Carrot Cake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Guess what… cookies don’t have to be bad for you.  They can even be almost healthy!  This combination of two old favorites is clean (meaning it has no refined ingredients), satisfying, and—more than just some sugary cookie—could even be considered a healthy snack, or even breakfast, full of whole grains and vitamin-packed carrots.  This Carrot Cake Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe makes about 14 cookies, at 155 calories each.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 c. quick oats
• 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. salt
• 4 T. coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted but not hot
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c. maple syrup (honey or agave syrup would also work)
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3/4 c. grated carrots
• 1/2 c. raisins

Start off by carefully measuring, or weighing, your flour.  If you are measuring, use a spoon to fill your measuring cup until it is overflowing a little bit, then use the back of a knife to scrape off the excess.  Scooping the flour out of the container will cause it to pack into the cup more firmly, leaving you with more flour than you need and, therefore, dry cookies.  And nobody likes dry cookies.

Using a whisk, mix all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Next, whisk together the oil (or butter), vanilla, and maple syrup until thoroughly combined, then add the egg.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir well.  Lastly, stir in the carrots and raisins.

A note about the raisins: mine were old.  So old that they were hard and crystallized with sugar.  But, clever girl that I am, I remembered that I happened to have a bit of spiced rum leftover from Christmas eggnog, so I poured it over the raisins and microwaved it for about 30 seconds, just enough to warm it up.  I let them sit for 10-15 minutes, soaking in the rummy goodness and they plumped right up, nice and soft.  I strained them from their rum bath and folded them into the batter.

Spoon the batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in golf-ball-sized scoops.  Bake for 12-15 minutes at 325.  Let cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.  Store them in a sealed container and they’ll stay fresh for a week… if you can keep from eating them all.