Each bite of this Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe taste moist and delicious. From the soft and chewy cookie to the rich cream cheese frosting, they are a must try.
We love the delicious flavor of Carrot Cake. There is something about the perfect blend of spices and the sweetness from the carrots. It all turns into something fabulous.
You can enjoy all the wonderful flavor of carrot cake in these easy to make cookies. From the soft and tasty cookies to the luscious topping, they are heavenly.
If you enjoy all things carrot cake, try our easy Carrot cake mix cookies and Carrot cake cupcakes. These are also really easy and delicious.
Table of contents
Why We Love This
The cookies have all the flavor of carrot cake in cookie form. You will love these cookies with lots of warm spices and decadent icing. They are perfect for Easter or any time of year.
Each bite is so tasty and a real treat. Everyone will love this easy to make cookie recipe.
Ingredients
- Salted Butter. Softened at room temperature. Make sure to use real butter.
- Brown Sugar. You can use Homemade Brown Sugar Recipe if you run out of store bought.
- Granulated Sugar. Blends perfectly with the brown sugar.
- Large Eggs. The eggs should be room temperature before blending into the batter.
- Vanilla Extract. Don’t use imitation. Pure vanilla extract is best.
- All Purpose Flour. Make sure to use all-purpose flour and not self rising.
- Ground Cinnamon. Enhances the flavor of the carrots.
- Baking Soda. You can use one of the Best Baking Soda Substitutes.
- Finely Grated Carrots. Grate your own carrots and don’t use the ready-made at the grocery store. They don’t have the same texture.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese. Use full fat cream cheese in a block.
- Confectioners Sugar. Sift the powdered sugar so that it is smooth.
- Chopped Walnuts. This is optional but we love chopped walnuts on top of the cookies. You can also use pecans.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the complete list of ingredients.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Then set aside.
Step 3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar. You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer until light and fluffy.
Step 4. Then add in the eggs, vanilla and grated carrots. Mix until combined.
Step 5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Be careful not to over mix.
Step 6. Form the cookies with a large cookie scoop. Place on the baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Step 7. Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet a few minutes.
Step 8. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 9. While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix in between each cup until the frosting is the thickness that you desire. Stir in the vanilla extract and combine.
Step 10. Frost the cookies with the cream cheese frosting.
Step 11. Top with chopped walnuts and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Room Temperature Ingredients. Make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature before making this recipe to make sure that they combine well. The butter mixture should be smooth and creamy.
- Shred the carrots. Use a box grater with small holes to shred the carrots.
- Prepare the pan. Line baking sheets with parchment paper to make clean up easier.
- Soften the butter. Do not melt or soften butter in the microwave. This will result in cookies that spread too much when baked. The butter needs to be softened at room temperature for best results.
- Use a cookie scoop to form the cookies. This will ensure they are all uniform and make the process very fast.
- Oven times may vary. Bake the cookies until the edges are slightly brown and the middle is slightly underdone. They will continue to cook on the baking sheet, so you do not want to overcook them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, these cookies can be frozen. We suggest placing them on a baking sheet and flash freezing for 1 to 2 hours.
Then place the cookies inside an airtight freezer container. This will prevent them from sticking to each other and messing up the icing.
Freeze up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, allow to thaw on the counter for about 20 minutes.
Refrigerate the leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
The cookies can be made up to 1 day in advance. Place them inside an airtight container.
We suggest frosting them when ready to enjoy. They will still look great and taste amazing.
Pre-shredded carrots are not recommended in this recipe. Fresh carrots are best as the pre-shredded carrots are dried out and will not add enough moisture to your cookies.
The texture will not result in the desired outcome if pre-shredded is used. We do not suggest these at all.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe
- Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
Make these cookies and go ahead and make extra to have some for the freezer. They are that amazing. Then please leave a comment!
Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup Salted Butter softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1.5 cups Finely Grated Carrots approximately 4 carrots
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 pkg Cream Cheese 8 oz
- 1/4 cup Butter softened at room temperature
- 4 cups Confectioners Sugar shifted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Chopped Walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium size bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar with a stand up mixer or hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs, vanilla and grated carrots. Mix until combined.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Gently mix them in by hand and stir until combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Use a large cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough onto baking sheets 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges begin to brown.
- Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time and mix in between each cup until the frosting is the thickness that you desire. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Once the cookies are cooled, frosting the cookies with the cream cheese frosting.
- Top with the chopped walnuts (optional) and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Refrigerate the leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
