Linda: These aren't what I would call super clean but they are on the healthier side. I made them with Maggie (DD) for my MIL's birthday and everyone loved them and didn't know they had better for you ingredients. Plus, they are cute and if you are doing this with DD, that works too.
ETA: I used the Splenda brown sugar blend stuff too and that worked fine- another way to lower the calories. I also left some plain and they were good without the "icing" too.
Inside out carrot cake
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (3.5 oz) container of Gerber baby food, pureed carrots
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbs splenda baking blend plus 2 Tbs splenda granulated (or you can use 1/3cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1/2 cup raisins (2 1/2 ounces)
8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/4 cup honey
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 2 baking sheets or use silicon baking mats.
Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat together carrot puree, apple sauce, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl until combined. Mix in carrots, and raisins, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. (I did not do the rotation thing.)
Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth. Sandwich flat sides of cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling in between.
