While some might associate carrot cake with spring, carrots are actually best used during the winter as they are a root vegetable harvested in fall. These carrot cake cookies make it easy to share a tantalizing bite stuffed with a healthy vegetable with your kids, relatives, and maybe even Santa!

Directions

1. Peel and finely grate carrots. They should be close to pulp texture, not large shreds. You should use about 3–5 carrots depending on their size. Measure them by lightly packing them into a 1 cup measuring cup.

2. In a large bowl, combine the softened butter and sugars. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until fluffy and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the wet ingredients and beat together until JUST combined. Stir in the finely grated carrots. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

5. Roll out balls that are about a Tablespoon and a half of dough. Make sure to give the cookies enough room to spread out on the sheet. Bake for 9–13 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool on the cookie sheet for at least two minutes before removing and letting cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 24-34 cookies