Vegan Sugar-free Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies

A plate full of these vegan carrot cake cookies filled our house with a sweet and spicy aroma that can't be rivaled with any candle. The smell of cookies is coming out of many ovens this time of year.  As many varieties of cookies that are out there, there are also that many flavor preferences among our friends and family.  This weekend I wanted to make a cookie that was tasty and healthy.  There are a few more weeks until feasting begins so I figure I may as well try and keep my sweets to a minimum until then.  But don't you worry, when the time comes we celebrate with all the fullness of butter, sugar, and all other baking pleasures.

Our weekend was filled with our favorite friends and our favorite wines.  We celebrated a friends' 30th birthday with a cheese and wine party. The next evening we sipped on a very special California pinot noir while staying up late chatting by the fire with some of our dearest friends. 

Now back to these cookies... I was pleasantly surprised at how sweet these cookies turned out without even a spoonful of sugar in them. The natural sugars of the apple, carrot, and raisins sweetened them up just perfectly.  The cinnamon and ginger and a perfect amount of spice for a little kick as you bite into them.  I think they would make a great breakfast cookie as well.  They're so healthy, they should be eaten anytime of day, or all day :)  When they came out of the oven, I wasted no time at all to pop a few into my mouth, with no guilt at all, pure satisfaction! 

What is your favorite non-guilty dessert?

Vegan Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies

adapted from Whole Foods

INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw unsalted walnuts
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins 

1/2 cup dried cranberries (use whatever combo of raisins and cranberries to equal 1 cup of dried-fruit))
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 carrots, grated
1 apple, grated
1 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup almond milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

Combine walnuts, oats, raisins and cranberries in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger. Add carrots, apple, banana and almond milk and stir until combined. Drop by rounded tablespoons an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets, making about 24 cookies. Press down on each cookie with the back of a fork to flatten slightly. Bake until tops and bottoms are lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.