Shredded coconut, oats, chocolate chips, pecans and grated carrots are the base of these deliciously moist cookies. They also happen to be refined sugar-, egg- and dairy-free.
*Note: We used cane sugar for this recipe, but feel free to try using other sugars. We have made this recipe using only 1 cup of sugar and it produced really good results. Based on how sweet you like your cookies, you might want to play around with the amount of sugar to see if you like them more or less sweet. The majority of taste-testers preferred the recipe that used the full 1 1/4 cup of sugar as called for in the recipe.
Combine the sugar, coconut and oats in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt and stir to blend completely.
The amount of chocolate and pecans used is ultimately up to you, so feel free to add more or less, depending on how sweet and crunchy you like your cookies.
Add the carrots to the dry ingredients followed by the chocolate chips and pecan pieces, stirring to blend..
Add the melted coconut oil followed by the water and vanilla. At this point, you may find it easier to mix the dough using your hands.
Mix the dough just until it comes together and all of the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
Optional, but recommended — place the cookie dough into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to an hour before baking. This will harden the dough up a bit, making the cookies easier to form.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). If you have a convection oven, turn the fan on. If not, just preheat a conventional oven.
Form the dough into into balls, about 1-inch around. Then, flatten them slightly. Place the dough rounds on a baking tray, leaving about 1 1/2-inches between each one.
Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cookies are very lightly colored, but still chewy. The cookies will not become dark and golden. That being said, feel free to experiment by baking them a bit longer and/or baking them at 350°F — compare the results to see what you prefer.
When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking tray for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
These cookies can also be formed and frozen for later baking.
This recipe was inspired by Food and Thought General Store in Naples Florida, who were kind enough to share their recipe with me.