Carrot and Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

I’ve been cautiously enjoying the warm weather we’ve been experiencing as of late. Cautious because I know it won’t last. Concerned because it’s a little unnatural to have double digit weather in the middle of February. I think this Sarah Scribbles comic I recently saw on Facebook properly sums up my feelings best.

Despite my conflicted feelings, I took advantage of this nice weather a couple weeks ago and shot these cookie photos outside. I normally don’t do any photography on our little south-facing balcony, but I really wanted to make use of this old table I snagged a couple years ago from the furniture recycle drop-off room in our building. The last few wet winters have not been kind to this table, but this makes for an excellent surface for food photography. I’ll take what I can get, especially since our limited condo space makes hoarding multiple photography surfaces pretty difficult. In fact, at this point, I’m pretty sure my days of dragging this musty table inside for photos are now over.

These fruit and veggie nutty oatmeal cookies were inspired by a desire to clean out the last few remains of our vegetable drawer before going on a grocery run. I guess my brain was in spring-cleaning mode to go along with the weather? Either way, this recipe is a great way to get rid of carrots and apples that otherwise may be on their last legs. Pretty much a perfect recipe for those bottom of the produce drawer items that are a little bit soft, but still edible for baking.

The cookies bake up soft and doughy, spiced with brown sugar and cinnamon, and speckled with nutritional-bits of carrot flecks and apple bits. I added some chopped walnuts because it’s widely known that I love a little crunch in my cookies, but as always, nuts are completely optional. Sliced almonds or pecans would also be a great alternative.

Print

Yield: approx 35 cookies

Carrot and Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cup rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter/margarine, room temperature
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 large McIntosh apple, finely chopped or grated
• 1 medium carrot, finely grated

Optional

• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick baking mats.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter/margarine, coconut oil, and brown sugar. Add egg, vanilla, apple and carrot and beat until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dry flour mixture and chopped walnuts (if using).
4. Drop cookie dough on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops are lightly brown and the bottom is a deeper brown.
5. Cool for one minute and then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container. If the cookies last more than 3 days, I recommend storing them in the fridge to keep them fresh for longer.