I have never truly been a Carrot Cake type of person until the day I tried it in cupcake form from our local neighborhood coffee shop. I am telling you the cake was so super moist and the cream cheese frosting was to die for! That was it!! I was hooked. Once you have tried these cupcakes it becomes an obsession. So in an effort to indulge in my sweet obsession yet still remain healthy I found this recipe and just had to try it out.
I was completely skeptical at first, with no butter or sugar in the recipe I thought ok this is not going to end well and I will wallow in my baking sorrows by making a trip to the coffee shop. To my surprise these little bites of carrot cake goodness passed the kid test. My son actually liked eating these for breakfast carrots and all. This was a huge accomplishment as whenever I say the word vegetable he immediately has a look of disgust on his face.
These little healthy bites of deliciousness certainly hit the spot with fresh julienned carrots, spicy cinnamon and filling oats. Soft, tender and chewy these are the perfect grab and go breakfast.
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bites Ingredients:
1 Cup Instant oats
¾ Cup Whole wheat
1 ½ tsp Baking powder
1 ½ tsp Ground cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Clove
1/8 tsp Salt
2 T Fractionated coconut oil
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp Vanilla extract
½ Cup Maple syrup
¾ Cup Grated carrots
Directions:
There are two very important parts of this recipe.
- Measure the oats correctly! Do not scoop them directly from the canister. Instead, measure them like flour with the spoon-and-level method. Scooping results in 1.5 times as many oats. Oats soak up any excess moisture so adding too many will make the bites too dry and crumbly.
- Chilling is mandatory! It gives the oats time to soak up some moisture and helps reduce spreading. If you do not chill the dough your bites will look like a flattened blob on your cookie sheet.
In a medium bowl stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup until thoroughly incorporated.
Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the carrots. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. I prefer to use a Silpat the cookies never stick and it is the sassiest clean up ever!
Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops on the baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 12-15 minutes. Make sure to under bake slightly to ensure the bites turn out nice and chewy.
Cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Adapted from Amy’s Healthy Baking