This weekend I went on a mad carrot cake cookie baking spree which resulted in two different versions (one is in the comment section) of what I thought seemed like a pretty wholesome breakfast cookie. I was happy with the cookies, but felt a need for a richer non-breakfast cookie. Something that would go better with cream cheese frosting and which when taken to a bake-sale or event, would stand up against all the other rich cookies…..kind of like how good carrot cake stands up to chocolate cake even though lacks chocolate.
So here are two richer oatmeal carrot cookies. I baked one version this morning and another while I was cooking dinner. I can’t decide which I like better. Version one has fewer ingredients and calls for things on hand. Version 2 is a little moister, but calls for both butter and oil and a little bit of prune puree (baby food) for added moistness. So right now I’m happy with both version and have posted them below.
Oatmeal Carrot Cookies – All Butter version
1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ scant teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
Dash fresh nutmeg
Dash ground ginger
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoon vanilla
1 1arge egg
1 cup oats, old fashioned or quick (not instant)
¾ cup shredded or grated carrots
½ cup raisins
¾ cup toasted chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger; set aside
In a large beat the butter and both sugars until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. By hand, stir in flour mixture. When flour is mixed in, stir in oats. Add carrots, raisins and pecans and stir to mix.
Using a ¼ cup measure, scoop up big mounds of dough – they should be a bit larger than golf balls, but quite smaller than tennis balls.
Place 6 balls to a sheet on Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake one sheet at at a time on center rack for 17-18 minutes.
Makes 12 big cookies
Oatmeal Carrot Cookies – (with prune puree)
1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ scant teaspoon salt
½ (generous) teaspoon cinnamon
Dash fresh
Dash ground ginger
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon prune puree (prune baby food
¾ teaspoon vanilla
1 1arge egg
1 cup oats, old fashioned or quick (not instant)
¾ cup shredded or grated carrots
½ cup raisins
⅔ cup toasted chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger; set aside
In a large beat the butter, vegetable oil and both sugars until creamy. Beat in prune puree, egg and vanilla. By hand, stir in flour mixture. When flour mixture is mixed in, stir in oats. Add carrots, raisins and pecans and stir to mix.
Using a ¼ cup measure, scoop up big mounds of dough – they should be a bit larger than golf balls, but quite smaller than tennis balls.
Place 6 balls to a sheet on Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for 18 minutes.
Makes 12 big cookies
Rebecca says
I recently found that my 10 month old daughter has food allergies, so I'm beginning a quest to find treats that I can adapt so that she and my older daughter can enjoy. I just made your first oatmeal carrot cookies and cut out the nuts and replaced the egg, and they turned out delicious! Both girls loved them, so it was definitely a hit. Thank you for the recipe!
Anna says
Lee, thanks so much! Let me know if you try the carrot cookies.
Lee says
Anna you have the best recipes and the best pictures that makes me want to bake eveything you post, glad i am not you neighbour or nothing would fit because i would be your tester too with Fuzz
Anna says
Angie, thanks for trying both recipes. I am glad I posted both recipes.
This morning I'm making what I think will be the final carrot cake cookie -- something posted by someone who went to Disney and tried to clone the Disney cookie.
Angie says
I was a mad woman and I made both recipes...I preferred the all butter one the best. I liked the oatmeal even though I did hesitiate before putting it in. I look forward to your new and improved recipe without oatmeal. We love carrot cake and I will try your new recipe as well. Thanks
Sharon says
Ooh, they both sound/look so good. I may try a hybrid of the two because I'm that indecisive 🙂
Anna says
Fixed! Thanks Tram.
Tram says
The directions in the all butter version says to beat the butter, vegetable oil and sugars together. What vegetable oil?
Angie says
I am going to try the all butter version first and when I can feel my arteries clogging up I'll try the prune puree version. I have everything that I need to make the first version and I will post on here my reveiw of them. I saw Martha Stewart has a new cookie cookbook out...i am going to Barnes and Noble today to buy a cup of tea and look at it...not sure I will buy it but I like that the table of contents is all in pictures, she showed that on her show yesterday.
Anna says
Claire, "mouth water" is the correct term. And it's always a good idea to visit Cookie Madness. If you don't bake something, you can just look at pictures.
Sue, they are good, but my thought today is that the oatmeal takes away from their richness and makes them less like carrot cake. I need to get the oatmeal out.
Sue says
These seem like they would be a nice alternative to a big ol' piece of carrot cake. I wonder how they'll be with a little cream cheese frosting?
clairel says
I like their raw/rustic look, they are really mouth-watering (I hope that means what I mean in english 😉
it wasn't a good idea to come on your blog, I'm already so hungry...