Carrot Cake Cookies!

We're going to visit "the in-laws" (aka my boyfriend's mom and step-dad) this weekend for Easter, and I wanted to bake them something Easter-y, so of course I made carrot cake cookies! :)

I guess carrots and Easter don't technically go together, but it was one of those "honey rhymes with bunny and bunny rhymes with....rabbit?" moments; (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh).
You get where I'm going with this....I hope.

ANYWAY! I saw this recipe on a blog called Yummy, Healthy, Easy for Carrot Oatmeal Cookies, and tweaked it a little to make own version! I'm sure the original is just as tasty, I just substituted some of the ingredients for what I had available, and switched out half the fat for applesauce to make them a little healthier.

Here is my recipe:

Ingredients: 

2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup quick oats (not instant)
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter (softened)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups grated organic carrots (4-5 carrots)
¾ cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a food processor (or grater) to grate the carrots. (I used a food processor). 
Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, oats, nutmeg and cinnamon). 
In a separate bowl, beat the sugars and wet ingredients (butter, applesauce, eggs and vanilla).
Mix in the carrots and walnuts. 
Scoop spoonfuls onto a lightly greased pan (I sprayed mine with the Misto). 
Bake for 13-14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. 
ENJOY!

I LOVED these just the way they were (as did the BF) but my mom and brother said they could use some frosting.......(oy...) so feel free to dip yours in a quick frosting or eat them with ice cream!

Please leave a comment if you try this recipe! They're practically healthy so I think you should! :)

Mmm :)