Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies

1 c (98g) instant oats (gluten­free if necessary) ¾ c (90g) whole wheat or gluten­free* flour (measured correctly) 1 ½ tsp (5g) baking powder 1 ½ tsp (3g) ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp (1g) salt 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 1 large egg, room temperature 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract ½ c (120mL) maple syrup ¾ c (68g) grated carrots (about 1 smallish medium)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup until thoroughly incorporated. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the carrots. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. (If chilling longer, cover with plastic wrap, ensuring it touches the entire surface of the cookie dough.)

Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. 3. Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops on the baking sheet. (If chilled longer than 1.5 hours, flatten slightly.) Bake at 325°F for 12­15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Notes: It’s incredibly important to measure both the oats and flour correctly, using the spoon­andlevel method described in the links above. If scooped from the container using the measuring cup, you’ll end up with 1.5 times as much, which will dry out your cookies and make them crumbly. To make your own instant oats, pulse 1 cup of old­fashioned oats in a food processor 5­8 times. For the gluten­free flour, I used as follows: ½ c (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, and ½ tsp (1g) xanthan gum.

Melted margarine may be substituted for the coconut oil or butter. Regardless of which is used, be sure that the egg is at room temperature before whisking it in. A cold egg added straight from the fridge would rapidly cool the fat source, resulting in small blobs of semi­solid coconut oil, butter, or margarine. Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the maple syrup.

If the cookies are still really flimsy after cooling on the baking sheet for 15 minutes and threaten to break apart, let them cool completely on the baking sheet. That won’t let them crisp up too much, and they’ll still stay soft for an entire week! To hear more tips and see the texture of the cookie dough before and after baking, watch my video on how I bake my oatmeal cookies.