Carrot Cake Cookies

5 from 11 votes

Oatmeal cookie meets carrot cake. A big chewy oatmeal cookie loaded with carrots, spices, raisins, and pineapple! Top with cream cheese frosting for the perfect treat!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 354kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Equipment

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. Press down slightly. 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

Storage: Because of the frosting, I recommend storing these cookies in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing: You can freeze cookies baked or unbaked. 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 for up to 3 months.
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.

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