Description
Delight in these soft, spiced Carrot Cake Cookies topped with creamy, luscious cream cheese frosting. Bursting with shredded carrots, oats, and chopped pecans, these cookies capture the essence of classic carrot cake in a handheld treat perfect 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 to reach desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat and set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using a stand or handheld mixer, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and creamy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add eggs one at a time and beat just until incorporated. Then add vanilla extract, scraping down the sides as needed to ensure everything is well combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Because the dough will be very thick, finish mixing by hand with a spatula.
- Add Carrots, Oats, and Pecans: Fold in the shredded carrots, quick oats, and chopped pecans gently just until evenly distributed.
- Form Cookies: Scoop the dough using a 1 1/2 inch or 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop and roll into balls. Place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet and flatten the tops slightly with your hand.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Be careful not to overbake to maintain softness.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make Frosting: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually beat in powdered sugar on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high speed and beat until thick and creamy.
- Adjust Frosting Consistency: Add milk one tablespoon at a time to reach your desired frosting consistency.
- Frost Cookies: Once the cookies are completely cool, spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting on top and garnish with additional chopped pecans if desired.
Notes
- Do not microwave butter; allow it to soften naturally at room temperature to avoid overly soft dough that spreads too much.
- Use freshly grated carrots with small holes on a box grater for the best texture; avoid pre-packaged matchstick carrots as they are too thick.
- If only old-fashioned rolled oats are available, pulse them in a food processor 4-6 times to make quick oats for this recipe.
- Do not microwave butter or cream cheese for frosting; softening at room temperature prevents runny frosting.
- To freeze, place frosted or unfrosted cookies on a baking sheet to freeze solid, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag.
- Thaw frozen cookies on the counter for 15-20 minutes before serving.
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
