Carrot Cake Cookies

 

When I was growing up we ate a lot of processed food. That might come as a surprise, given the amount of whole food and obsession with healthy eating on this site.  As a true eighties kid, my mom served us sugary cereal, cookies from a box, cheese slices and frozen dinners.  As someone who grew up on a farm she ate what they produced throughout her childhood.  As a young adult, I'm sure she found all these new foods exciting and quite simply, easier.  The one exception to all the store bought food, was cakes.  She decorated cakes as a part time job and carrot cake was (and still is) her speciality.  I still remember the first time I finally tried carrot cake.  I was certain I would hate it (it had vegetables in it!) and much to my surprise, it was delicious.  Sometimes moms do know best!

My kids would probably be shocked to know what I ate as a kid.  Funny how we so often do the opposite of what we were raised with.  I truly fear what Jos and Luke might eat in this world once they leave home.  Crossing my fingers that they will continue with a lifetime of healthy eating and nourishing their growing bodies.  In the meantime, I'm going to keep feeding them delicious homemade goodies as long as I can.

Luke continues to declare he hates all cake, so my only hope of sharing my childhood memories of carrot cake was to re-jig the format.  I considered a cupcake but cookie creation has been on my mind lately.  You see, I'm crossing my fingers I might qualify for this contest.  We made these cookies as a sweet treat to enjoy with friends and to pack on lunches. They are nut free so you can easily send along to your kids' classroom holiday parties coming up.   Prior to adding the icing, they're actually a pretty healthy treat.  You can put as little or as much frosting as you like on top.  Both my kids will tell you- put lots on!

Carrot Cake Cookies

1 cup spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup hemp seeds

1/3 cup flax meal

2/3 cup oatmeal 

1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup agave

1 cup grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, flax meal, oatmeal, ginger and cinnamon. In a small bowl, combine canola oil, agave and carrots.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix completely.
Scoop approx 1Tbsp dough onto prepared sheets.  Bake 10-12min until golden brown.  Let cool and frost.
Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup cream cheese softened
1 cup icing sugar (may need more on hand to get right consistency)
1/4 cup dulce de leche spread
sprinkle salt to taste
2-4Tbsp milk
Cream together cream cheese and dulce de leche until well blended.  Add icing sugar.  If mixture too thick, add milk 1Tbsp at a time until desired consistency.  Add salt as desired.  I used 1/4 tsp.
Spread on cooled cookies.

Disclosure - This recipe is being entered into the "My Cookies are the Best" contest on the Food Bloggers of Canada. I could win a trip to the Food Bloggers of Canada conference thanks to the Manitoba Canola Growers