Eat your carrots… cake NomNoms!!
Easter is around the corner and carrot cake seems like an obvious dessert to be making…but what about carrot cake for a HEALTHY breakfast?? Well, that’s what I have for you today. The combination of white and cinnamon chips trick my taste buds into thinking I am eating a moist bite of carrot cake with a tasty dab of cream cheese frosting. I think you will enjoy this breakfast treat, and the fact you are making giving your kiddos carrots for breakfast is an added source of joy and sick satisfaction…what can I say, it’s the little things.
Here are a few tips to consider as you make these treats:
• Pretend there is a sign in your kitchen…”PLEASE DO NOT PEEL THE CARROTS.” A lot the hidden good stuff is in the peel, and what did that poor peel ever do to you? Leave it on, ((please)). As a bonus, you will save yourself 93 seconds by not peeling.
• Use a microplane grater to grate the carrots…I personally think the texture of finely grated carrots for this NomNom. And your kiddos will cry less, by not noticing you are making them eat carrots for breakfast.
• I don’t like raisins ((at all)), especially in carrot cake, but if you do — add 1/3 c or so. It seems grody to me, but I think most of the world disagrees with me, different strokes for different folks.
• Nuts, such as chopped pecans or walnuts, would be tasty in this too. I almost added my Santa Fe pecans, but then decided not to at the last second. Some of my kids like pecans some of my kids cry when they see a pecan in food…
• I like to make 8 – 10 NomNoms at a time and refrigerate the remaining dough. I think the NomNoms are best when served hot & fresh out of the oven. The dough will last about a week in the fridge.
- 1 c whole wheat flour
- 1 c quick cooking oats
- 1 c 6-grain hot cereal mix
- 3 T chia seeds
- 3 T golden flax seeds, ground
- 2 t cinnamon
- 1/2 t salt
- 1 t baking powder
- 1 T coconut oil, melted
- 4 medium carrots, finely grated
- 1 egg
- 1 c applesauce
- 3 T honey
- 2 t vanilla
- 1/3 c white chocolate chips
- 1/3 c cinnamon chips
- 1/3 c raisins (optional)
- 1/3 c chopped pecans, or walnuts (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Combine all wet ingredients in another medium mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stir to combine thoroughly. Add chips. Stir to evenly distribute. Using a 2 T scoop, place NomNoms on a parchment lined baking sheet with approximately 2" spacing.
- Bake for 9 minutes.
- Do not bother peeling carrots before grating them, the peel is packed full of vitamins.
- Use a microplane to get the perfect finely grated carrot texture for the NomNoms.
For my next NomNom. I think I will try German Chocolate Cake!! My mouth just watered thinking about it!
Want to check out my other NomNom recipes? Check out these links Lemonberry, Sumo Dark Chocolate & Brownie NomNoms.