Description
Delight in these soft and flavorful Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting, perfectly spiced and loaded with shredded carrots, oats, and pecans. A twist on classic carrot cake, these cookies offer a moist, tender bite topped with a creamy, luscious frosting, making them an irresistible treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- Milk as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars: Using a stand or handheld mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together at medium speed until light and creamy.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Add eggs one at a time, beating just until incorporated, then add vanilla extract. Scrape down sides as needed.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Combine wet and dry: On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. The dough will become thick, so finish mixing by hand.
- Fold in carrots, oats, and pecans: Stir shredded carrots, quick oats, and chopped pecans by hand just until incorporated. Dough will be very thick.
- Shape cookies: Scoop dough using a 1 1/2 inch (1 1/2 tablespoon) scoop, roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Flatten tops slightly.
- Bake cookies: Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden around edges. Avoid overbaking to keep cookies soft.
- Cool cookies: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare frosting: Beat softened butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy for 2-3 minutes, scraping sides as needed.
- Add powdered sugar: Beat in powdered sugar on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high and beat until thick and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Adjust consistency: Add milk one tablespoon at a time to reach desired frosting consistency.
- Frost cookies: Once cookies are completely cool, spread cream cheese frosting on top. Garnish with chopped pecans if desired.
Notes
- Do not microwave butter for the dough; soften it at room temperature to prevent cookies from spreading too much and becoming too soft.
- Use freshly grated carrots with small holes on a box grater; avoid pre-packaged matchstick carrots as they are too thick for this recipe.
- If you only have old-fashioned rolled oats, pulse them 4-6 times in a food processor to create quick oats, as whole oats don't work well in this recipe.
- Do not microwave butter or cream cheese for the frosting; let them soften naturally at room temperature to avoid runny frosting.
- You can freeze both frosted and unfrosted cookies. Freeze individually on a baking sheet until solid, then wrap and store in a freezer bag.
- When ready to serve frozen cookies, thaw on the counter for 15-20 minutes after removing the plastic wrap to avoid condensation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 130 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
