The Best Vintage Carrot Cookies
Don’t feel guilty about snack time! Carrot cookies are delicious and nutritious!
What are Carrot cookies
Carrot cookies are so good! These cookies are super soft and moist. Packed with flavour with beautiful flecks of orange and sweet little raisins dotted throughout.
This is a super easy drop cookie dough. Mound the dough into a big heap and drizzle the cookie with glaze for a bakery style cookie. Or drop in little spoonful’s for a sweet afternoon snack.
Healthy Cookies!
Carrots are packed with fiber, vitamin A, and beta carotene to name a few of this delicious garden veggies benefits. Cooking carrots helps your body absorb these nutrients. So you can feel a little bit better about eating these little cookies!
Instead of your cookies being filled with empty (albeit delicious) calories. Carrot cookies are jam packed with veggies!
But do they taste good?
A resounding yes! Carrot cookies are such a delicious treat! If you are a fan of carrot cake then you already know carrots are a great addition to your baking repertoire. Carrots are actually quite sweet! If you are used to eating mostly raw carrots, you may not notice how sweet these little super foods really are.
The sugar is locked in the hard cells of the carrot. Cooking breaks down and releases all of the rich sweetness inside. Making them cookie (or cake) worthy!
World War II Carrot Cookies
Carrot cookies and other carrot related desserts and baked goods became popular during WW2, especially in Britain. Sugar was rationed and shrewd bakers harnessed the sweetness from cooked carrots to make delightful baked good in times of scarcity.
Many of these recipes are still around because they are actually really good!
Sugar substitutions
This easy version of a wartime carrot cookie has sugar in it to suit our modern taste, but if you want to reduce processed sugar feel free to replace some or all of the sugar in this recipe.
Common sugar substitutions and how much to substitute
How to store carrot cookies
Freezer
Made ahead and then frozen for later. To do this..
- Let the cookies cool to room temperature.
- Chill the cookies in a single layer in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Remove the solid cookies and place in a freezer bag or airtight container.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Let the cookies defrost on the counter top for 15-20 minutes.
Refrigerator
These cookies will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week!
- Let the cookies cool to room temperature.
- Wrap in cling-film or store in an airtight container.
- Store in the refrigerator for 7 days.
- Cookies are ready to eat straight from the refrigerator. Remove them for 10-15 minutes before for room temperature cookies.
On the counter top
You can store these cookies right on the counter top, if you plan to eat them with in a few days! After the cookies come to room temperature cover them with cling-film or store them in an airtight container. The cookies will stay fresh for 3 days.
If you still have some left over, choose a longer storage method.
Ingredients for The Best Vintage Carrot Cookies
2 eggs
½ cup oil 118 ml
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ml
½ cup sugar 100 g
2½ cups all-purpose flour 300 g
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 7.5 mL
½ teaspoon salt 2.5 ml
1 cup finely shredded carrots 110 g
1 cup raisins 200 g
½ teaspoon cinnamon 2.5 ml
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC).
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
- Using a box grater, shred 1 cup of carrots. (It is important that you don’t use the prebought matchstick style carrots. These will be too thick and will not melt into the cookies)
- Place the grated carrot into the water and cook 2 minutes.
- Drain through a colander and set the carrots aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla.
- Sprinkle over top the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir.
- Stir in the flour, raisins, and grated cooked carrot. Stir until just combined. (The batter is wet, but holds it’s shape when scooped.)
- Drop round mounds, (2-3 Tablespoons worth), of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet using two spoons.
- Bake 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are set in the centre and appear lightly golden.
The Best Vintage Carrot Cookies
Equipment
- 1 box grater
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup oil 118 ml
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ml
- ½ cup sugar 100 g
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour 300 g
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 7.5 mL
- ½ teaspoon salt 2.5 ml
- 1 cup finely shredded carrots 110 g
- 1 cup raisins 200 g
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon 2.5 ml
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC).
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
- Using a box grater, shred 1 cup of carrots. (It is important that you don’t use the prebought matchstick style carrots. These will be too thick and will not melt into the cookies)
- Place the grated carrot into the water and cook 2 minutes.
- Drain through a colander and set the carrots aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla.
- Sprinkle over top the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir.
- Stir in the flour, raisins, and grated cooked carrot. Stir until just combined. (The batter should be wet, but hold it’s shape when scooped.)
- Drop round mounds, (2-3 Tablespoons worth), of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet using two spoons.
- Bake 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are set in the centre and appear lightly golden.
Looking for some more old-fashioned cookie inspiration? These are some of my favourite! Vintage thimble or thumbprint cookies, The best soft and chewy gingerbread cookies, Easy No-bake Chocolate Haystacks
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