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Home » Popular Recipes » Carrot Cake Cookies

Carrot Cake Cookies

Published: Mar 14, 2023 by Allison · 150 Comments

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Get a head start on your spring baking with this fun and delicious twist on carrot cake – carrot cake cookies! Soft and chewy cookies filled with grated carrots, oats, and cinnamon sandwiched with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.

This is a fabulous recipe for Easter, Mother’s Day, or any Spring occasion. These carrot cake cookies are always met with rave reviews. Prefer a more traditional carrot cake? We have that, too: Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Frosting.

Stack of carrot cake cookies on a white plate.
Jump to:
  • These cookies are
  • Recipe overview
  • Recipe tips
  • Baking with carrots
  • How to get perfectly round cookies
  • More carrot cake recipes
  • Recipe

These cookies are

  • Soft and chewy: A combination of oats, coconut, and brown sugar help make these cookies soft and chewy.
  • Perfectly sweet: Brown sugar, granulated sugar, sweetened coconut, and powdered sugar make these cookies deliciously sweet.
  • Filled with cream cheese frosting: This delicious treat is two cookies plus a generous portion of sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.
  • Easier than traditional carrot cake: These cookies have a rustic-homemade element that keeps them from being fussy (no fancy layer cake frosting techniques needed). They’re a delicious grab and go treat; no forks or plates needed!
Stack of carrot cake cookies.

Recipe overview

Cookies

Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.

Butter and sugar in a stainless bowl.

Add egg and vanilla extract.

Creamed butter and sugar, egg, and vanilla extract in a stainless bowl.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Cookie dough and flour in a stainless bowl.

Add oats, carrots, and shredded coconut.

Carrot cake cookie dough in a stainless bowl

Chill the dough for 60 minutes. Scoop and place dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Scoops of carrot cake cookie dough on a baking sheet.
Stack of carrot cake cookies.

Frosting

Once the cookies have cooled, proceed with the frosting:

Beat butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and vanilla.

Assembly

Spread frosting on the underside of half of the cookies and top with another cookie.

Stack of carrot cake cookies next to a glass of milk.

Recipe tips

  • Butter should be softened just slightly, but still cool to the touch.
  • Do not use carrots packed in water.
  • Use a cookie scoop so that all of the cookies are the same size (I use a 2 tsp scoop).
  • Make the cookies a little bit on the smaller side (2 tsp works great) since each sandwich includes two cookies and frosting.
  • Bake the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets.
  • Pull the cookies from the oven when the center is still slightly underdone. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet. This will ensure a chewy cookie.
  • Use my tips below for getting perfectly round cookies.

Baking with carrots

Type of carrots: It’s important that you grate full size carrots for this recipe. Do not use baby carrots or carrots that are packed in water. They will add too much moisture to the dough.

Grating carrots: Grate the carrots using the small holes on a box grater. This ensures that the carrot pieces are fine and they will soften during the short bake time.

Remove excess moisture: I recommend briefly squeezing the excess moisture out of the carrots using a clean towel or paper towels.

Measuring: Fluff the shredded and drained carrots with a fork and scoop them into the measuring cup loosely. Do not pack them in.

How to get perfectly round cookies

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.

Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape.

Carrot cake cookie with a blue cookie cutter around it.

More carrot cake recipes

  • Slice of Pineapple Carrot Cake on a white plate with a gold fork
    Pineapple Carrot Cake
  • Carrot muffin in a brown wrapper on a wire rack
    Carrot Muffins
  • Carrot cake cupcake topped with swirled brown sugar frosting on a grey plate.
    Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Close up of three layer carrot cake with white frosting.
    Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Recipe

Stack of carrot cake cookies on a white plate.

Carrot Cake Cookies

Soft and chewy cookies filled with grated carrots, oats, and cinnamon sandwiched with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.
4.78 from 61 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Chill time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 15 sandwiches
Calories: 250kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cookies:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened slightly but still cool
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour*
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats
  • ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • scant ⅔ cup finely grated carrots, not packed, see note
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, optional

Cream cheese frosting:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, plus more, if needed
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Cookies:

  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (do not place the cookies directly on the baking sheets, they will spread too much). 
  • Beat butter and both sugars for one minute until light and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping the bowl if necessary.
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add the oats, coconut, carrots and walnuts (if using) and mix until just combined. 
  • Place the dough in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Scoop the dough into 2-teaspoon sized mounds and place a couple inches apart on the cookie sheets (make sure they are mounded and not flat). Ensure that the cookie dough mounds are similar in size so that cookies will bake up the same size.
  • Bake for 9-11 minutes, until golden brown and still slightly underdone in the center (they will be very delicate). If necessary, rotate your cookie sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Follow notes below for shaping the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven.
  • Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets placed on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough, chilling the dough between batches and allowing the baking sheets to cool completely before adding the next batch of dough.
  • Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, proceed with the frosting.

Frosting:

  • Beat cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. If the frosting appears too thin, add a little more powdered sugar or place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
  • Spread frosting on the underside of half of the cookies and top with another cookie. Transfer to the refrigerator to firm up.

Video

Notes

*Flour:

Fluff the flour with your measuring cup or whisk it to lighten it up. Lightly scoop a heaping portion and level it off with the back of a knife.

Carrots:

Type of carrots: It’s important that you grate full size carrots for this recipe. Do not use baby carrots or carrots that are packed in water. They will add too much moisture to the dough.
Grating carrots: Grate the carrots using the small holes on a box grater. This ensures that the carrot pieces are fine and they will soften during the short bake time.
Remove excess moisture: I recommend briefly squeezing the excess moisture out of the grated carrots using a clean towel or paper towels. Don’t squeeze them completely dry, just a few squeezes to remove the excess liquid.
Measuring: Fluff the shredded and drained carrots with a fork and scoop them into the measuring cup loosely. Do not pack them in.

How to get perfectly round cookies:

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.
Carrot cake cookie with a blue cookie cutter around it.
Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape.

Serving and storage:

These cookies are best within 1-2 days of making them. Store them in the refrigerator and eat them from the fridge or bring to room temp before serving.
Recipe adapted from Cooking Channel

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1470IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.8mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
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Comments

  1. Amanda

    April 06, 2023 at 1:15 pm

    5 stars
    So delicious. I did cut the butter in the frosting in half and it was more creamy and less butter tasting.

    Reply
    • Allison

      April 06, 2023 at 1:53 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Regina

    May 16, 2023 at 9:03 am

    5 stars
    Made these for Mother’s Day. Everyone loved them. Made cookie dough ahead of time and froze the balls. Didn’t spread as much when cooked. Also if you mix the butter and the powdered sugar first and then add the cream cheese the frosting will be stiffer so you won’t have to add more sugar. Love them and will definitely make them again.

    Reply
    • Allison

      May 19, 2023 at 3:48 pm

      Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Joanne

    September 04, 2023 at 4:01 am

    Hi there! This recipe looks very tasty and a great way to use up our leftover carrots from a previous recipe. I was wondering if there would be a way to substitute the coconut with a different ingredient or if possible, eliminate it from the recipe without any major effect on the taste? We have a coconut allergy in my household 🙂

    Reply
    • Allison

      September 06, 2023 at 12:16 pm

      You can just leave it out. Enjoy!

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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