RECIPE: CARROT CAKE BREAKFAST COOKIES
There’s a whole movement of mothers who scratch-make all the baby food, all the time. Everything is organic, low-sugar, high-fat (the healthy kind, though), and so on. I mean, I get it. I tried to make all of Richie’s baby food, too. Mostly because he had so many digestive and feeding issues due to his prematurity.
But on a scale of “new mom with first child who can do ALL the things” and “five kids in, MAKE IT EASY AND FAST”, I was somewhere in the middle. I made most of Richie’s food - but I relied on quick, easy recipes that I could make in giant batches and then freeze and reheat.
The meal I needed the most help with? (and still do!) Breakfast. Why, why, why is breakfast such a challenge? Is it because I’m attempting to care for a human before I’ve had my coffee? Is it because we’re all a little hangry in the morning? Because we usually have the pressure of needing to be somewhere? I just don’t know.
What I do know, is that these easy-peasy carrot cake breakfast cookies SAVED MY SANITY. Richie loved them as a baby, and they were easy for me to make gluten free (which he was for over 2 years). I often tripled the batch so that I’d have enough to last an entire month. They were such an easy part of our breakfast rotation - just pop out of the freezer, stick in the microwave or toaster until warm, and boom. DONE. Richie used to inhale these - and I’ve been known to sneak one here and there.
The recipe is loosely adopted from She Likes Food, who has a version of these cookies that are super allergy friendly, and geared a little more for adults. For my own recipe, I like to pack some calories in, because my little guy is always needing to gain weight.
CARROT CAKE BREAKFAST COOKIES
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 12-15 min | Makes 12 cookies
DESCRIPTION: These easy, make-ahead, freezable carrot cake breakfast cookies are perfect for picky kids and on-the-go toddlers. Double, or even triple, the batch to have enough cookies for over a month. Reheat by microwaving or toasting to desired temperature.
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups old fashioned or steel cut oats
3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup grated carrot
optional add-ins: walnuts, almonds, raisins, etc.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment, or spray with butter/oil.
Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add in remaining wet ingredients.
Mix until well combined.
Scoop 1/4 cup of mix onto baking sheets and flatten a little with the back of spoon. The cookies are large - 3” or so in diameter, and cook better when flattened. I get about 6 cookies per baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. They may feel a little spongey, but that’s perfect!
NOTES: Let them cool completely before freezing. I personally microwaved them, wrapped in a paper towel, for 30 seconds. They got hot pretty quickly. We personally preferred to reheat them in the toaster. The crunch factor is yummier.
ENJOY!
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