“She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force of her life, was the love of her father. She never questioned it, never thought about it, never even realized that before she made any decision of importance the reflex, ‘What would [he] do?’ passed through her unconscious; she never realized what made her dig in her feet and stand firm whenever she did was her father; that whatever was decent and of good report in her character was put there by her father; she did not know that she worshipped him” – Harper Lee, ‘Go Set A Watchman’
There are few quotes I can rely on to better describe my relationship with my father. Harper Lee’s words hit the nail on the head. Ours is a bond that I struggle to find the words to convey the connection that we share. I have an easy time describing my mom and I. She is my best friend, she is my cheerleader, and I draw so much joy from our shared giggles. I find the connection between a father and daughter to be less easy to describe.
Growing up, he was the kind of dad to help me muck my horse’s stall in a suit and tie. He was my coach. He was my science project coordinator. He was my dollhouse contractor. He was my first running partner. He was my first date. He was the dad who worked an 85 hour work week to come home to play freeze tag in the backyard. He was my confidant. He was the person I tried to emulate. He was my hero, and still is.
Side note: did anyone else think that their dad was the BIGGEST guy in the whole world growing up?? Hands up if ya did.
As the years have passed, we’ve only grown closer. I have had the incredible opportunity to work by his side as I watched years of his hard work and kindness payoff to great success. He makes my heart fill with pride and gratitude. He is now my mentor, friend, wine drinking buddy and kindred spirit. So, Happy Father’s Day to YOU, PMac Daddy!
In my bio: The Girl Behind the Apron, I mentioned that my father has been one of the largest culinary influences in my life. To put it simply, the man loves good food. I can always rely on him to try out a funky Thai spot, a trendy Italian bistro, and he knows the value of a truly fantastic steak. But alas, all creatures have their certain comforts. One of his: Carrot Cake.
I like to make a healthy, breakfast baked good to heat up in the mornings to have with my protein shake. This has been the routine lately, anyway. What better way to celebrate daddy-o than to start my day with one of his favorite treats.
This recipe is SUPER simple, and a great treat for breakfast or a sweet snack. This can easily be converted to a gluten free cookie by using GF oats. I’m currently using Raw Fit Protein by Garden of Life, which is a vegan, organic, plant-based protein powder (plant-based proteins make my tummy happy).
You’re welcome to use any protein of your choice, but I cannot predict how it will behave in the oven. You can also leave out the protein powder and go with 2 cups of oats. If you’re avoiding all dairy and sweeteners, you can omit the Greek yogurt & maple drizzle. The cookie itself contains no sweetener, eggs, or any type of oil. I modified a recipe I stumbled upon while perusing Pinterest from My Whole Food Life.
To begin, preheat oven to 350.
I started by mashing my banana in a large bowl with the cinnamon and vanilla. You’ll then want to shred those beautiful carrots. This recipe is great for using up straggler carrots that got left behind on your last batch of chicken soup.
Add in the oats, protein powder, carrots, raisins, golden raisins, and walnuts with the mashed banana and spices. Mix everything really well until all of the banana seems to be coating the drying ingredients and binding it all together.
Once everything was mixed, I scooped the “dough” up with my ¼ measuring cup and shaped it into a circle, placed it on a cookie sheet sprayed with coconut oil and flattened it with my palm. These cookies won’t rise or change shape as they bake, so you need to mold them while they’re still raw.
Place the cookie sheet into your preheated oven, bake for 11-13 mins, and move to a wire rack to cool.
While cookies are cooling, mix up the Greek yogurt, cashew almond milk, and maple syrup. When the cookies have cooled, drizzle the glaze over top.
I placed my cookies directly into the freezer (after sampling…several) and I heat them for 30 seconds on high in the microwave every time I want one!
Happy Father’s Day to all of the awesome daddies out there – you guys ROCK!!!
DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS FOR LATER:
xoxx,
Miss AK
PrintCarrot Cake Protein Cookies {egg free, oil free, gluten free and dairy free options}
{egg free, oil free, gluten free and dairy free options} – Preheat Oven: 350
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 13 mins
- Total Time: 23 mins
- Yield: 20 1x
Ingredients
- Cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups of oats (I use organic rolled oats by Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1 full scoop of Raw Fit Vanilla Protein Powder or protein powder of your choice
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup of shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1/3 cup of raisins
- 1/3 cup of golden raisins
- 1/4 cup of walnuts
- 1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla
- 1 tsp. of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. of Himalayan Sea Salt (or salt of your choice)
- *I used coconut oil to spray the cookie sheet
- Maple Glaze:
- 2 tbsp. plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp. Almond Cashew Milk (or any milk of choice – I’d suggest a non-dairy milk)
- 1 tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mash banana in a large bowl with vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add in oats, protein powder, carrots, raisins, golden raisins, and walnuts.
- Mix well.
- Scoop up “dough” with a 1/4 measuring cup and shape into desired cookie shape.
- Place onto a lightly sprayed cookie sheet.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes.
- Mix glaze together.
- Cool and drizzle with glaze.
GiGi Eats says
OHHH YES! I made protein carrot cake cookies before and MANNNNN were they good. You reminded me that this needs to happen AGAIN! And… AGAIN! 😉
allmcd3 says
Uhhh YES!!! SO glad you share my love for them!! I’ve been eating them every morning and I feel like I’m starting the day with a super yummy treat! Let me know when you make yours!!!!