I like carrot cake enough to wonder why there aren’t more carrot cake-like concoctions around. The cake is known for being moist and spicy – attributes that are prized in many baked goods, after all. In playing around with the idea, I decided to try carrot cake in combination with an oatmeal cookie and was really happy with the result.
The cookies are your standard drop cookies, with butter and sugar creamed together before the rest of the ingredients are added. I stirred in the shredded carrots at the end, along with the oatmeal and the raisins, just before putting them in the oven. The cookies were a bit cakey – which is not a bad thing in this case, since the cookies are inspired by a cake to begin with – and had a nice, chewy texture to them. I used my pumpkin pie spice blend for the spices in the cookies, but you can mix in cinnamon, etc. separately if you don’t have the mix.
I would definitely recommend using freshly grated carrot in these cookies instead of pre-grated, in the event that you keep that on hand as a “convenience” item. It doesn’t take very long to grate them and you really only need two carrots, depending on the size you have on hand. The fresh carrots add moisture to the cookies, too.
The cookies are best within a day or two of baking, but freeze pretty well. If you’re so inclined, you can sandwich them with some cream cheese frosting for a more indulgent treat.
Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cookies
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup quick-cooking (1 minute) oats
1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and spices.
With the mixer on low speed, or working by hand, stir in flour mixture. Once no streaks of flour remain, stir in carrots, oats and raisins.
Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly.
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until cookies are set and lightly browned on the edges. Cool for 3 or 4 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
diningoncents
June 25, 2008I’m always looking for new cookie recipes; this one looks awesome. It must be amazing with the cream cheese frosting- thanks for the recipe!
padovana
June 25, 2008wow these look/sound so good. I’ll probably pass on the raisins, but I’ll definitely make these bad boys, with cream cheese frosting!
katie
June 26, 2008You are right there should be more carrot acke inspired goods around. Carrot cake is one of my favourites so this recipe is a must try.
Pavlina
June 26, 2008I’m making these this weekend!
moon
June 26, 2008Fantastic! Have you ever tried the non-stick oven liners? I wonder how well those work?
beth
June 26, 2008I love carrot cake too. Will have to give these a try plus its a sneaky way of getting hubby and baby to eat more vegetables!!
Carrie
June 26, 2008I made these this afternoon and they turned out beautifully! The only thing I did differently is added the spices to the dry ingredients instead of to the butter and sugar. I iced them with cream cheese frosting and they were awesome. My audience suggested the addition of chopped walnuts.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
marla
June 27, 2008LOVED these! what a genius idea. i’m wondering if i can make them with less butter and use applesauce instead? they were fabulous!!! thank you!
Nicole
June 28, 2008Marla – I think that would work out pretty well. Try taking a cue from the amount of butter/applesauce in this recipe, which is similar: http://bakingbites.com/2007/06/low-fat-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
susie.
July 11, 2008i want to make these this weekend! do you think i can use regular oats instead of quick cooking oats?
Olivia
September 14, 2009Made these cookies on a whim this afternoon and loved them! I even wrote about them on my new blog. 🙂 Love this site, too! I’m looking forward to exploring it more in the near future.
(Totally left this comment on another recipe I was looking at here. Oops!)
Emma
November 5, 20101st batch out of the oven and they are lovely, I’d say a cross between a cookie and a rock cake (might just be my way of cooking)
I used regular oats (the cheap version) and I even added some of the dregs at the bottom of a cereal packet to give a bit of crunch.
Love the fact that they don’t taste too sweet.
Cookies are now my thing. 🙂
Jess
June 6, 2011These are delicous! I have just made some but diddn’t add the pumpkin pie spice, and I forgot too add the oats! I think the oats would be lovely in them and will add them next time I make them! They are also a great way of sneeking a carrot into your diet aswell! 🙂
Megan
February 27, 2012These are delicious! I sub’ed half the butter with some applesauce and used chocolate chips b/c I didn’t have any raisins. THey’re a hit with my 2 year old too.
twinkletoes75
April 15, 2012great recipe! these cookies are yummy and healthy too! we substituted nutmeg (what was already in our pantry) for pumpkin spice.
next time i’m making a double batch!