Description
Deliciously soft and moist Carrot Cake Cookies with a spiced flavor blend, packed with shredded carrots, oats, and pecans, topped with creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting. A perfect twist on classic carrot cake in cookie form, ideal for dessert or snack time.
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 and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat and set it 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 the eggs one at a time, beating just until incorporated, followed by vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and cloves.
- Combine Wet and Dry: With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very thick, so finish mixing the dough by hand.
- Add Carrots, Oats, and Pecans: Stir in shredded carrots, quick oats, and chopped pecans by hand just until incorporated. The dough should remain thick.
- Shape Cookies: Using a 1 1/2 inch or 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, form dough balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the tops slightly to ensure even baking.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Avoid overbaking to keep the cookies soft. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Frosting: In a large bowl, beat together room temperature butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly beat in powdered sugar on low speed until combined, then increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until thick and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add milk one tablespoon at a time to reach the desired frosting consistency.
- Frost Cookies: Once cookies are completely cool, frost them with the cream cheese frosting. Optionally, garnish with additional chopped pecans.
Notes
- Do not microwave butter for the dough; use butter softened at room temperature to prevent overly soft, spreading cookies.
- Use freshly grated carrots with the small holes of a box grater; pre-packaged matchstick carrots are too thick.
- Quick oats work best; if only old-fashioned oats are available, pulse them 4-6 times in a food processor to approximate quick oats.
- For frosting, do not microwave butter or cream cheese. Let them soften at room temperature to avoid runny frosting.
- To freeze cookies, freeze frosted or unfrosted cookies individually on a baking sheet until solid, then wrap each in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.
