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
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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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
Lisa Ross says
Great recipe! I used pecans because that is what I had and it was delicious! And the icing is my favorite! Thank you!
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m happy to hear that you liked them. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Joanie says
These are so delicious! My daughter brought them to a party last weekend and they were loved by everyone!
Celebrating Sweets says
Awesome! Thank you!
Nellie Tracy says
I CANNOT wait to try these. They look amazing and I LOVE carrot cake!!
Eric says
So a couple of thoughts on my experience with this recipe.
First, the frosting made way too much, I have ton left over. I also didn’t know how thick to make it and even after adding a lot more powdered suger, feel it was still a little too thin for a sandwich cookie. Adding more powdered sugar weakened the vanilla flavor as well so I added more vanilla and a little lemon extract.
Second, these don’t really taste like carrot cake to me, they taste more like an oatmeal cookie, with cream cheese frosting.
Right after baking and frosting, these didn’t taste all that good to me, but the next morning they tasted a lot better…I guess the flavors ripened a bit overnight. I wonder, too, if some of the moisture from the frosting wicked into the cookie moistening them up a bit.
Probably wouldn’t make these again. I’d like to find a recipe without the oatmeal that closer resembles carrot cake.
Celebrating Sweets says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Eric.
Bea says
I love the recipe, I didn’t add the 3 T extra flour but I did chill them so they wouldn’t spread. They turned out perfect! Thanks so much, I love anything carrot or oat but no chocolate. I don’t like chocolate in my cookies unless they’re chocolate chip .
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Tiffany says
I’ve made these twice and everyone loves them. There are never leftovers!
I didn’t change anything in the recipe and they came out perfect both times.
Wondering if these can be frozen so I can make a couple batches and save them.
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Tiffany. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these. I have frozen the cookies (unfrosted) and then frosted them the day I needed them, and that worked just fine. I have never frozen the assembled cookies, so I can’t say for sure. I would guess that it should be ok. If you give it a try let me know how it goes. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy baking! 🙂 -Allison
merrie l pina says
I went and purchased the ingredients before I read the entire recipe. I purchased baby carrots instead of whole carrots. Any idea if I should make the trip to the store to get the carrots or could I maybe leave the baby carrots sit out to dry out alil?
Celebrating Sweets says
It should be ok. Just pat the carrots dry before and after grating them. Also, maybe use a tad less than the recipe calls for just in case they’re holding onto some extra moisture. Enjoy!
Kyle says
Taste was amazing, and I’m not really even a huge carrot cake fan. I added the extra flour and they still spread out to four inches! I used a cookie cutter to trim them to three inches and they look great. Maybe because I’m way down south, it’s hot as beJesus here and humid as he#*? Will def make again.
Celebrating Sweets says
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad you enjoyed them! Yes, I bet the humidity is to blame. I’m in Arizona (super dry), so your ingredients likely held more moisture than mine. Next time you can try adding a couple more tablespoons of flour. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Samantha says
Can’t wait to make these’! Can I omit the coconut or sub for something else?
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Samantha. You should be able to leave it out. Or sub for another dry “mix-in”, maybe 1/4 cup oats, chopped nuts, or raisins? Enjoy!