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30 Minutes or Less

Healthy Carrot Cake Cookies (gluten-free!)

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Close-up overhead image of carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.

Soft and perfectly sweet carrot cake cookies with a cream cheese icing! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. These healthy carrot cake cookies are the perfect springtime (or anytime) treat!

Healthy gluten-free carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.

What You’ll Need to Make Carrot Cake Cookies

Oat Flour – Either homemade or store-bought oat flour will work in this cookie recipe! Oat flour replaces all purpose flour, making these cookies gluten-free.

Almond Butter – Smooth and unsweetened almond butter helps hold these cookies together. If you don’t have almond butter, you can use any other nut or seed butter you’d like. Cashew butter would make a great substitute here!

Maple Syrup – These healthy carrot cake cookies are naturally sweetened with maple syrup. The maple adds a touch of flavor, and the perfect amount of sweetness.

Shredded Carrots – Wash and peel about three large carrots, then run them down a box grater to make shredded carrots. Or, to make things even easier, simply buy pre-shredded carrots from the store for this dessert recipe!

Overhead image of healthy gluten-free carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.

Tips and Tricks

  • Gently flatten each carrot cake cookie before baking. If you skip this step, they’ll bake up like round little balls. Therefore, for a more classic flat-looking cookie, give them a gentle press right before putting in the oven.
  • Allow your cookies to cool completely before icing! If the cookies are still too warm when iced, the cream cheese icing will melt and slide right off. (I’ve learned from my mistakes here – ha!)
  • These cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, if you live in a warm client/are baking these in the summer – it’s best to store them in the fridge instead. If the cookies with cream cheese icing are left in too warm of an environment, the icing may melt and spoil.
close up image of a healthy gluten-free carrot cake cookie with a bite taken out.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Dairy-Free: While the cookies themselves are already dairy-free, make a dairy-free cream cheese icing by subbing your favorite non-dairy cream cheese, butter, and milk.

Make it Vegan: For vegan carrot cake cookies, replace the egg with a flax egg, and take the dairy-free icing option above!

Close-up overhead image of carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.
5 from 3 votes

Carrot Cake Cookies

Soft and perfectly sweet carrot cake cookies with a cream cheese icing! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. These healthy carrot cake cookies are the perfect springtime (or anytime) treat!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies

Equipment

  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 medium bowl
  • 1 large baking sheet

Ingredients

For the dry ingredients:

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup oat flour made by pulsing rolled oats in a blender until ground into a flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the wet ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup almond butter unsweetened
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil melted (or butter)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg at room temperature
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans unsalted
  • 1/4 cup raisins

For the cream cheese icing:

  • 1/4 cup cream cheese softened (I used non-dairy cream cheese)
  • 3 tablespoons butter softened (I used non-dairy butter)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk (I used non-dairy milk)
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Then, in a separate bowl, add all the wet ingredients except the carrots, walnuts, and raisins, and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use mix until fully combined. Then, fold in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
  • Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheet and slightly flatten each ball with the palm of your hand.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Then, transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  • While cookies cool, make the cream cheese icing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking until smooth and well-combined. Then, spread or pipe cream cheese icing on top of each cooled cookie.

Notes

Nutrition info is for one cookie out of 24 cookies and does not include the cream cheese icing.
  • These cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, if you live in a warm client/are baking these in the summer – it’s best to store them in the fridge instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Sugar: 5g
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30 Minutes or Less

Cookie Dough Date Bites

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Two cookie dough dates bites stacked on top of each other.

Healthy 5-ingredient cookie dough date bites! They’re vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, and totally delicious. Whip up a batch of these healthy snacks in just a few minutes!

Cookie dough date bites in a bowl with milk and chocolate chips on the side.

What You’ll Need to Make Cookie Dough Date Bites

Medjool Dates – Pitted medjool dates are the base of these bites. I love medjool dates for how naturally sweet and soft they are (compared to other varieties of dates). You can either buy them whole and remove the pits yourself for this recipe, or get them already pitted. I use and recommend Trader Joe’s Pitted Medjool Dates, they’re a great deal!

Rolled Oats – Any kind of rolled oats will work in this recipe! Simply avoid using whole or steel cut oats in your cookie dough date bites. The oats in this recipe are a great source of complex carbohydrates. They help to balance blood sugar levels while enjoying this sweet treat!

Peanut Butter – Creamy, unsweetened peanut butter helps these date bites stick together! However, if you don’t have/don’t like peanut butter, you can use any nut or seed butter you’d like. For a nut-free snack, use unsweetened sunflower seed butter instead.

Chocolate Chips – I use and recommend Enjoy Life’s Mini Chocolate Chips for this recipe, but any chocolate chips or chocolate chunks will do the trick. Or, for a totally sugar-free option, replace the chocolate chips with unsweetened cocoa nibs – even healthier!

One cookie dough date bite with a bite taken out.

Tips and Tricks

  • If the mixture seems too dry and won’t stick together, try adding either 2-3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil or an additional 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter. Though keep in mind that while the mixture might seem a tad too crumbly to stick, these bites will hold their shape once refrigerated.
  • Store cookie dough date bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or the freezer for up to 3 months! I love stocking my fridge/freezer with these bites for a quick and energizing snack when I need it.

This Recipe is….

  • Gluten-Free
  • Dairy-Free
  • Vegan
  • Plant Based
  • Sugar-Free (use unsweetened chocolate chips)
  • and packed with healthy fats, protein, and fiber!
Cookie Dough Date Bites
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Cookie Dough Date Bites

5 from 2 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: SnacksDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

bites
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

0

minutes
Total time

5

minutes

Healthy 5-ingredient cookie dough date bites! They’re vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, and totally delicious. Whip up a batch of these healthy snacks in just a few minutes!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup medjool dates, pitted

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats

  • 1/2 cup peanut butter, unsweetened

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • pinch of salt

  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I recommend mini chocolate chips!)

Directions

  • Add all ingredients except chocolate chips to a food processor and pulse until a dough forms. All ingredients should be very finely chopped, and mixture will appear crumbly but should stick together when pressed between your fingers.
  • Add in chocolate chips and give just 2 or 3 pulses to incorporate.
  • Use a cookie scoop to scoop mixture, then roll between your palms into balls. Place on a parchment-lined plate and refrigerate for 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe Video

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Dairy-Free

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

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healthy carrot cake muffins with cream cheese icing on top, stacked on top of each other.

Perfect carrot cake muffins, made healthy! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, yet oh-SO delicious. These healthy carrot cake muffins come together in just one bowl, in about 30 minutes!

What You’ll Need to Make Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

Oat Flour – You can either buy pre-ground oat flour, or simply grind oats into a flour yourself. I always make my oat flour myself because it’s cheaper, and super easy. To do this, place rolled oats into a blender and blend until a flour forms, and no large oats pieces remain.

Apple Sauce – If you don’t have any apple sauce, feel free to use 1/2 cup of mashed banana instead! Though if you do use apple sauce, please make sure it’s unflavored and unsweetened for this recipe.

Maple Syrup – These refined sugar-free carrot cake muffins are naturally sweetened with maple syrup. I love the flavor of maple syrup in these muffins, you won’t even miss the sugar. However, if you don’t have any maple syrup, you can use an equal amount of honey instead!

healthy carrot cake muffins with cream cheese icing on top and milk on the side.

Tips and Tricks

  • Avoid over-mixing the muffin batter! If you mix too much, your muffins will turn out tough, instead of soft and tender. Therefore, mix all ingredients until just combined, then stop.
  • Let these healthy carrot cake muffins cool completely before icing. I know it’s tempting to ice and eat these delicious little muffins right away. But if they’re too hot when iced, the icing will melt and slide right off. So practice some self-control, and leave them to cool for at least 20 minutes first!
  • These muffins are best stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to three days. However, if you live in a warm climate (or are baking these in the summer), you may want to consider storing them in the fridge. If stored in a very warm place, the cream cheese icing may spoil.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: While I haven’t tested this option myself just yet, you should be able to make these vegan carrot cake muffins by substituting the eggs for flax eggs! Or, use this Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer in place of the eggs in this recipe.

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing
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Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

5 from 2 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: Snacks, DessertDifficulty: Medium
Servings

12

muffins
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

Perfect carrot cake muffins, made healthy! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, yet oh-SO delicious. These healthy carrot cake muffins come together in just one bowl, in about 30 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup apple sauce, unsweetened

  • 1/2 cup maple syrup

  • 1/4 cup milk, I used non-dairy milk

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 cups oat flour

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup shredded carrots

  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

  • 1/4 cup raisins

  • For the cream cheese icing:

  • 1/4 cup softened cream cheese, I used non-dairy cream cheese

  • 3 tablespoons softened butter, I used non-dairy butter

  • 2 cups powdered sugar

  • 2-3 tablespoons milk, I used non-dairy milk

  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, apple sauce, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla extract.
  • Add in the oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until everything is just combined.
  • Then, fold in the shredded carrots, chopped walnuts, and raisins until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
  • Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted down the center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove muffins from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  • While muffins cool, make the cream cheese icing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking until smooth and well-combined. Then, spread or pipe cream cheese icing on top of each cooled muffin.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Magic 3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Bagels

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These 3-ingredient gluten-free bagels are truly magic! No yeast, kneading, rising, or boiling in water required. Just three simple ingredients, and these bagels are ready to eat in 30 minutes!

gluten-free bagels on a baking sheet with cream cheese on the side.

I like to think I know a thing or two about bagels. Not only were they my favorite food growing up, but I currently live in Brooklyn – home of the BEST BAGELS in the WORLD! So ya, I’ve had some really good bagels. A bagel should be toasty on the outside, fluffy on the inside, easy to slice through, and ready for toasting – and these gluten-free bagels are just that.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering – Sam, why bother making your own bagels if you can just buy literally the world’s best bagels from that place down the street. Well, I’ll tell you exactly why – because I can’t find a single good gluten-free bagel! They’re near impossible to track down. And the ones I do find are either too dense or extremely overpriced (or both). So I quickly realized if I wanted a gluten-free bagel, I’d just have to make it myself. And that, friends, is how the magic 3-ingredient gluten-free bagel was born!

3 gluten-free bagels stacked on top of each other.

What You’ll Need to Make 3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Bagels

Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour – Your gluten-free flour must contain xanthan gum! If it doesn’t, add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to this recipe. Gluten-free all purpose flours I use and recommend are Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour, both of which contain xanthan gum. I used the King Arthur flour in these bagels and they turned out perfect!

Baking Powder – We replace the yeast found in traditional bagel recipes with baking powder. Baking powder makes it so we don’t have to wait for our bagel dough to rise before baking. Instead, we can simply shape, then bake these bagels right away – super easy!

Greek Yogurt – Any plain and unsweetened Greek yogurt will work in this gluten-free bagels recipe! I even used Kite Hill’s non-dairy Greek yogurt to make my bagels dairy-free.

gluten-free bagels on a plate with cream cheese on the side.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: To make vegan and gluten-free bagels, use a vegan greek yogurt and leave off the egg wash.

gluten-free bagels on a baking sheet with cream cheese on the side.
4.07 from 72 votes

Magic 3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Bagels

These 3-ingredient gluten-free bagels are truly magic! No yeast, kneading, rising, or boiling in water required. Just three simple ingredients, and these bagels are ready to eat in 30 minutes!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 bagels

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour, see Noted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1-2 cups plain unsweetened Greek yogurt, dairy-free if necessary

For topping:

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • pinch of salt
  • everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc.

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, add in 1 cup of Greek yogurt and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
  • Using your hands, mix and form the dough into a smooth ball. If the dough seems too dry and won’t come together in a ball, add in more Greek yogurt – you may have to use an additional 1 cup of yogurt to reach the desired consistency.
  • Divide dough into 6 equal parts and shape each part into a ball. Use your thumbs to make a hole in the center of each ball, then gently pull to form a ring resembling a bagel.
  • Transfer bagels to the prepared baking sheet. Make the egg wash by whisking together the egg, water, and salt in a small bowl. Brush each bagel with egg wash and top with whatever toppings you’d like (or leave plain).
  • Bake bagels for 20-22 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking, until bagels are uniformly golden brown. Let cool slightly before slicing, topping, and eating.

Notes

  • Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour: Your gluten-free flour must contain xanthan gum, if it doesn’t add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to this recipe.
  • Gluten-free bagels will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or, you can freeze them for up to 3 months! Because of the yogurt, these do not keep well at room temperature.

    • Nutrition

    Calories: 300kcal
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    30 Minutes or Less

    2-Ingredient Pineapple Ice Cream

    By
    overhead image of pineapple ice cream in a loaf pan

    Fresh, creamy, and irresistibly delicious pineapple ice cream! Made with just two ingredients, and in under 5 minutes. This non-dairy frozen dessert is the BEST healthy summertime treat.

    hand holding a cone of pineapple ice cream

    What You’ll Need To Make Pineapple Ice Cream

    Frozen Pineapple Chunks – Either cut, then freeze a fresh pineapple yourself, or buy already frozen pineapple chunks. For tips on how to cut a pineapple, check out my step-by-step blog post here. But if you’re looking to save some time, buy two bags of frozen pineapple chunks from the frozen aisle at your local grocery store.

    Coconut Milk – Thick and creamy full-fat coconut milk tastes best in this pineapple ice cream! However, you can certainly use a light coconut milk instead, or really any kind of milk you’d like. And if you don’t have milk, use a couple tablespoons of water. The liquid is introduced at the very end of this recipe and should be used sparingly, just until you achieve a thick and creamy consistency.

    Food Processor or High-Speed Blender – While food processors work best to make this non-dairy frozen dessert, a high-speed blender will work as well. I made my pineapple ice cream with this (super cheap!) Hamilton Beach food processor. But I’ve also tried this recipe in my Vitamix, and it worked as well – just required more stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender.

    overhead image of pineapple ice cream in a loaf pan

    Tips and Tricks

    • Start with 1/4 cup of coconut milk, then slowly add in more to blend. The frozen pineapple mixture will start out icy and crumbly, but slowly turn smooth and creamy as more liquid is introduced. It’s important to start small here, as to not risk “watering down” your ice cream!
    • Swirl in some toasted coconut or fresh pineapple chunks! Right after blending, transfer the pineapple ice cream to an airtight container and stir in any mix-ins you’d like. Or, serve this healthy dessert with your favorite ice cream toppings!
    • Depending on how solid you’d like your ice cream, either serve it right away or freeze for a few hours before eating. How solid it is may also depend on how warm it is outside. During the summer months, I certainly have to freeze this for at least an hour before scooping and serving!

    This Pineapple Ice Cream Is…

    2-Ingredient Pineapple Ice Cream

    2 from 4 votes
    Recipe by Samantha Course: Dessert, SnacksDifficulty: Easy
    Servings

    6

    servings
    Prep time

    5

    minutes
    Cooking time

    0

    minutes
    Total time

    5

    minutes

    Fresh, creamy, and irresistibly delicious pineapple ice cream! Made with just two ingredients, and in under 5 minutes. This pineapple ice cream is the BEST healthy summertime treat.

    Ingredients

    • 4-5 cups frozen pineapple chunks, about 2 10-ounce bags

    • 1/4-1/2 cup coconut milk

    Directions

    • Add frozen pineapple chunks to food processor and pulse until crumbly.
    • Slowly add in coconut milk, starting with ¼ cup and adding more as necessary, and pulse until smooth.
    • Either serve immediately, or transfer pineapple ice cream to a parchment-lined loaf pan and freeze for 2-3 hours.
    • To serve, remove from freezer and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping and enjoying.

    Recipe Video

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