the best candy!), we always set out something for him the night before, just like with Santa. But instead of milk and cookies, we left a plate of carrots and bowl of water on the table. My brother and I thought he’d appreciate that a little more!
Yet now as an adult, I realize my family’s Easter Bunny might have enjoyed Santa’s cookies more than plain carrots… So I’m finally combining the two for our family’s Easter Bunny into these Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies! They have the same chewy texture as classic cookies but the sweetness level of muffins (just in case the Easter Bunny “taste tests” a few too many pieces of the candy meant for the kids!). And with just 74 calories, these cookies come with none of the guilt!
Think your family’s Easter Bunny would like these too? ?
This is the next installment of my clean eating oatmeal cookie recipes series! ← Have you tried any of those others yet? (The apple pie and almond joy ones are two of my more popular recipes!) Just like the other recipes, these contain no butter, refined flour or sugar… But they taste just as chewy and delicious as traditional oatmeal cookies!
To start, you’ll need whole wheat flour (or gluten-free!) and instant oats. Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re not the same thing as what comes in those individual brown paper packets! Instant oats are sold in canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store.
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out your cookie dough and make your cookies taste cakey, rather than chewy. This is especially true of the oats because they act like little sponges and soak up moisture from your cookie dough!
So I highly recommend a kitchen scale. ← That’s the one I own and love. It’s been the best $20 I’ve ever spent! I use it to make every recipe that I share with you here on my blog (and in my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook!) because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time.
Instead of refined sugar, you’ll sweeten your cookies with pure maple syrup. Make sure you buy the real kind! Skip the pancake syrups and sugar-free syrups because those contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this healthier recipe. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs. I’ve also bought it online here for a slightly discounted price!
To make sure these qualify as breakfast cookies (not dessert ones!), you’ll only add half the amount of maple syrup as you’d use in my dessert oatmeal cookies. To compensate for the missing liquid, you’ll stir milk into your cookie dough!
For the classic carrot cake flavor, you’ll mix in cinnamon, a hint of nutmeg, and freshly grated carrots. Don’t substitute the store-bought pre-shredded carrots! Those are too thick and dry, and they don’t soften while baking. You’ll want to grate your own carrots because they’re much juicier and have an infinitely better flavor.
Ready for breakfast? ??? 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 breakfast cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- 5 tbsp (75mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
- ¾ cup (68g) freshly grated carrot (about 1 medium, peeled first!)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup and milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Gently 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.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width with a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 10-13 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until they’re about half of their original size.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free blends will work as well, if measured like this.
Any milk will work in place of the nonfat milk.
Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots. They’re too dry and won’t soften during baking, and their flavor is blander compared to freshly grated carrots.
For more tips and answers to ALL other questions {including substitutions and videos!}, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
♥ Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♥ Healthy Carrot Cake Granola
♥ Healthy Carrot Cake Scones
♥ Carrot Cake Protein Muffins
♥ Carrot Cake Bran Muffins
♥ Healthy Carrot Cake Pancakes
♥ Healthy Single-Serving Carrot Cake Mug Cake
♥ …and all of Amy’s other healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
I have these cookies chilling right now.. I was wondering if you weighted the cookies before you baked them. The recipe says 15 cookies. I have two scoops one large and one medium. With the large scoop I got 12 cookies and 20 with the medium scoop. I am concerned about the baking time.
I’m honored that you decided to try making my recipe, Dot! I don’t weigh the cookie dough, nor do I use a cookie scoop. I just eyeball it using a spoon and mini spatula to transfer the cookie dough to the baking sheet, and the I use that same mini spatula to flatten and shape the dough into the round disc shapes. If you made 12 cookies, you’ll likely need to bake them 1-3 minutes longer. If you made 20 cookies, you’ll likely need to bake them 1-3 minutes shorter. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies!
Hi can u freeze the cookies?
Yes! Once they’ve cooled to room temperature, these fully baked cookies freeze (and thaw!) really well. I love thawing individual cookies on 30% power in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or until they’re completely warmed through. I think they almost taste freshly baked that way! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies if you try making them, Sara!
Hi! I don’t get maple syrup in my country. May I replace it with honey or light brown sugar? How much do I need to use? Thank you and kisses from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Laura
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Laura! I’ve actually covered this on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, and there’s a link to that FAQ Page in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies if you try making them!
Can I use Ground ginger instead of nutmeg? I don’t have nutmeg in my kitchen lol.
Yes, that’s fine! I’m excited to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies, Therese! 🙂
This recipe is so fantastic. I appreciate your FAQ page to avoid scrolling through pages of comments to see if other people have done the same substitution. A million thanks. I followed the recipe almost to a T. I wanted to make them protein & fiber packed so I added 2tsp chia seeds ground up and instead of milk, I used a vanilla protein shake. I subbed maple syrup for honey and added 2 TBS of raisins to make them more Morning Glory-esq. They were so tasty and guilt-free!
I’m so glad you loved these breakfast cookies, Lisa! It really means a lot that you appreciated the FAQ Page too. Thank you for taking the time to let me know — and for sharing your modifications too! I always love hearing what tweaks work! 🙂
Can I spread them in a pan to make oatmeal bars?
Yes, that should be fine! I’d recommend baking at the same temperature and checking after the same amount of time. Your cookie bars will be done when the edges look firm but the center still looks glossy and underdone. If the edges begin pulling away from the sides of the pan within 10 minutes of removing the pan from the oven, then you’ve baked them long enough! Let the pan cool completely to room temperature and rest for 2+ hours once at room temperature before slicing for the best texture. (The heat from the warm pan continues to cook the center all the way through while you let the pan cool to room temperature, without drying out the edges!) Does all of that make sense? 🙂
I’m excited to hear what you think of these breakfast cookie (bars!) if you try making them, Jane!
Thank you Amy. I will definitely try that. I ended up making the cookies today. I didn’t have any milk so I put 5TBS. orange juice. I also chopped up some raisins and put those in. They came out fantastic.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Jane! Your orange juice substitution sounds delicious. So happy it worked out so well! 🙂 If you do end up making the cookie bars, I’d love to hear how those turn out too!
The bars are a huge success. I have made them a few times now. They do have to cook a lot longer, about 30 minutes. One time I added craisins. They add a nice tang to the recipe.
I’m going to try the blueberry recipe next. Can’t wait.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them, Jane! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — that really means a lot! 🙂 I love your idea of adding craisins and blueberries. That sounds so fun and delicious!
These are delicious, thank you for the recipe 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed these breakfast cookies, Kira! Thanks for taking the time to let me know — it means a lot! 🙂
Hi May i know if its ok to use rolled oats instead?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Dawn! I’ve actually covered the answer to this exact question in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies if you try making them!
These are delicious! I’m absolutely obsessed with this recipe now! My cravings were satisfied 🙂
Oh my goodness, Jessica! I’m so glad you loved these cookies — and that’s the BEST compliment if you’re obsessed with this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. You just made my entire day! 🙂