Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies (Kid-Approved!)
These soft, warmly spiced carrot cake breakfast cookies are made with ripe banana, finely grated carrots, oat and whole wheat flour, eggs, cinnamon and ginger. When made with the chia seeds and walnuts, each large cookie provides nearly 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fibre no protein powder required! Add the optional glaze for a fun, dessert-like finish, and you’ve got an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack for kids and adults.
Cookies for breakfast? Heck yes, I’m in, especially on busy mornings when sitting down for breakfast just isn’t happening.
As a dietitian and mom of three, I know how helpful it is to have a few make-ahead breakfasts ready to go. My family already loves these banana barley breakfast cookies and my one-bowl pumpkin breakfast cookies, so naturally, a carrot cake version needed to happen.
From a dietitian perspective, I love that these cookies bring carbohydrates, protein, fat and fibre together in one easy-to-eat package. When made with the chia seeds and walnuts, each large cookie provides nearly 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fibre. The protein comes from everyday ingredients such as eggs, oat and whole wheat flour, chia seeds and walnuts.
That doesn’t mean one cookie needs to do everything. One child might be satisfied with one, while another might want two and something else alongside. Both are completely normal because kids’ appetites vary from child to child and from one day to the next.
If protein is something you’ve been wondering about, my guide to how much protein kids actually need offers realistic amounts and family-friendly ideas without making it one more thing to stress about.
I also insist the carrots aren’t something we need to hide. We’re not calling these “sneaky carrot cookies” (by the way, I don’t love when recipe titles insinuate that the veggies are “hidden”…it doesn’t teach kids to love veggies; it actually erodes trust!). Kids can help grate them, mash the banana or drizzle the glaze, giving them another low-pressure opportunity to see, touch and cook with carrots. If your family already loves my carrot cake pancakes for kids, these cookies offer those same cozy flavours in a portable, make-ahead form.
These cookies are easy to make and don’t require a mixer.
Start by finely grating the carrots using the smaller holes on a box grater. This helps them soften easily and distribute throughout the cookies rather than creating long, firm strands.
Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the best flavour and sweetness. Mash the banana in a large bowl and measure to ensure you have between ¾ and 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, melted oil, maple syrup or honey, vanilla and grated carrots.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the oat flour, whole wheat flour, coconut, optional chia seeds, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and ginger. If you don’t have oat flour, you can quickly make your own oat flour by blending rolled or quick-cooking oats until finely ground.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the chopped walnuts and raisins, if using.
Scoop evenly sized, scant ⅓-cup portions of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 16 to 18 minutes. The cookies are ready when they feel lightly firm and the bottoms are pale golden.
Let them cool completely before adding the glaze. Glazing warm cookies will cause it to melt into them; still delicious, but without that pretty carrot-cake-style drizzle.
Yes. Replace the two eggs with two chia eggs. To make two chia eggs, combine two tablespoons of ground chia seeds with five tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for five to ten minutes, until it thickens and becomes gel-like, before adding it with the wet ingredients.
The chia used for the egg replacement should be ground so it absorbs the water evenly. The additional ¼ cup of chia seeds listed in the cookie ingredients is optional and can be left whole.
Can I make them nut-free?
Again, yes! Simply leave out the walnuts. If you’re packing these cookies for school or daycare, remember that omitting the walnuts doesn’t automatically make every ingredient allergy-safe. Check the labels on ingredients such as flour, coconut and chia seeds and follow your school’s specific allergy policy.
Once the cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to five days.
For longer storage, freeze the unglazed cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag with parchment paper between the layers. They can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw them at room temperature or warm them briefly in the microwave, then add the glaze once they have cooled again.
These cookies can be served on their own or paired with whatever sounds good and works for your morning.
Some ideas:
- Greek or regular yogurt
- Milk or fortified soy beverage
- Fresh fruit
- Cottage cheese
- Nut or seed butter
- A hard-boiled egg
If you’re looking for more make-ahead, protein-forward baking ideas, my collection of high-protein one-bowl muffins for kids has plenty of freezer-friendly options. And on mornings when you have seven minutes and would rather eat something warm from a bowl, this easy carrot cake oatmeal delivers the same cinnamon-and-ginger flavour in oatmeal form.
These carrot cake breakfast cookies aren’t meant to make breakfast perfect. They’re simply one more delicious, practical option to make feeding your family a little easier and sometimes, having cookies waiting in the freezer is exactly the kind of morning help we need. If you make them, let me know whether your family went with raisins, walnuts, glaze or a completely different combination!
Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies (Kid-Approved!)
Ingredients
Wet:
- 3/4 to 1 cup mashed banana from 3 small/2 medium, very ripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup melted coconut or neutral tasting oil like grapeseed
- ⅛ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely grated carrots
Dry:
- 1 cup oat flour see notes
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup chia seeds optional
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
Optional Mix Ins:
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup chopped raisins
Optional Glaze
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 2 to 3 teaspoons milk of choice
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and line an extra-large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana, we’ll want around 3/4 to 1 cup mashed. Add the remaining wet ingredients (eggs, oil, syrup or honey, vanilla and grated carrots) and whisk, until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (oat flour, whole wheat flour, coconut, chia seeds, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and ginger). Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry and stir until just combined, Add the chopped nuts and raisins, if using,
- Scoop a scant 1/3 cup cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Continue, spacing an inch or so apart, for the remaining dough.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until lightly firm to the touch with light golden bottoms. Once baked, allow to cool completely before glazing.
- While the cookies bake, make the glaze, if using: To a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and stir in 2 teaspoons of milk, until smooth. We are looking for a spreadable consistency, not runny. If needed, add a little more milk, just 1/2 teaspoon at a time, and stir until smooth. Spread or pipe (I just add it to a baggie and snip a tiny piece off one corner) over the fully cooled cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
Sarah Remmer, RD, is a registered dietitian and mom of three, specializing in family and pediatric nutrition. She’s the founder of Centred Nutrition Collective and has nearly 20 years of experience helping families feel confident about feeding their kids.
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