Description
Delight in these chewy Carrot Cake Cookies, a perfect blend of classic carrot cake flavors in a portable, easy-to-make cookie form. Made with oats, shredded carrots, nuts, and a luscious cream cheese frosting, these cookies offer the warm spices and sweetness of carrot cake with less fuss and a delightful texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature preferred)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup grated/shredded carrots
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- ½-1 cup raisins (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cup salted butter (softened)
- 12 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the perfect temperature for baking the cookies evenly.
- Mix Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mixture until it becomes creamy, light, and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Crack in the eggs and pour in the vanilla extract. Stir well with the mixer, pausing intermittently to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate all ingredients.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly mixed.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients in batches. Pause periodically to scrape the bowl’s sides with a spatula, ensuring a smooth and well-mixed dough.
- Add Oats, Carrots, and Nuts: Stir in the old-fashioned oats until fully combined, then fold in the grated carrots, chopped walnuts or pecans, and optionally raisins, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Shape Cookies: Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, drop 2-Tablespoon sized portions (about 43g each) of the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each cookie at least 2 inches apart. For neat, uniform shapes, roll each scoop into a smooth ball between your palms, noting the dough will be sticky.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 11-12 minutes. The centers may look slightly underbaked; this is ideal to maintain their chewy texture.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool completely on the baking trays to firm up before frosting.
- Prepare Frosting: In a clean mixing bowl, beat the softened salted butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar while mixing, then blend in the vanilla extract and corn starch to create a stable frosting.
- Frost Cookies: Once the cookies are fully cooled, spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting generously on top of each cookie. Allow the frosting to set before serving.
Notes
- These cookies have a chewy texture with the flavor profile of classic carrot cake, complete with warm spices and cream cheese frosting.
- The addition of corn starch in the frosting helps maintain its shape and prevents messiness when handling.
- Raisins are optional and can be adjusted based on preference or omitted entirely.
- Use room temperature ingredients for best mixing and texture results.
- Cookies may appear slightly underbaked in the center when taken out of the oven, which is intentional to keep them moist and chewy.
- The recipe yields about 32 cookies, perfect for sharing or storing.
- A how-to video is commonly available to guide through the steps visually.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 frosted cookie
- Calories: 317 kcal
- Sugar: 27 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 49 mg
