Happy almost Easter, friends! Don’t you just love this time of the year, when it’s never too frivolous to wear something pretty-pastel, when the cute bunnies and chiclets can be seen everywhere you go and when everyone’s eating a carrot cake! Or, in my instance, a batch of yummy, Healthy Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies!
(Since I’ve already made and shared with you a few Carrot Cake recipes such as this Healthy Carrot Cake and Healthy Chocolate Carrot Cake last year!) 🙂
THE HEALTHY FROSTED CARROT CAKE COOKIES
I… hm… DREAD shredding all the carrots to make my carrot cake treats into these tiny little shreds! (And they’d have to be real tiny, because I’m also fan of the undercooked carrot chunks hiding in my cookies!)
…If thinking of all this carrot-shredding keeps you away from making your carrot treats this season – all I can say:
I HEAR YOU! 🙂
That is precisely why I wanted to develop a Healthy Carrot Cookies recipe that doesn’t involve any of the shredding and that can mix all in one bowl!…Or in a food processor if yours is powerful enough! (Luckily my Breville Processor is!)
Anyhow, with or without a processor as you’ll see from the recipe – these cookies are super-easy and mess-free to make!Do you want to know the big secret of how it’s done?
If you’ve steamed a bunch of carrots dinner (I always do – because it’s my youngest son’s fave vegetable!) – just leave some out! Blend them with the wet cookies ingredients and if using the blender – add all the dry ones in too!
…And here you go!Your healthy Bunny-pleasing treat is ready to be baked!
…But seriously, though… With all your daily chores (and your desire to to spend the time to doll up a little bit!) – it’s pretty nice to keep in mind an easy-healthy bunny (and other members of the family)-pleasing treat, right? 🙂
GET a FREE Low-Calorie CakeS for breakfast COOKbook!
Happy upcoming Easter my sweet friend! 🙂
Healthy Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies
The Healthy Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies are quick and mess-free to make! No shredding of the carrots, in fact they can be made all in one bowl! They're full of healthy produce, festive, soft and so yummy!
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1/3 cup butter at room temperature
- 2/3 cup fructose sugar or 3/4 cup regular sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup cooked carrots
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp orange extract optional
- 1/4 tsp orange zest optional
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Healthy Frosting (optional, but makes the cookies look great and taste extra-decadent!)
- 5 oz white chocolate
- 1 tsp milk
- 1/8 tsp orange zest
Instructions
If using the food processor - put all the ingredients in it and blend until smooth.
Otherwise mash the carrots. Beat together butter and sugar; add the egg and carrots. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, blending well. Stir in the zest and the extracts.
Let the cookie dough sit in the fridge for 15 minutes or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes, or until just lightly golden. Let cool before topping them with the icing.
To prepare Icing: melt the chocolate and heat up the milk. Mix the milk and the chocolate together until smooth. Add the zest; mix well. Frost cookies and enjoy!
Oh and about this bunny: isn’t he cute? 🙂 I got him for my kids when they were babies! And now as my boys were in school and I was taking this photos, he acted as my co-model in this photoshoot! 🙂
These look AMAZING!! Quick question, for the cook carrots, can I used canned?
Thank you! Yes! You should definitely be able to use the canned carrots! You can also substitute pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes for the carrot puree and make Healthy Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Cookies instead! 🙂