Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting (Print Version)
Soft, spiced cookies loaded with grated carrots, warm spices, oats, and nuts, finished with tangy cream cheese frosting.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cookie Dry Ingredients
01 - 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon
03 - ½ tsp ground ginger
04 - ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
05 - ½ tsp baking soda
06 - ½ tsp baking powder
07 - ½ tsp salt
→ Cookie Wet Ingredients
08 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
09 - ½ cup brown sugar, packed
10 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
11 - 1 large egg
12 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
→ Cookie Mix-ins
13 - 1 cup finely grated carrots
14 - ½ cup rolled oats
15 - ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
16 - ½ cup raisins
→ Cream Cheese Frosting
17 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
18 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
19 - 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
20 - ½ tsp vanilla extract
21 - Pinch of salt
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
04 - Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated into the mixture.
05 - Stir the finely grated carrots into the wet mixture until evenly distributed.
06 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Avoid overmixing to prevent tough cookies.
07 - Gently fold in rolled oats, chopped nuts, and raisins until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
08 - Drop tablespoon-sized mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
09 - Bake for 11-13 minutes until edges are golden brown and centers are set. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring.
10 - Beat cream cheese and softened butter together until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt; continue beating until light and fluffy.
11 - Once cookies have cooled completely, spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting onto each cookie as desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- These cookies capture everything comforting about carrot cake but take twenty minutes from start to finish
- The cream cheese frosting transforms them from simple cookies into something that feels like a special occasion
02 -
- Grate your carrots by hand instead of buying pre-grated ones because the packaged carrots are too dry and woody
- Room temperature ingredients combine more smoothly so take the butter, egg, and cream cheese out at least thirty minutes before baking
03 -
- Use the finest grating side of your box grater for carrots that practically melt into the cookie
- Chill the frosted cookies for thirty minutes before stacking them to prevent smudging