Averie Cooks » No-Bake Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cake Bites

No-Bake Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cake Bites

by Averie Sunshine on February 27, 2011

Growing up, I loved my grandma’s oatmeal raisin cookies and I also love carrot cake. It’s so moist and filled with raisins and carrots. What I really love about carrot cake though is cream cheese frosting. I won’t lie.

Today’s recipe incorporates Oatmeal Raisin Cookies + Carrot Cake, sans frosting. You can always add frosting, but of course.

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No-Bake Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cake Bites

1/ 2 c dry old-fashioned oats + 2 tbsp reserved

1/4 c carrots

1/4 c pitted medjool dates (I used 4 large, moist dates)

1/4 c raisins (I used a raisin medley blend) + 1/4 c reserved

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Blend the oats and carrots in a Vita or food processor for about 10 seconds. Then add everything else (except the reserved ingredients) and blend for another 20 seconds or until incorporated. Don’t overblend.

Remove the dough and by hand, stir in the reserved:

2 Tbsp dry oats

1/4 c raisins

Form into bite-sized balls or cookie shapes. If needed, refrigerate or freeze the dough for 15 minutes to make it less sticky and easier to work with.

Yields: 1 dozen bites the size of a quarter gumball. Store in freezer or refrigerator.

Optional: Pinch Pumpkin Pie Spice, Pinch Ground Ginger, 1/8 c Coconut Flakes, 1/8 c Walnuts/Almonds, 1/8 c chocolate chips. Add frosting drizzle at the end, such as storebought Cream Cheese Frosting. Or, follow my Raw Vegan Cheezecake Filling recipe (and reduce by half) for raw vegan cream cheeze frosting.

Note: For those desiring a more traditional cookie, bake at 350F for 8 to 12 minutes, or to desired level.

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Here’s a Visual Guide

Oats + Carrots. Blend for 10 seconds

Add everything else (except reserved items) and blend for 20 seconds or until incorporated. Don’t overblend and make pulverized mush.

Resulting dough 20 seconds later

By hand, stir in the reserved oats + raisins. I like the added texture these items give to the finished product.

From into bites, balls, bars. Or whatever you call them. I call them easy, fast, and good.

These bites:

Are a “healthy” dessert or snack. We all have different definitions of healthy, but as desserts go, these are pretty healthy in my book.

They ‘re vegan and came together in less than 5 mintues. Gotta love anything no-bake.

They’re Gluten Free (see this post at the bottom for a discussion on oats and gluten)

Seed & Tree Nut Free (I like nuts, but not in carrot cake or in oatmeal raisin cookies so I kept them out of this recipe)

And combine two of my fave dessert flavors, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies + Carrot Cake, all rolled into one bite.

If you like the looks of today’s bites, try my No Bake Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

And don’t forget to check my Dessert Ball Recipes Post for a compilation of everything from….

….Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

…to No-Bake Peanut Butter Vanilla Balls

More Dessert Balls & Bites Recipes

From my last post about Impulse Buys vs. Planned Purchases, lots of you seem to be a mixture of both. Me too.

And lots of you said you actually talk yourself out of many purchases, you get pre-buyer’s remorse, so to speak, and you convince yourself why you don’t need something and talk yourself out of buying it. I do that, too, all the time.

Questions:

1. Do you like oatmeal raisin cookies?

Yes!

2. Do you like carrot cake?

Yes. But part of me loves carrot cake so that I can eat a little cake with my cream cheese frosting. I love frosting, especially traditional cream cheese frosting. Even though I haven’t had it in years, I kinda want it right now.

3. What ingredients would your perfect dessert ball/bite have in it?

Speak now. I am using your comments to get inspired about what recipes to make in the future and what ingredients to use.

P.S. If you’re just catching up on posts from the weekend, here are mine since Friday: