Grain-free Carrot Cookies

Carrot cookies may not be totally normal, but I can vouch for their taste and texture. Both excellent! I think you will really dig this recipe! (Do you get it? Dig? Like dig up the carrots?)

I saw a recipe for Paleo Carrot Cake Cookies on Facebook (https://unboundwellness.com/carrot-cake-protein-cookies/) and immediately clicked on it. Although it called for a bunch of ingredients so bizarre I had never even heard of some of them, I was still intrigued. I even tried to find tigernut flour at Walmart! (No go, but I did find banana flour and baobob flour!) Since the recipe said I could sub out almond flour for the tigernut (which I did find on Amazon.com for $12 per pound!!! No, I did NOT purchase.) I went ahead and made some cookies.

I used the bowl of the food processor for the entire prep of the cookie dough. This kept the clean-up to a minimum. I happened to have most of the ingredients on hand, but you could make substitutions if need be. Feel free to get creative! That's what makes cooking so much fun.

The original recipe called for 1/4 cup shredded apple, in addition to the shredded carrots. I skipped the apple completely. You can add it back in, if you like. I guess apple sauce might work, too, but I think the cookies would end up being very soft.

If you have a food processor, you can make the almond flour by grinding up 3/4 cup raw almonds. Or use whatever nuts you have! I started with whole almonds and whole baby carrots, pulverizing both in the food processor bowl.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup almond flour (or tigernut if have it!!!)
1 TB coconut flour
1 TB potato starch
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 TB collagen (powdered protein)
2 TB almond butter (or tigernut!)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 teas. baking soda
1 large egg
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional--will add sweetness)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large food processor bowl, pulverize whole almonds to make almond flour. Then add the rest of the ingredients one at a time, pulsing after each addition. The dried fruit will add sweetness, as the cookies contain no other added sugar, but you can omit them for a more savory cookie. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a lined cookie sheet. (I used Silpat.) Flatten lightly. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Makes about 1 dozen cookies.