Description
Delicious Carrot Cake Cookies with a moist, spiced cookie base loaded with shredded carrots, oats, and pecans, finished with a luscious cream cheese frosting. These cookies combine the classic flavors of carrot cake in a convenient, handheld treat perfect for sharing or enjoying as a sweet snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups quick oats (not old-fashioned whole oats)
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- Milk as needed
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat and set it aside for baking.
- Cream butter and sugars: Using a stand or handheld mixer, cream the softened butter with the brown and granulated sugars on medium speed until the mixture is light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until incorporated, then add vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to evenly distribute the spices and leavening.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet: With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. The dough will become very thick, so finish mixing by hand if needed.
- Add carrots, oats, and pecans: Fold in the shredded carrots, quick oats, and chopped pecans by hand gently just until evenly incorporated into the dough.
- Form and bake cookies: Scoop the dough using a 1 1/2 inch or 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop and roll into balls. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet and slightly flatten the tops. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are lightly golden but the cookies remain soft. Let cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare cream cheese frosting: In a large bowl, beat the room temperature butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar on low speed until combined, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until thick and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add milk one tablespoon at a time to reach desired frosting consistency.
- Frost cookies and garnish: Once cookies are completely cool, frost each cookie with the cream cheese frosting. Optionally, garnish with additional chopped pecans for extra texture and flavor.
Notes
- Do NOT microwave butter for the cookie dough; let it soften naturally at room temperature to avoid overly soft dough that spreads too much when baking.
- Use freshly grated carrots using the small holes of a box grater for the best texture. Avoid pre-packaged matchstick carrots as they're too thick.
- If only old-fashioned oats are available, pulse them 4-6 times in a food processor to make quick oats suitable for this recipe.
- Do NOT microwave butter or cream cheese for the frosting; let them soften at room temperature to maintain frosting consistency and avoid runniness.
- You can freeze both frosted and unfrosted cookies. Freeze them solid on a baking sheet first, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
