These tender and flavorful carrot cake cookies are just like the traditional carrot cake but in cookie form. Frosting these delicious cookies is a creamy cream cheese icing.
If you love carrot cake and enjoy a cookie you can sink your teeth into - you'll love these!
The flavors in carrot cake are warm, flavorful, and perfect for warm weather celebrations. This Carrot Cake Macaron recipe is a great addition to the Easter holiday and Mother's Day!
Or, try this classic carrot cake recipe, it's a family favorite recipe that has been handed down generations.
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Ingredients in Carrot Cake Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground nutmeg
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Finely grated carrots - use fresh carrots for a chewier cookie
Ingredients in Cream Cheese Frosting
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
- Confectioners sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
RELATED: Old Fashioned Cracker Jack Cookies
How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies
Preheat the oven - Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Make the wet mixture - In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add in the granulated and brown sugar and beat until combined. Add the vanilla extract and the eggs and mix until incorporated.
Combine the dry ingredients - In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
Combine the butter mixture with the dry ingredients - Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until all ingredients are moistened.
Using a spoon, stir the grated carrots into the cookie dough.
TIP
A box grater is a quick and easy way to finely grate and measure your carrots.
Scoop the cookies - Drop by 2 tablespoons or use a #30 cookie scoop and place the cookie dough 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
Bake - Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes. Remove the cookies from oven and allow them to cool before frosting.
How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
Start with room temperature ingredients - Beat the softened cream cheese together with the unsalted butter and smooth.
Add the vanilla and powdered sugar - Stir in the vanilla extract. Slowly mix in the confectioners sugar until combined.
Add the milk - Add the milk a little at a time until the cream cheese frosting is easy to spread.
Frost and store - Frost the cookies as desired. If not eating right away, store in the refrigerator between parchment paper to prevent the cookies from sticking together.
Do You Have to Use Fresh Carrots in Carrot Cake?
You don't have to use fresh carrots in carrot cake but you should. Freshly grated carrot provides moisture to carrot cake cookies that creates a soft cookie with a tender chew.
If you're short on time or just want to make this recipe easier, you can use pre-grated carrots. It will change the texture and even the flavor that was intended for this cookie recipe.
Can You Baked Freeze Carrot Cake Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze carrot cake cookies that have already been baked. You can either store them frosted or unfrosted. Frozen cookies last 3 months when stored properly whether they are frosted or not.
When storing these cookies frosted, separate the cookies with parchment paper before placing them in a freezer-safe container to prevent the frosting from sticking to the underside of the other cookies.
Can You Freeze Carrot Cake Cookie Dough?
Yes, you can freeze carrot cake cookie dough just like other cookie doughs. To make baking easier, scoop the cookies and roll them into balls before freezing. When ready to bake the cookies, take them out of the oven and then preheat the oven.
Prescooping the dough will save time because the dough won't have to be portioned into two tablespoonfuls when frozen. It's easier to just pop the desired amount of preportioned cookie dough out of the freezer and bake.
📖 Recipe
Carrot Cake Cookies
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter - room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup finely grated carrots - use fresh carrots for a chewier cookie
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese - softened
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-6 tablespoons milk - as needed
Instructions
Make the Carrot Cake Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and link cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
- Add in the granulated and brown sugar and beat until combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and the eggs and mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until all ingredients are moistened.
- Using a spoon, stir the grated carrots into the cookie dough.
- Drop by 2 tablespoons or use a #30 cookie scoop and place the cookie dough 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool before frosting.
To make the cream cheese frosting
- Beat the softened cream cheese together with the unsalted butter and smooth.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Slowly mix in the confectioners sugar until combined.
- Add the milk a little at a time until the cream cheese frosting is easy to spread.
- Frost the cookies as desired.
- Store in the refrigerator between parchment paper to prevent the cookies from sticking together.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
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