To Try: Crispy Carrot Oatmeal Cookies

  • The carrots are first finely shredded and thoroughly patted dry with some paper towels. This is key because carrots have a lot of moisture and you want to remove as much moisture as possible so that they crisp up. Use a box grater to get them finely shredded.
  • The carrots are then spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and baked for about 5-7 minutes or until they turn start to crisp up. The carrot will also usually turn a yellow color though some will be crisp while still orange. Try not to let them get too brown.
  • Measure the carrots by adding them loosely to a 1/2 cup, do not compact them.
  • The oats are then added to a mixing bowl. Drizzle the coconut oil over the oats and then stir for about 20 seconds so that the oats all become lightly coated in oil.
  • Add maple syrup and stir until the oats are evenly coated in syrup. Don’t substitute honey.
  • Stir in the carrots until evenly mixed.
  • Scoop your mixture with a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop and release onto your prepared baking sheet. Use the back of a metal spoon to flatten, compact and shape the mixture to be thin round disks.
  • Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges.

Ingredients

  • 1 /2 cup (38 g) finely shredded patted dry carrots carrots should be patted dry with paper towels before measuring 1/2 cup, see note before starting
  • 1 cup (90 g) quick oats
  • 2 tbsp (1 fl oz/30 ml) melted coconut oil
  • 3 tbsp (1.5 fl oz/44 ml) maple syrup

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Spread shredded carrots onto one of your lined baking sheets, doing your best to spread the carrots out so they are not clumped together. It’s okay if you can’t get out all the clumps, but do you best to separate them which will help them crisp up faster.
  • Add carrots into the oven and bake for about 5 minutes. Watch the carrots carefully because baking time can vary depending on oven, baking pan material, how much moisture is in your carrots and the size of your carrots. The carrots should start to shrivel and turn a lighter color. You want to take them out before they are completely browned (some browning around the edges is okay). Some of the carrots may be done before others. I removed my carrots after 5 minutes and took off the already crisped up ones and then put the rest of the carrots back in the oven for about 3 more minutes to crisp up the rest. It’s okay if a few of your carrot shreds get browned– you just don’t want too many of them to be browned. See note section for more details on crisping up the carrots. Set the crisped carrots aside so they can crisp up a little more as they cool.
  • Add oats to a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle melted coconut oil evenly across. Using a spoon or spatula, stir the mixture briskly for about 20-30 seconds, stopping a few times to scrape the sides of your bowl, until most of the oats look slightly moistened with coconut oil. The oats only need a little oil so they should not look fully wet.
  • Add in the maple syrup. Mix with your spatula until the oats are evenly coated in syrup and the oats start to clump together.
  • Measure 2 tbsp of crisped carrots (4 g). You should have slightly more than 2 tbsp on your baking sheet and you can try your best to select the ones that are most yellow and orange and avoid ones that are too browned. Add the carrots to the oat mixture and stir a few times just until they are evenly incorporated.
  • Using a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop, pack 1.5 tbsp of oat mixture into your cookie scoop. Release onto your remaining prepared baking sheet. The mixture will be loose and not fully hold together. Use the back of a metal spoon to press, compact and shape your cookie until it becomes a thin round disk (about 1/4 inch thick). Repeat with the remaining mixture. The cookie mixture does not spread or rise during baking so shape your cookies how you want their final appearance to be. If the oat mixture is sticking to your spoon, you can lightly wet the back of your spoon and that should prevent the oat mixture from sticking. It is important to really pat and shape each cookie because that helps the oats compact and stick together, which will help them bind during baking. Try your best to make sure there are no gaps or holes in your cookies.
  • Bake the cookies for about 13-18 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the surface is just starting to brown. Baking time will vary depending on how thick your cookies are. The longer you bake, the crispier the cookies will be but you do want to make sure the edges don’t get too dark.
  • Remove cookies from oven but don’t attempt to move them from the baking sheet until they are fully cooled and set. If you try to remove them while they are still warm, the cookies will fall apart. Once they are cooled, the cookies will be fully set and should peel off the parchment paper easily. Store cookies in a sealed container once cooled. If the cookies are left out too long, they will absorb the moisture from the air which will cause them to soften. Cookies can be stored 1 day at room temperature and longer in the fridge or freezer.