Description
Delicious Carrot Cake Cookies with a soft, chewy texture, packed with shredded carrots, oats, and pecans, all topped with a creamy vanilla-flavored cream cheese frosting. Perfectly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, these cookies combine the flavors of a classic carrot cake in a convenient, handheld treat.
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 (not old-fashioned whole 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 and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat 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 the butter and sugars together at medium speed until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until incorporated after each addition, then add vanilla extract, scraping down the sides as needed. Set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Because the dough will be thick, finish mixing by hand. Then stir in shredded carrots, quick oats, and chopped pecans by hand just until incorporated.
- Form Cookies: Using a 1 1/2 inch or 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, roll dough into balls and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten the tops of each cookie. If you don't have a 1 1/2 inch scoop, use what you have and adjust cooking time accordingly.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Avoid overbaking to keep cookies soft. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Gradually beat in powdered sugar on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high and beat until thick and creamy about 1-2 minutes. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, to reach desired consistency.
- Frost Cookies: Once the cookies are completely cool, frost them using the cream cheese frosting. Garnish with chopped pecans if desired.
Notes
- Do NOT microwave butter for the dough or frosting; soften it at room temperature to avoid overly soft or runny consistency.
- Use freshly grated carrots with small holes on a box grater; avoid pre-packaged matchstick carrots as they are too thick.
- If you only have old-fashioned rolled oats, pulse them in a food processor 4-6 times to mimic quick oats for this recipe.
- You can freeze frosted or unfrosted cookies: freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag. Thaw on the counter for 15-20 minutes before eating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
