Today I was on a mission: Bake Healthy Cookies.

There’s a fundraiser going on this weekend for one of the homeschooling organizations we’re a part of – and there’s going to be a bake sale. The group requested the donation of healthy, homemade treats to sell. Given the population of attendees; organic, gluten free or vegan treats are big sellers.

Just one thing: absolutely no nuts due to allergy concerns.

OK, no problem. Except there goes any gluten free baking plans for me. I have absolutely no experience baking with rice flour, tapioca flour or whatever other gluten free flours there are out there. I would typically use nuts to make something gluten free, so if we’re leaving nuts out then I’m going to aim to please the vegan crowd.

For the sake of healthy baking, I had the bright idea to make carrot pulp with the pulper. The pulper might otherwise be know as the juicer but today I was after the pulp, not the juice – so I’m calling it the pulper.

This is my original recipe! Be impressed! I am not a recipe creator, people.

Organic Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies

1 1/2 c of carrot pulp (I juiced about 10 carrots and it made more than enough pulp)
12 medjool dates
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c white flour
3/4 rolled oats
1/2 c raisins
1/4 c agave nectar
1/4 canola oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and salt

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Puree dates, carrot pulp, agave in the food processor until smooth. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Fold in raisins.

Oh great. Look at all this leftover carrot juice! What on earth am I supposed to do with this?

Dramatic sigh. OK I guess I’ll throw an apple and some ginger into the juicer and make one of my most favorite juice concoctions of all time. The sacrifices I make in the name of charity I tell ya!

Scoop tablespoons of dough onto lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 9 – 11 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

This made 2 dozen cookies. Well, two dozen + 2 that are still unaccounted for – but rumor has it were quite tasty. Not that I would know of course, this is pure speculation.

While cookies are baking, be over ambitious and slave over labels with Microsoft Word, lining up text and clip art carrot graphics to match up with the ingredient list to be printed on the reverse side.

(I realized as I was writing this post that I left baking powder out of the ingredient list. Can people be allergic to baking powder? Good god I hope not. Don’t make me do those labels all over again – I just might have to drive my car off an organic cliff.)

2 dozen cookies, packaged into 12 little bags of 2 cookies. Each packaged tied sweetly with a ribbon and inaccurate labels attached.

Just call me organic red riding hood!

Look at me! It’s like I’m a real mom with real kids on the PTA or something. I need a cardigan sweater and penny loafers to wear tomorrow! All I have left to do is take my nose ring out and shave my pits.

Oh wait, I just remembered. This is a crunchy granola homeschooling event. Never mind. Get out the patchouli and hemp shoes! I’m off to the fair with my wicker basket of carrot juice pulp cookies with labels printed on resume paper bought for my last job that I quit to stay home with my children and lead a breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering support group.

I’m still going to shave my pits though, don’t worry.