Healthy Oatmeal Cookies with Apple and Carrot

With natural sweetness from apple, carrots, and raisins, these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies are a healthy treat you’ll love to share with the kids. And they’re a one-bowl dessert that’s a super fun way to serve up produce!

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies have a batter that’s loaded with nutritious ingredients including a full cup of carrots, a grated apple, raisins, and oatmeal. There’s also sunflower seeds, though you can use chopped walnuts or pecans if you prefer. I love baking these easy oatmeal cookies with my girls because there’s no need for electric tools and you can mix the batter together in one bowl. My girls usually nibble on the carrots and apples as they help, which is fine since the recipe is egg-free!

My oldest requested that we make cookies with carrots recently when we were talking about whether we leave cookies for the Easter bunny like we do for Santa!

TIP: They’re made without eggs or gluten, so they’re a great option for kids with allergies.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies With Honey

The sweetness in this recipe comes from the carrots, apples, and raisins, and there’s some honey to make sure that each one tastes like a treat.  They are lightly sweetened though, so the sugar levels are modest. Each cookie has under 10 grams, with half of that coming from the honey. So each cookie has just 5 grams of added sugars, and the rest are the sugars naturally occurring in the carrots, apples, and raisins.

TIP: The honey also helps the batter hold together and makes it easy to form into cookies. You can use maple syrup if you prefer.

Ingredients in Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

• Oats
• Flour
• Raisins
• Sunflower seeds
• Apples
• Carrots
• Spices

Scroll down to the full recipe to see the exact information.

How to Make Healthy Oatmeal Cookies Step-by-Step

1. Grate the apple and carrot using a grater or you can use the food processor if you find that to be easier. (photo 1)
2.  Stir together ingredients. (photo 2)
3. Portion out dough and press down onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. (photo 3)
4. Bake! (photo 4)

Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe

If your kids like oatmeal raisin cookies, you should definitely try this recipe! Each of these cookies has the texture and flavor of a classic oatmeal raisin cookie, but with extra fruits and veggies. They are slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and are totally satisfying when paired with milk (or coffee!). The batter is chock full of raisins…which sometimes leads my younger daughter to hunt them out and eat them when we’re forming the cookies on the baking sheet.

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

These healthy oatmeal cookies are egg-free and dairy-free, which I hope lets more kids enjoy them. You can also easily make these cookies gluten-free by using gluten-free oats and a gluten-free flour like this one from King Arthur (my personal favorite).

Easy Breakfast Cookies

While these oatmeal cookies are a yummy treat, they also make a nutritious breakfast cookie if you want to mix things up in the morning. Or, try them as a snack paired with a little protein from milk, cheese, nut butter, or beans. They store well for a few days, so you can make a batch on the weekend, bake them up in under 20 minutes on a parchment-line baking sheet, and enjoy them throughout the week!

Can I make these cookies ahead?

You can also place the dough balls into a zip top plastic bag and store in the fridge for up to 5 days if you run out of time to bake them right away or you only want to bake half of a batch at a time. After they’re baked, you can store them in an airtight container. They get a little softer as they sit in the container and younger toddlers may prefer them warmed just slightly so they are easier to chew. (They are a little dense from all the good stuff inside each!)

Tips for Making the Best Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

• If your honey is very firm and not very runny, warm it slightly before adding it so it’s easier to stir together.
• If the batter seems crumbly, add a little more oil until it holds together. (It is not a super wet batter.)
• Use gluten-free flour blend and certified gluten free rolled oats for a gluten-free version.
• Warm slightly as needed to soften cookies that have been stored.
• Carrots that you grate yourself have a slightly softer texture than store bought grated carrots. If you want to use store bought ones, cut them up with a pair of kitchen shears before adding to the batter.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it so please comment below!

Oatmeal Cookies with Apples and Carrots

★★★★★ 5 from 23 reviews

• Author: Amy Palanjian
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 18
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: About 20 cookies 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Print

Pin

---

Description

Make a batch of these healthy oatmeal cookies for dessert, snack time, or a special breakfast. You can make these half the size using 1-tablespoon batter for each cookie and reducing the baking time to about 16-18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.

---

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick oats (or rolled oats ground finely in a blender or food processor)
• 1 cup whole wheat or gluten-free flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup grated carrot (about 1 large)
• 1/2 cup grated apple (about 1 medium)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, or chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

---

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl using a wooden spoon to start and then using (clean) hands to bring the batter completely together if needed.
3. Portion out 2-tablespoon sized balls of dough, place onto the prepared baking sheet, and press down until 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Space them about an inch apart—they won’t spread, so close is okay. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet and serve.
4. These are best eaten on the day they are made, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for 3-5 days.

---

Notes

You can also make the batter and portion into balls, then store in a zip top bag in the fridge or freezer until ready to bake. This is handy if you want to make just half of a batch at a time. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the fridge before baking.

If your honey is very firm and not very runny, warm it slightly before adding it so it’s easier to stir together.

If the batter seems crumbly, add a little more oil until it holds together. (It is not a super wet batter.)

Use gluten-free flour blend and certified gluten free rolled oats for a gluten-free version.

Warm slightly as needed to soften cookies that have been stored.

Carrots that you grate yourself have a slightly softer texture than store bought grated carrots. If you want to use store bought ones, cut them up with a pair of kitchen shears before adding to the batter.

1389.5 g8.8 mg7.6 g4.7 g17.6 g1.8 g1.8 g0 mg

Filder Under:Dairy-Free, Desserts, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Seasonal Recipes, Snacks, Vegan