Spiced Carrot Cookies

Only a few days left until the girls start “school”….yikes!  Last week they met their teacher and got to see their classroom (pictures to come on the random side).  They were so excited, and once they stepped foot into their new classroom the toys were the center of their attention.  It was nice to see them comfortable in this new environment.  It’s so hard to believe they will be going to school when it feels like it was just yesterday that they were little babies.  Come Wednesday, when we have to drop them off for their first day of tot school I think we will have the hardest time with it.  I have a feeling we will be only ones shedding a tear (or two) also.  I let you know how it all goes and stay tune to pictures. 

Now let’s talk cookies….carrot cookies.  I know probably not the first thing you think of when you think of a cookie.  But these will not disappoint if you are a lover of a soft and chewy cookie.  I was lead to this cookie after searching for a semi-healthy cookie to pack in the girls lunch this week.  I found it on King Arthur Flour, a great resource for recipes, and knew it was the one to try.  I just made some minor changes to the original recipe.  I used less sugar, used pecan instead of almonds, and adding a slight pinch of nutmeg to the recipe.  Now I’m one of those people that like a soft and chewy cookie so these are right up my alley.  They are simply delicious and you really don’t feel bad biting into them and I feel even better packing them in the girls lunch.  I’m only hoping we have some left by Wednesday.  I think we only have three left!  Between me and the girls we pretty much devoured the batch in a few short days.  I guess that tells you we all liked them.   Hopefully you will enjoy these as much as we did too.

Super Carrot Cookies

Print Recipe

1/3 cup canola oil

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, suagr, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, and egg, mixing until smooth.  Add syrup.  Stir in the carrots, cranberries, chocolate chips, pecans, flour, mixing gently until well combined.  Add the oats last, making sure they are throughly distributed throughout the bowl.

Drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough into prepared sheets, leaving about 1 1/2-inches between them.  Bake the cookies until they’re just barely set on top – about 12 to 15 minutes.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour