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Carrot Cake Cookies are the perfect Easter dessert. These soft, chewy and moist cookies have a cake-like texture with all of the delicious flavors that you love in a classic carrot cake, but in cookie form!
Topped off with an easy, homemade cream cheese frosting, these cookies are sure to be a hit.
Carrot Cake Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting
These easy carrot cake cookies are soft and chewy and full of warm spices. Perfect for a Spring or Easter treat, the pecans add the perfect crunch and the cream cheese frosting balance out the flavor with a touch of sweet and silky frosting.
It only takes 20 minutes to prepare these Easter-friendly treats and top them off with a rich, homemade cream cheese frosting. These will be a favorite from baking, to eating them!
Why We Love Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe
- Quick and easy to make
- Much easier than a traditional carrot cake but with the same traditional flavor
- Delicious, spiced flavor
- Moist and crumbly cookie recipe
- Easy homemade cream cheese frosting
- Great Easter dessert
- The batter can be stored in the freezer for a later date
- Baked cookies can be stored in the freezer and frosted later
Carrot Cake Cookies Ingredients
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Spices
- Butter
- White & brown sugars
- Eggs
- Vanilla or vanilla extract
- Pecans
- Carrots
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered sugar
Variations
- BUTTER: I recommend using salted sweet cream butter for this recipe, as listed in the instructions. It makes the creamiest and delicious cookies. However, if you prefer to use regular or unsalted butter that will work too. If it’s unsalted you may want to add a pinch of salt to the batter.
- NUTS: You can leave the pecans out of this recipe to make it nut-free. You can also add a different type of nut like walnuts, cashews, or almonds if you prefer!
- FOOD COLORING: You can add green and orange food coloring to make an optional carrot decoration with the frosting! See easy instructions for decorating below.
- COOKIE SANDWICH: Make them into a carrot cake sandwich cookie. Spread the frosting between two cookies!
How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies
We’ve broken the instructions down into two easy sections. First, making the cookies themselves, and second the frosting. To save on prep time, you can begin making the frosting while the cookies are in the oven!
How to Make the Cookies:
- Beat the butter. Then, add in the sugars and mix. Add in the vanilla and 1 egg at a time.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and spices. Slowly add in the flour mixture, followed by the shredded carrots and pecans.
- Scoop batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Mix together cream cheese and butter. Add in vanilla and powdered sugar.
- Spread the frosting over the top of each cookie.
- Sprinkle with pecans.
How to Decorate Carrot Cake Cookies
If you would like to decorate your cookies with piped carrot decorations, reserve 2 – ½ cups frosting in 2 separate small mixing bowls.
In the 1st bowl add green food coloring adjusted to however light or dark green you wish for the carrot tops. In the 2nd bowl, add orange food coloring to however light or dark orange you wish for the carrot body.
- Spoon each color into 2 separate quart size Ziploc bags with a small snip in one corner, or in 2 decorator bags with a small decorator tip.
- Using even light pressure, and a zig-zag pattern to form the body of the carrot. Using even light pressure, form the top of the carrot.
- Repeat for each cookie.
Can I Make Carrot Cake Cookies Ahead Of Time?
The baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 1 month before they are decorated. Allow the cookies to thaw completely before decorating.
How to Store Carrot Cake Cookies
Let the cookies completely cool to room temperature. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container. Since the frosting is dairy-based, store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Tips for the Best Carrot Cake Cookies
- Let your butter soften to room temperature. It is always best to let it soften on the counter as opposed to softening in the microwave.
- To get perfect grated carrots use the small holes on the box grater. (Grate your own carrots, do not buy them grated from the grocery store. These shredded carrots will be too thick.
- Bake until just golden brown on the edges. Do not overbake them.
More Easy Easter Recipes
Homemade Reese’s Eggs
Bunny Bait
Bunny Butt Cookie Dip
Easter Jell-O Pie
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
Banana Bread Cookies | Lemon Meltaway Cookies | Brookies (Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars) | S’mores Cookies | Lofthouse Cookies (Copycat Recipe) | DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies | Blueberry Breakfast Cake | Pop Tart Cookies | Carrot Cake Stuffed Cookies
5 from 15 votes
Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Author — Jennifer Fishkind
Serves — 36
Carrot Cake Cookies have the same delicious flavors you love in a classic carrot cake, in cookie form. Topped it off with an easy, homemade cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time 33 minutes mins
Cook Time 13 minutes mins
Total Time 46 minutes mins
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup salted sweet cream butter softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar tightly packed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cups whole carrots finely shredded (4 medium-large)
- 1 cup chopped pecans chopped
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup salted sweet cream butter softened
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
- green and orange food coloring – optional carrot decoration
Instructions
Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Using a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter for 1 to 1½ minutes.
Add the granulated and brown sugars to the butter and continue to mix on medium-high for 1 more minute.
Lower the mixer speed to low, add the vanilla and 1 egg at a time, mixing well after each egg.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, spices, and baking soda.
Keeping the mixer speed on low, slowly add the flour mixture. Mix just until the ingredients are incorporated.
Keeping the mixer speed on low, add the finely shredded carrots and chopped pecans to the batter. Only mix until the carrots and pecans are well incorporated.
Using a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Allow the cookies to completely cool.
Frosting
Using either a stand mixer, or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the cream cheese and butter for 1 to 1½ minutes.
Lower the mixer speed to low. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Keep the mixer speed on low, until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue mixing for another 1 to 1½ minutes, until the cream cheese frosting is smooth.
Using a small offset spatula or a silicone spatula, frost the tops of the cookies, smoothing as you go. Be sure to frost to the edges of the cookies.
Sprinkle the finely chopped pecans onto a plate. Gently roll the edges of the cookies in the chopped pecans.
If you would like to decorate your cookies with piped carrot decorations, reserve two ½-cup portions of frosting in 2 separate small mixing bowls. In the first bowl, add green food coloring adjusted to however light or dark green you wish for the carrot tops. In the second bowl, add orange food coloring to however light or dark orange you wish for the carrot body.
Spoon each color into 2 separate quart-size Ziploc bags with a small snip in one corner, or in 2 decorator bags with a small decorator’s tip. Use even light pressure, and a zig-zag pattern to form the body of the carrot using the orange icing. Use even light pressure, form the top of the carrot using the green icing. Repeat for each cookie.
Jenn’s Notes
- When softening the butter, only soften slightly or the cookies will spread out too much.
- To grate the carrots quickly, use your food processor with the shredding blade attachment. You can also shred them with a box grater.
- If you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can use either a measuring spoon or an ice cream scoop, keeping in mind that standard ice cream scoops tend to be about 3 tablespoons per scoop.
- Pull the cookies out of the oven when the centers are slightly underdone. This will give you a chewier cookie.
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so that you don’t have any lumps in your frosting.
- To easily chop the pecans, place them in a bowl and using a handheld pastry cutter, gently press down on the nuts to break them into smaller pieces.
- If you want, you could sandwich the cookies with the icing in the middle like carrot cake sandwich cookies. Frost the outer edges as well and then roll in the pecans.
Video
Nutrition Info
Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1444IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
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