Carrot Cake Cookies – All the flavors of carrot cake rolled into tasty cookies! Tender oatmeal cookies filled with cinnamon, grated carrots and coconut and filled with cream cheese frosting. VIDEO below!
Who is ready for Spring? Today I’m bringing you a fabulous recipe for Easter, Mother’s Day – any Spring occasion. Everytime I make these Carrot Cake Cookies they are met with rave reviews. I’ve updated the recipe after a few reader comments and I am sure that these will come out great, and you will love them too!
Carrot Cake Cookies
This recipe takes all the flavors of carrot cake (carrots, cinnamon, walnuts and coconut) and loads them into soft and chewy cookies sandwiching a generous filling of cream cheese frosting. These cookies are faster and easier than making a whole carrot cake. They are easily portable and they can be eaten with one hand. No plate or fork needed!
If we’re being honest with each other, the best part of carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting, right? It’s sweet and tangy, rich and creamy and So. Darn. Good. These cookies are the perfect vehicle for getting more cream cheese frosting into your life. And aren’t we all trying to increase our consumption of cream cheese frosting? 😉 This recipe is dangerously delicious. If you like carrot cake and cream cheese frosting you have to try these Carrot Cake Cookies!
Not into cream cheese frosting (gasp)? These cookies are actually great on their own. They are chewy and moist, and lightly spiced. If you have any misshapen cookies, that don’t work well for sandwiching, you go right and ahead and gobble those up. We call this “quality control” around these parts.
Tips for Making Carrot Cake Cookies
- Only soften the butter slightly, or the cookies will spread too much.
- Use a cookie scoop so that all of the cookies are the same size (I use a 2 tsp scoop).
- Bake the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets.
- Pull the cookies from the oven when the center is just slightly underdone – this will ensure a chewy cookie.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW!
If you just can’t get enough carrot cake you will be happy to have stumbled upon this post. Scroll down to see all my favorite carrot cake recipes. There’s sure to be one you will love!
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UPDATE: After several reviews that these cookies spread too much, I have added an additional 3 tablespoons flour to the recipe and added a 30 minute chill time. This makes for a sturdier cookie which will be a tiny bit thicker than the cookies pictured. If you live in a very dry climate (like me!), you could probably get away with 1 cup flour.
Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
Tender oatmeal cookies filled with cinnamon, grated carrots, coconut and walnuts, filled with cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened slightly
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats not quick oats
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened
- 2/3 cup finely grated carrots NOT packed, see note
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts optional
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar plus more, if needed
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F. 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 sugars for 1-2 minutes 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 and mix until just combined.
Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Scoop the dough evenly 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 cookies will be similar in size since the cookies will be sandwiched.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until golden brown and still slightly soft in the center. Rotate your cookie sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets. Once cool, place the cookies in the refrigerator to firm up a little while you prepare the frosting.
For the frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter for several minutes, until combined. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat for a couple more minutes until smooth and creamy. If the frosting appears too thin, add a little more powdered sugar or place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to slightly firm up.
Spread frosting on the underside of half of the cookies and top with another cookie.
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 Video
Recipe Notes
UPDATE: After several reviews that these cookies spread too much, I have added an additional 3 tablespoons flour to the recipe and added a 30 minute chill time. This makes for a sturdier cookie which will be a tiny bit thicker than the cookies pictured. If you live in a very dry climate (like me!), you could probably get away with 1 cup flour.
CARROTS: Use the small holes on a box grater to grate the carrots. Do not use carrots that are packaged in water (like baby carrots), this could add too much moisture to the batter and make the cookies spread too much. When measuring the grated carrots place them loosely in the measuring cup - do NOT pack them in.
Recipe adapted from Cooking Channel
CARROT CAKE RECIPES:
Healthier Carrot Cake (Naturally Sweetened & Whole Grain)
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Also, don’t miss these delicious CARROT RECIPES from my friends!
Homemade Carrot Cake from Bread Booze Bacon
Carrot Cake Pancakes from White Lights on Wednesday
Blue Ribbon Carrot Sheet Cake from I Heart Eating
Paleo Maple Carrot Cupcakes from Cooking with Curls
Carrot Orzo from Home.Made.Interest.
Carrot Orange Punch from Sugar & Soul
Maple Butter Carrots from The Two Bite Club
Mini Carrot Cake Loaves from It Bakes Me Happy
Janis says
These are delicious. I made the frosting thicker. I will try doubling the recipe next time. Thanks.
Lisa Langston says
These look so delicious! They are on my list of goodies to bake!!!! I am wondering if you can tell me which bundt cake pan to buy. I need a new one. One that is guaranteed NOT to stick!!!!! I haven’t had any luck in the past with the ones I have bought!!! Thank you!!
Celebrating Sweets says
Thanks, Lisa! I hope you enjoy the cookies. Ass for bundt pans, I have linked to one very similar to the one I have. To be honest, sometimes my cakes come out of it easily, and sometimes they stick a little bit. The key is to liberally grease the pan right before you add the batter – I use a spray, I think it provides better coverage. Also, even if a pan says “non-stick”, I grease it anyways. Best of luck! Happy baking.
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-Allison
Roseanne says
Made these today on a snow day. So delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Celebrating Sweets says
You’re welcome. I’m so glad that you enjoyed them. Thanks for stopping by. Stay warm!
ameloche says
Thanks For your valuable videos.
Belinda Mallette says
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there is no mention of where to add the carrots, oats and coconut in the written recipe? I figured it out from a picture of the bowl with those ingredients added. I don’t watch the videos necessarily, where I’m sure the steps are well representedI do the old-fashioned hand-written copy, I therefore find it important that everything is included in the recipe.
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Belinda. Those ingredients are listed in step 3 in the written recipe. Copied and pasted from the recipe: 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 and mix until just combined.
Mia says
Can I make these sugar free (also preferably with lower fat) for a diabetic?
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Mia. I would not recommend those change. Swapping out the sugar in the cookies and the frosting would greatly change this recipe. I do have a “healthy” carrot cake recipe that is lower in fat and contains no refined sugar. The link is below. https://celebratingsweets.com/healthier-carrot-cake-naturally-sweetened-whole-grain/
Kendall says
Delicious! I made swaps to make these vegan with GREAT success: vegan butter instead of butter, ground flax seed instead of egg, and maple cashew cream instead of cream cheese frosting.
I refrigerated the dough overnight before baking (just for my own convenience and schedule honestly) and they came out the perfect consistency–chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and just the right thin-ness to make a sandwich cookie without being so thin that they broke. They looked just like your picture–I was so excited–that never happens to me! A little dough went a long way–I don’t have a cookie scoop, but a tiny bit of dough (about 2 tsps as recommended) spread into a good-size cookie. I also experimented with rolling the dough into a ball vs. just plopping dough messily right on the tray and it didn’t seem to matter–they spread into a nice, even circle either way.
Thanks so much for the recipe! My (non-vegan) friends and coworkers ate them right up and are demanding more. Everyone was shocked to hear they were plant-based. My one (non-vegan) friend referred to this as “the perfect cookie.” People also liked them both with and without the filling, but ultimately preferred them with the filling. Will DEFINITELY make again soon! Thanks for keeping my vegan baking popular!
Celebrating Sweets says
Awesome! That is great to hear. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.