This recipe for healthy, gluten-free carrot cake breakfast cookies comes together easily in one bowl for breakfast or a snack. Toddler approved!
One thing I have loved most about motherhood is that it has really gotten me in the habit of sitting down and enjoying breakfast each day. Usually, Madi Jo and I make this banana bread oatmeal, or Homemade Fruit Parfait With Chia Jam, but sometimes I need a break from cooking and I like to prep a bit batch of these carrot cake breakfast cookies. They’re such a simple breakfast (I usually serve them with some Greek yogurt) or a grab-and-go snack. Or, they make the perfect healthier lunchbox treat.
Some other recipes that I like to meal prep for easy grab-and-go breakfasts are my Venison Breakfast Sausage. This is such a versatile recipe and can be used for Breakfast Sandwiches, Venison Sausage Breakfast Casserole, or a Venison Sausage Breakfast Bowl. If you have a sweet tooth in the morning, these Healthier Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins or Mom’s Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe are always a hit.
INGREDIENTS AND KITCHEN TOOLS
In our home, we don’t follow any specific dietary rules and we don’t have any allergies but we feel best with whole foods, lots of healthy fats and complex carbs. So I love that these cookies have:
- Rolled oats
- Almond flour
- Cinnamon
- Sea salt
- Carrots
- Raisins
- Applesauce
- Maple syrup
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Butter
STEP BY STEP
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment.
Step 2: Mix together the oats, almond meal, carrots and raisins until everything is evenly distributed.
Step 3: Next, add the applesauce, eggs, vanilla and butter until just combined.
Step 4: Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2-3 Tbsp. per cookie) shape the dough into balls on the cookie sheet. You can flatten them a bit with your hand to shape. These won’t expand too much in the oven so no need to space them too far.
Step 5: Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the whole cookie is set. Cool for 5-10 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
SUBSITUTIONS
Please know that all of my recipes are tested thoroughly and with baked goods, there is a reason that certain ingredients are used. So please see the following on substitutions. If you have questions, a DM on Instagram is the fastest way to get to me!
- Rolled oats work best here, you could try quick but the texture isn’t as satisfying
- I have not tested any substitutions for the almond flour BUT I have accidentally omitted and the cookies were still very yummy. A lot of oats but they still hold together. If you’re allergic, just omit it.
- You can sub agave or honey for the maple syrup
- You can use any dried fruit in place of raisins
- Coconut oil or ghee will work in place of butter
PREPPING AND STORING CARROT CAKE BREAKFAST COOKIES
I love prepping these when my daughter goes to bed (they’re so fast to make) and cooling them as I wind down and get ready for bed. She also loves to help make them and they’re a GREAT recipe to get your kids involved with.
After you make these, they store well in an airtight container for about a week. After a day or so I do like to keep them in the fridge to make sure they don’t spoil. You can warm them when you want to eat them for an extra special treat.
OTHER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Print
Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies | Healthy & Gluten-Free
This recipe for healthy, gluten-free carrot cake breakfast cookies comes together easily in one bowl for breakfast or a snack.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1.5 dozen 1x
- Category: Breakfast/Snack
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup almond flour (blanched or unblanched both work)
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 cup grated carrots
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 4 Tbsp. softened butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment.
- Mix together the oats, almond meal, carrots and raisins until everything is evenly distributed.
- Next, add the applesauce, eggs, vanilla and butter until just combined.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2-3 Tbsp. per cookie) shape the dough into balls on the cookie sheet. You can flatten them a bit with your hand to shape. These won’t expand too much in the oven so no need to space them too far.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the whole cookie is set. Cool for 5-10 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Rolled oats work best here
- I have not tested any substitutions for the almond flour BUT I have accidentally omitted and the cookies were still very yummy. A lot of oats but they still hold together. If you’re allergic, just omit it.
- You can sub agave or honey for the maple syrup
- You can use any dried fruit in place of raisins
- Coconut oil or ghee will work in place of butter
I tried these as they sounded like a tasty and healthy ‘cookie’. They were good, but I guess I was a bit surprised that the texture came out more like a crab-cake than like what I think a cookie should be. Overall taste was excellent. Could the texture be improved with a higher almond flour content? Or maybe another flour for a binder? I may experiment.