Carrot cake cookies, perfect for baby led weaning (vegan and gluten free)
In the ongoing quest to sneak extra veg into as many meals as possible, I present to you… carrot cake cookies! The oats, carrot and tahini make them a pretty good nutritional mix for a baby led weaning cookie. Nearly a complete balanced meal?! Plus, they are sweetened with fruit rather than sugar.
Quick reference dietary information
Dairy, egg & soy free | gluten free option | nut free | vegan
I made these carrot cake cookies a lot for my kids during baby led weaning. They both loved them; the consistency just seemed to be perfect for them to be able to hold and have a good go at chewing. It’s really handy to have these kinds of recipes to hand when you are doing dairy free weaning for a baby with cow’s milk protein allergy, as the shop bought options can feel so limiting.
Dietary requirements:
The mix of ingredients in these cookies is great for baby led weaning. They include a range of fruit and veg, plus slow release energy from the oats, and a protein and calcium boost from the tahini.
As well as being dairy free these are also free from eggs, soy, nuts and gluten! Ensure that you use oats labelled as gluten free if you or your child can’t eat gluten.
Be aware that tahini is made from sesame, which is one of the top 14 most common allergens. Only serve these cookies once you have successfully introduced sesame into your baby’s diet.
Great for a snack on the go!
These work well as a healthy snack (for all ages!) and are very handy for taking out and about. Perfect for a picnic or school lunchbox. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days and also freeze well, so it’s worth making a big batch. The recipe below makes between 12 and 14 cookies, depending on how large you make them. You can easily double up the ingredients to make a bigger batch.
How to serve carrot cake cookies for baby led weaning
These work really well as finger food. You can cut the cookies into halves or strips to make them easier to pick up. For younger babies, remove the cookies from the oven before they get too hard on the outside. If you make the cookies a bit larger, they will be nice and soft in the middle. Also just check none of the sultanas on top of the cookies have got too crispy.
Carrot cake cookies for baby led weaning (vegan & gluten free)
Ingredients
- 2 bananas
- 1 red apple
- 1 large carrot (around 100g)
- 160 g gluten free rolled oats
- 60 g raisins
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºc / 160ºc fan and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Add the bananas to a large mixing bowl and mash them up using a fork.
- Grate the carrot and apple, then squeeze out any excess moisture before adding to the mixing bowl.
- Add all the other ingredients and mix it up really well – I find squidging this all together with clean hands works best.
- Shape the mixture into small balls (you should end up with between 12 and 14) and place them on the baking tray. Gently press each of the balls down to slightly flatten them into a cookie shape. The texture is meant to be soft and slightly cakey so don’t do them too thin – about 2cm is ideal. Try to avoid too many raisins sitting right on the top, as they can end up a bit charred!
- Cook for about 25 minutes until they turn golden brown. Any raisins on the top which get a bit too crispy can easily be removed after baking.
Notes
If you liked these carrot cake cookies, here are some more baby led weaning recipes to try!
If your little one is not keen on eating their veg, here are a few more recipes to help you sneak some extras in!
- Egg-free sweet potato pancakes
- Sweetcorn and chickpea flour fritters
- Sweet potato bread sticks
- Gluten free carrot cornbread
- Butternut squash mac & cheese
- Vegan courgette muffins
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