Chunky oatmeal raisin cookies get the carrot cake treatment with the addition of shredded carrots, candied ginger, and cinnamon. The batter is perfumed with coconut oil and maple syrup, making these naturally vegan, whole grain cookies great for breakfast, snacks, dessert, or anytime in between. I didn’t set out to make these into breakfast cookies, and yet their ingredients are wholesome enough that I don’t see any issue with popping a few into my mouth first thing in the morning.
See, I was baking a carrot cake for Heather, and then Kevin started hinting that he needed me to make him his own carrot cake, too (spoiled much?). For the record, I didn’t make him one, but that’s only because I was making a cake for another friend who needed a chocolaty, gluten-free-but-delicious cake for a dinner party on the same day. Did I mention I make a lot of cakes? I’m even making the cakes for my wedding in a couple months! 
Okay, focus. Cookies. Not cake. Cookies. Since I was drowning in frosting and Kevin was whispering sweet carrot cake nothings in my ears, I had carrot cake on the brain. Hence, when I was throwing a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies together I was all but destined to add extra cinnamon, ginger, walnuts and carrots to the batter. The addition of carrots made the cookies extra soft and a little doughy, which was perfectly reminiscent of carrot cake. All the extras left them super chunky and extra snack-able.
These aren’t just any old cookies though; they’re so simple you can just throw everything into a bowl and mix it up. They’re also filled with flavorful, yet super nourishing ingredients. The traditional “cream butter and sugar, add eggs and beat till fluffy, stir in remaining ingredients” isn’t necessary here. Not to mention, there’s no sugar, butter, or eggs with which to do so anyway. Because of this, these cookies are a little dense, but in a good way. There are pockets of spicy-sweet candied ginger, crunchy walnuts, sweet raisins, and chewy oats. The cookies are held together with whole wheat flour, which mixes with the carrots to make a cake-batter flavor. 
Did I mention the protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals going on here? I probably don’t have to; you already know, don’t you? These cookies are the real deal. I hope you’ll give them a try this week, and enjoy snacking on a little clump of carrot cake whenever the mood strikes. I wasn’t gonna say it, but you know these babies would be a cute picnic treat. Leave a comment below to let me know if I need to stop telling you to go on picnics how these cookies turned out, and tag me #bakedgreens on Instagram so I can follow along with your cookie adventures! Happy Monday, Friends!
Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour*
- 1 cup oats
- heaping 1/4 cup raisins
- heaping 1/4 cup candied ginger roughly chopped
- 1 cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots about 1 large/2 small carrots
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- 2. Put all ingredients except maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla into a bowl. Then, pour wet ingredients over the dry mix, and stir well to combine.
- 3. Scoop cookies onto prepared pan using a small ice cream scoop or a spoon. Slightly flatten cookies with your fingers, and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden, but not crisp. Cookies taste most like carrot cake when left a bit soft. Eat immediately, or let cool and store at room temperature for up to 5 days. These also freeze well for packing in lunchboxes, etc.
Notes