Carrot Cake Cookies
Soft, chewy cookies loaded with grated carrots, oats, and a touch of cinnamon, all sandwiched together with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 15 sandwiches
Ingredients
Cookies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened slightly
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ⅔ cup finely grated carrots, not packed
- 3 tbsp finely chopped walnuts, optional
Cream cheese frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, and more, if needed
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies:
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent cookies from spreading too much.
- Cream the butter and both sugars for one minute until it’s light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla, making sure to scrape the bowl if needed.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add this mixture to the butter mixture, beating on low until just combined. Finally, stir in the oats, coconut, carrots, and walnuts (if using) until everything is mixed together.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 50-60 minutes. While it chills, preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Scoop the dough into 2 teaspoon mounds and place them a couple of inches apart on the cookie sheets. Make sure the mounds are rounded, not flattened, and try to keep them uniform in size so the cookies bake evenly.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they are golden brown but still a bit soft in the center. They will be delicate, so handle them carefully. If needed, rotate the cookie sheets halfway through baking to ensure they cook evenly. Follow the notes below for shaping the cookies right after they come out of the oven.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets set on wire racks. For each new batch, chill the dough between baking and let the baking sheets cool down before adding more dough. Once the cookies are at room temperature, you can start frosting them.
Frosting:
- Mix the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, then beat until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. If the frosting seems too thin, you can either add more powdered sugar or chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Spread the frosting on the bottom of half the cookies, then top each with another cookie. Place the sandwiches in the refrigerator to set.
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