Carrot Cake cookies with cream cheese frosting is just what your Easter called for! Classic oatmeal cookie loaded with carrots, spices, golden raisins, coconut, and walnuts!
I don’t know about you but when it comes to Easter desserts, I head straight for a slice of carrot cake slathered in cream cheese frosting.
Ok truth be told, I’m usually the person who brought the cake. Being the first one to cut the cake you brought is ok right?
Oh well whatever. I love carrot cake. In all its forms. Yes even when it comes in a cookie.
So does my dad. I blame genetics.
How To Make These Carrot Cake Cookies
But we’re not talking cake today people. We are talking cookies. Carrot Cake meets Oatmeal cookies. Match made. Heaven. Everything you love about a carrot cake combined into a big chewy oatmeal cookie. I adapted this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated chewy oatmeal cookies by adding in some carrots, coconut, walnuts and golden raisins. And topping in a cream cheese frosting of course.
It’s got carrots, spices, golden raisins, coconut and toasted walnuts. You can also use dried pineapple if you’d like which gives it some great texture!
Start by whisking together the flour, salt, baking powder, and spices together.
Using a box grater, grate about 5-6 medium carrots (needs to equal about one cup). Place the shredded carrots over a colander that has been set over another bowl. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of brown sugar. Let drain while you prepare the rest of the cookie dough.
This extra step will help remove some of the extra moisture in the carrots to help make for a chewy cookie instead of a cakey one.
In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is incorporated completely before adding the next.
Stir in the shredded carrots that have been combined with the brown sugar. Leave any liquid behind that drained out of the carrots.
Then stir in your carrot cake cookie mix-ins. I used toasted walnuts, coconut, and golden raisins. I also love using dried pineapple. You can use whatever combination you want. Swap out the walnuts for pecans. Golden raisins for regular!
Form dough into about 24 2-inch balls, placing each dough round onto one of two parchment paper–covered, large cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Press them down lightly. These cookies won’t spread much so this helps them out a bit.
Pro Tip: Halfway during baking, turn cookie sheets from front to back and also switch them from top to bottom.
Slide cookies on parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
Tips For Making These Carrot Cake Cookies
- Be sure to measure your flour correctly. If your flour isn’t measured correctly it can result in a cakey cookie instead of a perfectly chewy cookie. I recommend using a kitchen scale. But if you do use dry measuring cups, then be sure to fluff up the flour first, then spoon into your cup and level it off. Click here –> for more on how to measure your flour correctly.
- Room temperature eggs – You want those eggs to be room temperature so everything gets incorporated evenly. I always put mine in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before I start.
- Soften Your Butter – You want softened butter so that you can properly cream your butter and sugar together. If the butter is too cold, the sugar won’t be able to “punch holes” into the butter and create air pockets which help with leavening. If the butter is too warm, it can cause the butter cookies to spread too much. Here are 3 fast ways to soften your butter.
- Shred your carrots by hand. Yup I said by hand. I know…wouldn’t a food processor be easier? Yes it would be, but I don’t like the texture the food processor gives the carrots. And it’s like 5-6 carrots tops. Totally worth the time and arm workout.
- Put your shredded carrots in a colander over a bowl. You want to sprinkle the carrots with a tablespoon of brown sugar. This helps removes the excess moisture from the carrots. I picked this little handy trick up from when I worked in a bakery a couple years ago. You will be surprised how much water comes out of them!
- Don’t over mix the batter. Leave a few streaks of flour still remaining and then add in your oats and dried fruit. This will ensure your cookies stay soft and don’t get too tough on you.
Can I Freeze These Cookies?
Yes you can. Game changer right? You can freeze cookies baked or unbaked.
There is lots of reason to freeze your cookie dough – from having a fresh hot cookie whenever you want it to getting ahead of a bake sale. To freeze you want to portion out your cookie dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. For freezing cookies I prefer these small cookie sheets so they fit in my freezer. Then freeze solid and pop into a ziploc bag.
When ready to bake, just add a few additional minutes of bake time. That’s it!
If freezing baked cookies, let them cool completely. Freeze solid then place in a ziploc bag or airtight container.
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Carrot Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour *spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or a pinch of dried
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup (100 g) shredded carrots *about 5-6 medium
- 1 cup (213 g) packed light brown sugar *divided
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter softened but still firm
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups (300 g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup (149 g) golden raisins (or regular)
- 1 cup (128 g) toasted walnuts chopped
- 1 cup (85 g) shredded sweetened coconut
Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)
- 8 ounces (227 g) cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (284 g) confectioners sugar *powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prep oven and pans. Adjust oven racks to middle positions; heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and spices together. Set aside.
- Prep carrots. Using a box grater, grate about 5-6 medium carrots (needs to equal about one cup). Place the shredded carrots over a colander that has been set over another bowl. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of brown sugar. Let drain while you prepare the rest of the cookie dough.
- Cream butter and sugar. In bowl of electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy, about 1-2 minutes Add remaining brown sugar and granulated sugar; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs and carrots. Beat in eggs one at a time until completely incorporated. Stir in carrots.
- Add dry ingredients. Stir in flour mixture on low speed, into the creamed butter-sugar-egg mixture with wooden spoon or large rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in oats and optional mix-ins (coconut, walnuts, raisins or dried pineapple).
- Add mix-ins. On low speed, or with a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in oats coconut, walnuts, and raisins.
- Scoop and bake. Using a small cookie scoop, or two spoons scoop dough into about 24 2-inch balls, placing each dough round onto one of two parchment paper–covered, spaced about 2 inches apart, large cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 18-20 minutes. (Halfway during baking, turn cookie sheets from front to back and also switch them from top to bottom.) Slide cookies on parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Make frosting. If you decide to make the frosting for the cookies, with an electric mixer beat together on medium speed the cream cheese and butter until well combined (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the confectioner sugar 1/2 cup at a time until incorporated. Beat until smooth and combined. Stir in vanilla extract. Frost the cookies once they are completely chilled. This frosting makes quite a a bit, so you can either make a half batch or just save some for some other tasty recipe. The frosting freezes well.
Notes
- Be sure to measure your flour correctly. If your flour isn’t measured correctly it can result in a cakey cookie instead of a perfectly chewy cookie. I recommend using a kitchen scale. But if you do use dry measuring cups, then be sure to fluff up the flour first, then spoon into your cup and level it off. Click here –> for more on how to measure your flour correctly.Â
- Room temperature eggs – You want those eggs to be room temperature so everything gets incorporated evenly. I always put mine in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before I start.Â
- Soften Your Butter – You want softened butter so that you can properly cream your butter and sugar together. If the butter is too cold, the sugar won’t be able to “punch holes” into the butter and create air pockets which help with leavening. If the butter is too warm, it can cause the butter cookies to spread too much. Here are 3 fast ways to soften your butter.
- Shred your carrots by hand. Yup I said by hand. I know…wouldn’t a food processor be easier? Yes it would be, but I don’t like the texture the food processor gives the carrots. And it’s like 5-6 carrots tops. Totally worth the time and arm workout.
- Put your shredded carrots in a colander over a bowl. You want to sprinkle the carrots with a tablespoon of brown sugar. This helps removes the excess moisture from the carrots. I picked this little handy trick up from when I worked in a bakery a couple years ago. You will be surprised how much water comes out of them!
- Don’t over mix the batter. Leave a few streaks of flour still remaining and then add in your oats and dried fruit. This will ensure your cookies stay soft and don’t get too tough on you.
Stacey says
I had a bunch of carrots and decided to try something new with them: a cookie! I’m glad I did. This is a great way to have that delicious carrot cake flavor. The only downside is that, as a cookie, it’s super easy to just grab several! I’m not sure how long they will last in my house.
I did a couple of subs, but still, delicious.
1. Coconut oil for butter in a 1:1 to make it dairy free. They don’t have the airiness that butter would give, but I’ve gotten used to that with my dairy-free baking.
2. Cut out a cup of sugar using 1/2 brown and 1/2 white instead. Perfectly sweet!
3. Added an extra cups of carrots (2 total) instead of the other mix-ins (raisins, shredded coconut). More veggies! I also used tricolored carrots, which didn’t change the taste.
Oh, and I didn’t add frosting because I don’t like frosting.
I’ll be adding this recipe to my baking list.
Ashley says
I made these on Saturday for Easter and they were some of the best cookies I’ve ever had! Thank you!
Heather says
I adore comments like this Ashley! It makes my day truly it does. And I’m so happy to hear that you made them and loved them!!
Kathy says
I made these Saturday and they are FANTASTIC! My husband says that they are so much better than carrot cake. I found a minor typo in the instructions for the recipe – in Step 4 when it says to stir in oats, etc, there was no actual mention of coconut and walnuts. I double checked the recipe several times to make sure I hadn’t missed something and then proceeded to stir in then. Secondly, I had to use an additional cup of powdered sugar and the frosting was still a bit too soft. I’m assuming this may have been because I used oleo instead of butter, fat free cream cheese, and skim rather than whole milk (needed to make these a bit more heart healthy!). Regardless, this recipe is a keeper! My best friend and I have been passing a Christmas tin of goodies back and forth for over 30 years. On my next turn in 2020, I know what I will be baking for the tin – carrot cake cookies!
Heather says
Oh my gosh you just made my day! And thank you for catching the typo. All fixed 🙂 My original recipe I didn’t use the coconut and walnuts hence it missing from the recipe..but all set now! And yes probably the frosting was too thin because of the variations but glad you got it to thicken up! Nothing wrong with making it a bit healthier. That’s so sweet to know that I will become a part of your friend’s tradition..that just makes me so happy to hear!!
Jill says
I want to freeze these cookies. Should I wait to ice them when they come out of freezer or before they go in?
Heather says
Hi Jill, I would recommend icing after you take them out the freezer and they have thawed.
Vegan says
Nothing beats a classic carrot cake cookies – the one that has a touch of cinnamon and walnuts. Thanks for the recipe.