Nothing reminds me more of carrot cake than Spring! It must have something to do with the Easter Bunny’s love of carrots. Although I don’t think I’ve ever actually had carrot cake on Easter, the two items are linked in my mind. which is fine because carrot cake is awesome and I honestly have a tendency to forget about it otherwise.

This year, winter seems never-ending, so I pulled together this collection of 20 healthy carrot cake recipes. Maybe it will entice the warmer weather to finally show up? If not, we can at least eat our feelings.

This collection of healthy carrot cake inspired recipes includes everything from breakfasts like pancakes and oatmeal, to snacks like energy bites and cookies, to cakes and muffins. With plenty of paleo, grain free, dairy free, and  low calorie options, you’re bound to find a new favorite carrot cake inspired recipe that fits into your lifestyle!

HEALTHY CARROT CAKE BREAKFASTS

Carrot Cake Granola (Gluten Free) by Healthy Delicious

Carrot Cake Oatmeal (Dairy Free) by Healthy Delicious

Carrot Cake Quinoa Flakes (Gluten Free) by Strength and Sunshine

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats (Vegan) by Vegan Heaven

Carrot Cake Pancakes (Whole Wheat) by Amy’s Healthy Baking

Carrot Cake Smoothie (Vegan + Paleo) by Wallflower Kitchen

HEALTHY CARROT CAKE BARS, BITES, COOKIES, SCONES

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (Vegan) by Sweet As Honey

Carrot Cake Energy Bites (Vegan) by Trial and Eater

Carrot Cake Quinoa Breakfast Cookies (Naturally Sweetened) by Simply Quinoa

Carrot Cake Scones (Naturally Sweetened) by Caroline’s Cooking

HEALTHY CARROT CAKES

Gluten-Free Vegan Tropical Carrot Cake (Gluten Free) by Rhian’s Recipes

Classic Grain Free Carrot Cake (Grain Free) by A Clean Bake

Healthier Carrot Cake Cheesecake (Whole Grain) by Texan Erin

Paleo Curry Carrot Cake (Paleo) by The Primal Desire

HEALTHY CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES AND MUFFINS

Gaps Friendly Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Yogurt Cheese Frosting (Gluten Free) by Health Home and Happiness

Sugar Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes (Low Carb) by Low Carb Maven

Carrot Cake Zucchini Muffins (Gluten Free) by Beauty and The Foodie

Healthy Inside Out Carrot Cake Muffins (Naturally Sweetened) by To Simply Inspire

Carrot Cake Weight Watchers Muffins by Drugstore Divas

Carrot Oatmeal Greek Yogurt Muffins (Naturally Sweetened) by Running With Spoons

In my world, the holiday season doesn’t start until I’ve poured my first glass of aged eggnog.

I love it – I have ever since I was a little kid. These days I’ve switched to coconut nog and, even though it’s still delicious, it’s not quite the same as the real deal.

I thought I’d make up for it by incorporating eggnog flavors into other things, starting with these sugar cookies.

These cookies don’t have any actual eggnog in them, but they do use all of the ingredients that give eggnog it’s distinctive flavor: egg yolks, cream (in the form of butter), rum flavoring, a touch of cinnamon, and lots and lots of fresh nutmeg.

They’re crispy and not too sweet, so they’re perfect as an afternoon snack alongside a cup of coffee or tea.

These eggnog sugar cookies were my contribution to this year’s Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, an annual cookie exchange that raises money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (last year I made cinnamon chipotle crinkle cookies.)

It always amazes me how participants’ cookies criss-cross the country in order to get to their final destinations. I sent a dozen cookies each to Cyndi from My Kitchen Craze, Elizabeth from Cooking with Milton, and Jessica from Stuck on Sweet. In return, I received some delicious citrusy from my friend Bree at Baked Bree, double chocolate chip cookies from Donna at Dang That’s Delicious and German almond crescents from Alexis at Lexi Bites.

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Eggnog Sugar Cookies

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 48

Calories 88kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 2 stick butter
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons rum flavoring or vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg preferably freshly grated

For rolling:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, use an electric beater to mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and rum flavoring.
• In a second bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and nutmeg.
• For teaspoon-sized portions of dough into balls; roll in the spiced sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are cracked and the top looks dry. Cool on a wire rack.
• Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

Nutrition

Calories: 88kcal | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4.2g | Cholesterol: 2mg

‘Tis the season for cookies! When it comes to Christmas cookies, I have a tendency to go a little crazy. The holiday season always seems like the perfect excuse to bake tray after tray. This past weekend, I tried made recipes: eggnog sugar cookies that I’ll share next week and these pistachio cardamom cookies.

I first made these last year, and they’re definitely toward the top of my favorites list. They’re rich and buttery with a big punch of warm cardamom flavor that seems perfect for the season. They’re totally addictive and taste unlike anything else I’ve ever had.

Go ahead and give them a try – they’d make a great addition to your Christmas cookie repertoire!

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Pistachio Cardamom Cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 60

Calories 54kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 cup roasted and salted pistachios
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup butter softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350ºF. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silpat.
• In a food processor, grind the nuts for about 45 seconds, or until the form a fine meal. With the motor still running, drizzle in the olive oil to form a paste resembling crunchy peanut butter.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the pistachio butter and butter until smooth. Beat in the sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
• In a second bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cardamom. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms.
• Drop teaspoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 15-18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown (the centers will still be pale and soft, but will collapse and darken slightly as the cookies cool.)

Nutrition

Calories: 54kcal | Protein: 0.8g | Fat: 3g

More unique recipes that are perfect for a cookie exchange:

• Salted Caramel Gingerbread Thumbprints
• Maple-Walnut Butter Cookies
• Cinnamon-Chipotle Crinkles

I can’t believe it’s already time for our monthly #ProgressiveEats dinner party – it seems like a I just shared my apple cider, ginger, and bourbon cocktails last week. This month, Jenni from Pastry Chef Online is hosting a holiday dessert extravaganza! Be sure to scroll all the way to the end, because there’s an amazing dessert line up!

I made soft, chewy oatmeal cookies stuffed with Nutella. Just imagine it – a delicious oatmeal cookie with a gooey Nutella center.  Amazing, right? Plus, they’re gluten free! Since there’s so little flour in oatmeal cookies anyway, I added extra ground oats instead.

Bring them with you to Thanksgiving or make them for this year’s Christmas cookie exchange; they’re pretty much guaranteed to be a hit.

Nutella stuffed oatmeal cookies might look impressive, but they’re really easy to make. Start to finish, they only take about an hour!

The dough is really simple to mix up and I bet you already have everything you need to make it. The bulk of time time is letting the dough chill – it makes the cookies a lot easier to stuff, plus it prevents them from spreading out/flattening in the oven.

I made three batches last weekend and I could probably make them in my sleep now.

(Why three batches? The first two were to make sure I had the recipe perfect: since the Nutella can be a little greasy and ground oats don’t absorb liquid the same way flour does, my normal oatmeal cookie base melted and spread too much. These have less butter and they bake up perfectly. The third batch was because my dogs climbed up onto the kitchen counter and got into them before I had a chance to take pictures. Thank goodness they didn’t get sick from the chocolate! They apparently really love oatmeal cookies because this isn’t the first time that’s happened!)

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Nutella Stuffed Oatmeal Cookies

The Nutella is much easier to work with if it's chilled. I pop mine into the fridge when I take my butter out to soften.

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 58 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 238kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ¼ cups gluten free old fashioned oats
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup Nutella chilled

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in the egg and vanilla.
• Use a blender or food processor to grind 3/4 cups of oats into a fine flour (I love my Vitamix S30 for this). Add the oat flour, baking soda, and salt to the dough; mix until combined. Stir in the remaining oats. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
• Use a medium cookie scoop to divide the dough into two tablespoon portions; roll into a ball, then flatten between your palms. Spoon 1 teaspoon of Nutella onto the center of the dough. Bring the edges up around the Nutella to form the dough back into a ball, making sure the Nutella is completely inside (patch with a little bit of extra dough, if needed). Repeat with remaining dough. Place the dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.
• Bake 18 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and set in the middle. Let cool completely.

Notes

Nutella is gluten free, but other brands of chocolate-hazelnut spread might not be. Please check the specific brand you use.

Nutrition

Calories: 238kcal | Protein: 4.6g | Fat: 10.1g | Fiber: 3.1g

Welcome to another edition of Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a progressive dinner party. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.

We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.

This month’s theme is Great Holiday Desserts hosted by Jenni Field at Pastry Chef Online. Cookies, cakes, pies and more for your holiday party planning!

Great Holiday Desserts

Cakes

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon and Caramel Sauce

Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Cake Roll

Bourbon Cajeta Apple Butter Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Mini Mascarpone Cheesecakes

Vanilla Rum-Chocolate Chestnut Saint Honoré

Candies

Orange and Ginger Dark Chocolate Bark

Cookies

Pecan Tassies

Nutella Stuffed Oatmeal Cookies (Gluten Free)

Desserts

Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Crisp

Pies and Tarts

Coffee Pecan Tart

Individual Raspberry Mascarpone Tarts (GF)

Mini Pomegranate Ganache Tarts (GF)

More Cookie Recipes to Share:

Oatmeal Cookies with Whiskey Soaked Cherries

Maple-Walnut Butter Cookies

Gingerbread Caramel Thumbprints

Last winter, I got a few requests for spritz cookie recipes. I had to be honest – I hadn’t made spritz cookies since I was a kid. I didn’t remember them being particularly good and I did remember them bing kind of a pain in the butt and making a huge mess. The spritz gun always got clogged and the shapes never seemed to come out quite right. Apparently they’ve come a long way since the ’80s though – these spritz cookies were a breeze to make.

With the addition of hazelnut meal and instant espresso, they’re also incredibly delicious. I couldn’t stop eating the raw dough and I can’t stop eating the baked cookies either. Luckily, the recipe makes a ton and they keep well (I’ve had some on the counter in plastic bags for a week and they’re still as good as the day I made them; they also freeze nicely for long-term storage.)

They’re rich and buttery and not too sweet (they might not be super popular with kids.) Along with a cup of espresso, they make a great afternoon pick-me-up.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and, once again, OXO is getting ready for their annual program benefiting Cookies for Kids Cancer and the Be A Good Cookie campaign. Cookies for Kids Cancer was started by two OXO employees when their son was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. It’s a cause that I’m always happy to support, but this year it’s especially near-and dear to my heart because one of my friends from college is going through a similar struggle with his son. Watching everything unfold is completely heartbreaking. It makes me feel so helpless and small. No family – and certainly no child – should have to deal with that.

Like last year, OXO is donating $100 for every blog post dedicated to childhood cancer. (This year, I’ll be matching that donation myself. It’s the least I can do.)  Additionally, throughout September, OXO will donate 25-cents to pediatric cancer research for every item purchased that has a green “Cookies for Kids Cancer” sticker on it.*

You can see a list of eligible product here – I definitely recommend the cookie press if you don’t have one already. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to use (and clean up!) and I’ll definitely be making more spritz cookies this winter.

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Coffee-Hazelnut Spritz Cookies

Servings 6

Calories 110kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ¾ cups 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso granules
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup hazelnut meal

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 400ºF.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Stir in the espresso. Stir in the flour and hazelnut meal until combined into a thick dough.
• Use a rubber spatula to pack the dough into a cookie press. Press dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between cookies.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Remove from the cookie sheet and let cool on a baking rack. Repeat with remaining dough, allowing the cookie sheet to cool between batches.

Notes

1 serving = 3 cookies

Nutrition

Calories: 110kcal | Protein: 1.3g | Fat: 7g

*In 2014, OXO will donate up to $100,000 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer through specially marked baking tools, bake sale matches and other fundraising efforts. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501c(3) public charity duly incorporated under the laws of the state of New Jersey. Your donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. 100% of proceeds raised by Cookies for Kids’ Cancer fund pediatric cancer research.

I’ve been a little cookie-happy this Christmas. Between the Cinnamon Chipotle Crinkles, Maple-Walnut Butter Cookies and now these Salted Caramel Gingerbread Thumbprints… let’s just say I could use a vegetable or two in my life right about now. This is my last cookie for the season though – promise!

These gingerbread cookies are soft and chewy, with a big punch of molasses. No wimpy gingerbread, here. The centers are filled with caramel and a pinch of flaky salt. They’re sticky and sweet and over the top and awesome. The crinkles and butter cookies that I shares earlier this month are great with a cup of tea or cocoa, but these gingerbread thumbprints cry out for a big, cold glass of milk.

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Gingerbread Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

Servings 3

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ¾ cup butter softened
• ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 egg
• 3 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 18 b]soft caramel candies cut in half (I use [Werther's chewy caramels)
• Kosher salt for sprinkling

Instructions

• In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the molasses, ginger and egg; mix well. Sift in the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Press dough into a thick, flat disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
• Heat oven to 350ºF and line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicon baking mat. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on your prepared baking sheet. Use your thumb to make a small indentation in each ball; place a caramel candy into each indentation. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown and the cookies look soft but set. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

The weekend before last, Shawn and I were out for a drive and ended up in Stockbridge. We spent the afternoon walking around and doing some shopping (um, hello general stores with penny candy and gorgeous locally made pottery!). Just when it was starting to get a little too cold to be out anymore, we stumbled across the cutest little chocolate shop. The sidewalk chalkboard announcing that the daily special was peppermint hot chocolate was what originally caught my eye, but once we got inside it was really hard to make a selection because they all sounded so amazing. I eventually settled for the cinnamon-chipotle hot chocolate, and I knew I made the right decision as soon as I took my first sip.

I also finally knew what flavors I wanted to play with for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I had been stressing over my contribution for weeks – cooking for other bloggers is always a little intimidating and I really wanted to do some sort of a modern twist on a traditional cookie.  As i suspected, the cinnamon and chipotle that was so perfect in my hot chocolate was even better when mixed into chocolate crinkle cookies, giving them a rustic, earthy taste with a little kick of heat.

I packed my cookies up and sent them out to the bloggers I had been paired up with. In exchange, I got Reese’s peanut butter cup cookies from Aly (Cooking in Stilettos), biscotti from Aubrey (Real Housemoms) and cranberry swirls that reminded me that it’s been waaaay too long since I’ve made cranberry bread from… someone? I didn’t see a card so I’m not sure who sent me these… if it was you, let me know. They were all amazing! It’s fun to swap with other bloggers, since you always get something really good.

I’m so excited that this year, thanks to generous matching contributions from OXO, Gold Medal Flour, Dixie Crystals, and Grandma’s Molasses, bloggers participating in the exchange raised a total of $13,778.40 for Cookies for Kids Cancer! Now that’s pretty sweet!

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Cinnamon-Chipotle Crinkles

Chipotle chile powder, made purely from ground chipotle peppers, gives a smokey heat to these crinkle cookies. Don't confuse it with regular "chili" powder, which includes additional spices like garlic and cumin.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 36

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• powdered sugar for rolling

Instructions

• Add the chocolate chips and butter to a small saucepan set over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
• Beat the sugar and eggs until thick and smooth. Add the melted chocolate; mix to combine.
• Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chipotle powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until firm – about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350ºF. Line your cookie sheets with parchment or a silicon mat. Pour the powdered sugar into a shallow dish.
• Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll the balls in the powdered sugar, coating them completely. Arrange the balls on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until just set.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been completely obsessed with the idea of making pink lemonade cookies. I wanted them to be tart and lemony and perfectly chewy. And I didn’t want to use food coloring, lemon flavoring, or cake mix (which seems to be the secret ingredient of every other pink lemonade cookie recipe that I could find.)

It took me four tries to get them right, but it was so worth it.

For drinking, I like lemonade that’s colored with a splash of cranberry juice. I tried cranberry in my first attempt at this recipe, but those cookies were major duds. The juice didn’t give them enough color or flavor. In fact, that batch didn’t taste like much of anything at all!

These cookies get their subtle pink blush from freshly pureed strawberries. There’s just enough to color them and give them a slight sweetness, but not enough to overpower the lemon. These are lemon cookies above all else, and they have all the bracing tartness that you would expect when taking a sip of freshly squeezed lemonade.

I wrapped up half of these (it was tough to part with them!) and shipped them off the Carrie from Bakeaholic Mama as part of this month’s Leftovers Club, where bloggers share their leftover goodies with each other. I was supposed to blog about that last week, but I missed it because these took me so long to perfect. I wanted to give it a mention here anyway. If you’re a food blogger and want to join in the fun, pop on over and check out the group! I hope Carrie loves these cookies as much as I do!

(I’d mail them to everyone if I could, but you’ll have to make them for yourself.)

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Pink Lemonade Cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 18

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 8 Tablespoons butter 1 stick, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 4 large strawberries
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoonsfresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
• 2 ½ cups Flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350*F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment or silicon liners.
• In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the berries and vanilla to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Add 1/3 cup of the strawberry puree, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the butter and sugar mixture (discard any extra puree). Mix well.
• Stir in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until a wet dough forms.
• Pour the powdered sugar into a small dish. Drop 1 Tablespoon dough into the powdered sugar. Roll into a ball; shake off excess sugar. Repeat with remaining dough. Arrange on a cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
• Bake 9-12 minutes, until no longer wet (the tops of the cookies will be very shiny and slightly crinkled).

Notes

Adapted from these Lemon Crinkle Cookies