Apple-Carrot Cookies: They're Actually Good

When in comes to health, carrots are one of the best foods out there.  According to nutrition-and-you.com, carrots are full of vitamin A, beta-carotenes, and important anti-oxidants (anti-oxidants are amazing because they help reduce skin aging, among other things). However, I have found that it can be hard to eat carrots; they're big, difficult to chew, and rough on the teeth.  In fact, the main thing that I enjoyed carrots in was carrot cake, and this is...unhealthy to say the least.  So I set on a quest to create a carrot-filled baked good that was at least semi-healthy.  It is healthy in the sense that it is much less unhealthy than the oatmeal cookie recipe I used for the base (1 cup of butter is never good news for your waistline) To make my apple-carrot cookies you will need
-1/2 cup of vegetable oil

-1/2 cup of plain non-fat Greek yogurt

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1/2 cup sugar

-2 eggs

-2 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-2 1/2 cups flour (make 1 cup wheat if you want extra health)

-2 cups old fashioned oats 

-3 apples, peeled and diced

-1 cup grated carrots

Mix together the oil, yogurt, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Then mix in the flour, oatmeal, and baking soda.  Once you have a fully formed cookie dough, add in the apples and carrots. Scoop spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, and bake at 375 degrees until golden.  

These cookies cannot boast being non-fat like the Strawberry Blasts, and they probably will not be winning any health awards anytime soon.  However, they are a healthier and highly nutritious alternative to oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies.  They are also a good way of sneaking fruits and vegetables to kids, so if you have a little one at home, I would highly recommend this recipe.  

Bon Appetit!