Carrot Cake Cookie ( Vegan + Gluten Free)

Taste like mini carrot cakes, these cookies are packed with nutritious superfood and carotenoids, making your skin glow and your taste buds cheerful.

Carrot Cake Cookie

Carrots, obviously, seems to be ubiquitous among our plates. When making salads or stir-fry, carrot's crunchiness adds more texture, when making stew or casserole, carrot's sweetness adds more hearty and filling sensation, and when making desserts, carrot adds a burst of nutrients and flavors. It is versatile, generally acceptable, and last relatively long in the fridge. And shredding the humble carrot in a variety of dishes is the perfect way of sneaking more veggies and bulking up the volume.

Speaking of dessert that is based on carrot, the one that pops into everyone's mind is carrot cake. Who does not enjoy a slice of decadent carrot cake with creamy silky frosting? I am the one with subtle sweet tooth, and I only enjoy carrot cake occasionally as the richness and sweetness is sometimes overwhelming to me. The idea behind carrot cake of using veggies has been inspiring to me (I have created other veggie-based cakes ), so I created this easy and quick carrot cake cookies recipe. These cookies are chewy, gooey, moist and delightfully sweet. The sweetness is differ from traditional cakes which can sometimes make you sick and sleepy, it is the sweetness from wholesome foods that can boost your energy and elevate your moods.

Chewy, gooey, moist and delightfully sweet

In terms of nutritional profile of carrots, they are famous for their β-Carotene content which gives them bright orange color. β-Carotene is belong to a family of substances called carotenoids which are important antioxidants to our bodies. Antioxidants help clear up the reactive oxygen species which often causes damage to our cells and DNAs. Most of us may have heard from our grandma or parents talking about the old saying:" Carrots are good for eyesight." This perspective has been propagandized during WWII in which it was the carrots that gave British army good eyesight. However, in reality, it is the Vitamin A that contributes healthy vision. It is true that β-Carotene can be converted to Vitamin A (that's why they can be called as pro-vitamin A), but the conversion rate is 12:1 (12mcg of β-Carotene = 1mcg of retinol/preformed vitamin A) which gives it low bioavailability for human bodies.

Furthermore, another interesting article has found that carotene supplements can offer an attractive skin tone, and can even affect mate choices in animal studies. Do you want the natural.glow from your skin? Eat more vegetables that have vibrantly beautiful colors! (Don't OVERDO it as an extremely high intake of carotenoids can cause yellow colouration of skin, yes, the sickening yellowish color )

Using pancake mix makes life easier and tastier

You may have wondering why this cookie recipe is named after "carrot cake". The trick here is using the pancake mix ( I used the one from Superfood Bakery), which makes them fluffy and soft. Looks like cookie, but has moist and light texture. I used quite a lot of carrots since I have a lot stored in the fridge but you can definitely use less amount if you don't want it to be too "carroty".

This recipe also features my one-bowl method which makes it quick and easy. Instead of putting a lot of dried fruits in traditional carrot cake, I add poppy seeds and peanut butter to make it more rich and more mouth-watering. But you can absolutely add some dried fruits, such as raisins and figs, to elevate its sweetness. This is the cookie that is full of fibers, skin-friendly nutrients and fantastic taste, so grab a bowl and let's make it!

Recipe: Carrot Cake Cookie ( 10 big cookies/ 12 small cookies )

Ingredients:

• 100 g (half of a pack) Morning Dreamers Pancakes Mix (or any other pancake mix)

• 200 g Carrots, peeled and shredded

• 2 Medium Eggs /Vegan: 2 Tbsp of chia seeds with 6 Tbsp of water

• 50 g carob syrup (or any other liquid sweetener)

• 40 g Organic Coconut Flour.

• 50 g Raw Coconut Butter (Melted. Can swap to butter or coconut oil)

• 30 g Runny Peanut Butter (or other types of nut butter)

• 15 g Poppy Seeds

• 1 tsp of baking powder

• 1 tbsp of chopped dried fruits (optional)

Methods:

1. Preheat the oven at 175°/ fan 155°

2. Melt coconut butter in a large bowl using microwave (set on a low heat) or using saucepan on a low heat

3. Add shredded carrots, pancake mix and coconut flour into the bowl with butter and mix well.

4. Add poppy seeds, syrup, peanut butter and eggs into the mixture and using a spatula or spoon to mix. The consistency should be slightly sticky. Add a tbsp of water if it is too dry.

5. Divide the mixture into 10/12 cookie batter on a large lined baking dish (Mine is bit small for 10 so I baked two rounds).

6. Bake for around 15-20 minutes until the surface is a brown and crunchy.