{"id":11717,"date":"2014-01-05T22:44:35","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T06:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/?p=11717"},"modified":"2018-07-30T10:23:33","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T17:23:33","slug":"carrot-cake-cookies-greek-cream-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/carrot-cake-cookies-greek-cream-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Carrot Cake Cookies for January (and All the Year Through)"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s the first Monday in the new year. Gyms will be packed, kale will be in short supply and you\u2019ll be able to get a drink at your favorite bar as everyone is trading gin for juice (mean green, that is). Look, we all should have eaten fewer M&Ms and had one less hot toddy, but what\u2019s done is done. Just because it\u2019s January doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t eat better and keep dessert in your diet.\u00a0 By February, you\u2019ll have forgotten all about your resolutions, and there\u2019s Super Bowl food to think about, so before then, fine, be totally virtuous.\u00a0 And you can do it with Carrot Cake Cookies with Greek Cream Cheese<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Yes, Greek Cream Cheese. It’s cream cheese meets Greek yogurt, resulting in a cream cheese that’s lower in fat, higher in protein and includes live and active cultures.\u00a0The folks at Franklin Foods were kind enough to send some samples my way. The product is now available in the Pacific Northwest under the Kroger brand at its various stores. I\u2019ve spotted it at both Fred Meyer and QFC alongside the cream cheese and Neufchatel. A full list of retailers, across the US<\/a>, is available on the Greek Cream Cheese site.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"carrot<\/a><\/p>\n

I really didn’t get into holiday cookies this year, despite having a bought a ridiculously large bag of chocolate chips at the start of the holiday season. So, I have less than zero guilt about eating these cookies in the New Year. Sure, it\u2019s a little eye-rolly to start the year touting healthy cookies, but in this case, they really are just that. \u00a0With or without the Greek Cream Cheese, it\u2019s breakfast or dessert-worthy clean eating — just oats, walnuts, raisins, applesauce, banana. Minus the cream cheese frosting, these cookies are vegan, dairy-free, egg-free and for that matter, free of refined sugars. \u00a0If those requirements don’t apply to you, don’t let the labels put you off, these little cookies are straight up good, not just good for a recipe that doesn\u2019t have egg, butter or oil. And with a dollop of frosting…duh.<\/p>\n

A single batch makes ~ 24 cookies, or 12 if you opt to sandwich the Greek Cream Cheese between them. \u00a0I still haven’t bought a set of cake decorating tips or a piping bag, but in this case, a ziptop bag works just fine. My piping skills, honed during a college stint at Mrs. Fields, remain intact (if you ever ordered a cookie cake, and you really liked it, I may have done the decorating). And now, well, I can still make a pinwheel without blobbing frosting over the sides. Just don’t ask me to write “Happy Birthday” on them.<\/p>\n

\"carrot<\/a><\/p>\n

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Ingredients<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t