Carrot Cake Cookies!!

Was I the only one that noticed my first recipe on "That Girl Can Bake" was for CHICKEN?!?!

Time to remedy that...

You'll hear more about this story (I promise) but every month I bake and ship my dad homemade cookies and they usually have a theme/flavor (relating to the month) and a story.  This was his April cookie. 

 My dad loves carrot cake.  (My dad loves food: especially of the hot and massive variety!)  A few years ago, we (my mom, sisters and brother, and myself) ordered a carrot cake for his birthday and I snubbed it (I mean: carrots, yum. cake, yum. Carrots and cake? um, no) and I probably let everyone know I was snubbing it.  I can't remember how but somehow I ended up with a forkful and it was AMAZING.  So when I thought of an April idea I thought: hmmm, Easter. Bunny --> carrots... CARROT CAKE! 

My dad (more fondly called Papa Bear) ventured (along with my mom) to Chicago for Easter and I took the opportunity to NOT mail cookies but rather hand deliver.  He loved them. He (along with my roommates and brother) said they're the best cookie ever (this is big, my dad shared!)

For the love of carrots, make these  (and yes, Dad said, these do qualify as breakfast cookies: oats, raisins and cream cheese- that's breakfast!)

Cookies (slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is)
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup grated carrots
1 1/2 cups flour  (mixed with: 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt)
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.
Place oats in a bowl with 1/4 cup of water. Let soak until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Beat butter and sugars in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla, then carrots. Add flour and cinnamon until combined. Fold in oats.
Drop batter by tablespoon onto baking sheet. Baked for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.


Cream Cheese Frosting (from Food Network)

4 ounces butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract.




Let cool completely before frosting.

Enjoy :-)