Carrot Chocolate Chip Cookies

You know how I told you about cabbage in a CSA box being difficult to use up?  It's true.  What's even harder?  Carrots.  I never know what to do with them.  Sure, I use them in a lot of recipes, but that's only one here and there, and I can never seem to use an entire bunch before the next box comes.  There are only so many salads and stews to which I can add carrots.  And so I made a bold decision.  I put them in cookies.

Now, it may be unfair to call these cookies.  They're not exactly the best pairing to a tall glass of milk.  You don't daydream all day about getting home to a plate full of carrot cookies.  They're almost too healthy.  I mean, they have oats in them.  Coconut oil.  Applesauce.  They're, dare I say it, vegan.  They mock you with their health.  "You don't deserve to eat us," they sneer.  They can tell you ate ice cream standing at the freezer last night.  Nice try.

But they are a nice mid-morning snack, a good way to get you from breakfast to lunch.  They're cookies you can feel alright about grabbing by the handful.  Sometimes you need to take a break from the decadent and embrace the healthy.  And sometimes  you just have to use up that darn bunch of carrots.

Carrot Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about two dozen

1 c rolled oats
1 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c coconut oil
1/4 c applesauce
1/2 c maple syrup
zest of 1 lemon
1 c grated carrots
1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and grease a baking sheet.  Combine oats, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Combine oil, applesauce, and maple syrup in another (you will have to melt the oil to liquefy it).

Toss lemon zest, carrots, and chocolate chips with the dry ingredients, and slowly incorporate the wet ingredients.  Place rounded tablespoons of dough on the baking sheet, and flatten them slightly.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, and let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack.