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.
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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!
Recipe overview
Cookies
Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
Add egg and vanilla extract.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add oats, carrots, and shredded coconut.
Chill the dough for 60 minutes. Scoop and place dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes.
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.
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.
- Love carrot cake? Try our Carrot Cake Bars, too!
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.
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Recipe
Carrot Cake Cookies
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.
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 ChannelNutrition
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!
Lisa Ross
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
I’m happy to hear that you liked them. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Joanie
These are so delicious! My daughter brought them to a party last weekend and they were loved by everyone!
Celebrating Sweets
Awesome! Thank you!
Nellie Tracy
I CANNOT wait to try these. They look amazing and I LOVE carrot cake!!
Eric
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
Thanks for sharing your experience, Eric.
Bea
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
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Tiffany
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
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
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
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
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
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
Can’t wait to make these’! Can I omit the coconut or sub for something else?
Celebrating Sweets
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!
Paul
I just made these today, and yip they are great! I love Carrot Cake & oatmeal cookies, so to combine the two… AWESOME! Perhaps our version of rolled oats (in NZ) is more like your quick/instant oats which you said not to use, so the texture could be more oaty. Perhaps next time I’ll use wholegrain oats instead. And looking at your mixture pic, that’s exactly what you must’ve used too.
I also agree with the comment about the amount of icing being heaps.. but it meant I got to lick out the bowl haha 😀
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Brianne
Love this recipe! My friend saw it and asked me to make these for him. So good!! Although, my cookies didn’t really spread as much as I thought they would. I used the extra 3 tablespoons of flour and let my dough sit in the fridge for 20 minutes (I just couldn’t wait 10 more minutes ?). I had to press my dough balls down a little for them to have a flatter, sandwich-able shape. They turned out delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
Celebrating Sweets
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂