Description
This Carrot Cake Cookies recipe offers soft and moist cookies packed with warm spices, grated carrots, oats, and optional raisins or nuts, all sandwiched with a luscious browned butter cream cheese filling. These cookies blend the flavors of classic carrot cake into an easy-to-make treat perfect for dessert or snacking.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup finely grated carrots
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup raisins and/or chopped nuts, optional
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
- 8 oz full-fat brick-style cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Prepare Oven and Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves until well combined. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the room temperature unsalted butter with packed light brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add Carrots, Egg, and Vanilla: Mix in the finely grated carrots until evenly incorporated. Then add the large egg and pure vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Stir in Oats and Optional Add-ins: Fold in the old fashioned oats and, if desired, add raisins and/or chopped nuts, mixing gently to distribute evenly.
- Portion Dough: Using a tablespoon measure, scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges but still soft in the center.
- Cool Cookies: Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.
- Make Browned Butter: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the 1/2 cup unsalted butter, stirring frequently until it foams, smells nutty, and turns brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Cool Browned Butter: Scrape the browned butter into a medium bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes until mostly solid but still soft at room temperature for mixing.
- Prepare Filling: In a stand mixer bowl, beat the browned butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and salt, mixing to combine.
- Add Confectioner’s Sugar: Gradually add confectioner’s sugar about 3/4 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition until the filling is smooth and spreadable. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Assemble Cookies: Spread or pipe the filling on the flat side of half of the cooled cookies, then top with the remaining cookies to create sandwich cookies. There might be a little filling leftover.
Notes
- Grating Carrots: Use the small holes on a box grater to finely grate the carrots. Avoid pre-shredded carrots to ensure the cookies stay moist.
- Make the Filling Ahead: The cream cheese filling can be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and stir before using.
- Storage: Store assembled sandwich cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best texture, let them come to room temperature before serving, or enjoy them cold. These cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw before serving.
