Carrot cake cookies with cream cheese frosting are an irresistible treat to make this Easter. Each cookie is loaded with everything you know and love about a layered carrot cake: fragrant spices, crunchy nuts, and sweet carrots. The rich, luscious frosting ties all the flavors together. The best part is they’re ready in much less time than it takes to make a carrot cake!
I add chopped pecans to the cookie dough for the perfect crunch, but you can also add walnuts if you like. And if you want hese cookies even more loaded, include sweetened shredded coconut or raisins. If you’re looking for more Easter recipes, check out my carrot cake cupcakes, hot cross buns, or Easter bread.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Leavening — baking soda helps the cookies rise and spread.
Salt — salt enhances the flavor of the spices and sugar in the cookies.
Spices — cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg add warm flavor to the cookies for that classic taste.
Butter — use unsalted butter that is softened at room temperature but not melted.
Sugar — both white and brown sugar give the cookies the perfect sweetness. Brown sugar also adds moisture and a caramel-like flavor.
Egg — bring it to room temperature before you start baking so that the egg beats into the butter easily.
Vanilla — use natural vanilla extract, not vanilla essence (which is flavored synthetically).
Carrot — you need 1 cup of grated carrot, which equates to about 2 medium carrots shredded with a box grater.
Oats — old-fashioned rolled oats add texture and flavor to the cookies.
Pecans — while optional, finely chopped pecans add a lovely crunch.
Cream cheese frosting — to make my favorite cream cheese frosting, you need cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and set aside for now.
2. In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until almost combined.
5. Drop the shredded carrots and oats in.
6. Follow that with chopped pecans, if using, and mix on low until just combined.
7. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into 1½ tablespoon-sized dough balls, and place the balls on the prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. The centers will still be soft at this point. For a crispier cookie, bake for 2 to 3 minutes more. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. For frosted carrot cake cookies, make a batch of cream cheese frosting by beating room temperature cream cheese and softened butter until very smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar, and, once combined, pour in the vanilla extract. Spread each cookie with frosting and serve.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use freshly grated nutmeg. Its flavor is so robust compared to the pre-ground kind! Nutmeg’s flavor comes from oils and once it’s grated or ground, those oils start to lose potency fairly quickly.
- Shred carrots at home. Pre-shredded carrots, while convenient, are very dry and larger than shreds from a box grater. You need the moisture from freshly grated carrots to make the best carrot cake cookies recipe super chewy and delicious. Use the large holes of a box grater or the grater attachment for a food processor or mixer.
- Add mix-ins. Pecans aren’t your only option! If you like a lot of mix-ins in your cookies, add ½ cup of shredded sweetened coconut or raisins to the cookie dough when adding in the carrots. If you prefer nutty cookies but don’t enjoy pecans, you can use chopped walnuts instead.
- Wait for the cookies to cool before frosting them. If the cookies are still warm, the frosting will melt. They need to be completely cool.
- Different frosting options: I like the rustic look of frosting spread over the top of each cookie with a butterknife. But you can also pipe the frosting on top of each cookie in a swirl or decorative pattern if desired!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make this recipe for carrot cake cookies in advance in a couple of ways. You can prep and refrigerate the dough up to 2 days ahead of time. Alternatively, you can bake the cookies and store them (unfrosted) at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Frost the cookies when you’re ready to serve them.
Cream cheese frosting is the best option, just like you would use on classic carrot cake! The tangy frosting complements the sweetness of the cookies. However, if you prefer a buttercream frosting or other type of frosting, go for it!
Once frosted, leftover cookies must be refrigerated because of the dairy in the icing. They will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can freeze frosted or unfrosted carrot cake cookies. First, flash-freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid. Then store them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight or on the counter for an hour or two.
You can freeze unbaked cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. First, flash freeze them on a cookie sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container. Bake from frozen as directed, adding 2 to 3 minutes of baking time.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this carrot cake cookie recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Carrot Cake Cookies
Equipment
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour (270g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (220g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots/ 90g)
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (80g)
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans (optional) (80g)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (226g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (240g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well combined. combined. Scrape the bowl down.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry mixture and mix until almost combined. Add the shredded carrots, oats, and pecans (if using, and mix on low until just combined.
- Scoop the dough into 1½ tablespoon-sized dough balls (about 35g each), and place on the prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. The centers will still be soft, but you can bake for 2 to 3 more minutes for a crispier cookie. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until very smooth, about 1 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar. Once combined, scrape down the bowl, add the vanilla, and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minutes.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting on top of each cooled cookie before serving.
Notes
- Use freshly grated nutmeg. Its flavor is so robust compared to the pre-ground kind! Nutmeg’s flavor comes from oils and once it’s grated or ground, those oils start to lose potency fairly quickly.
- Shred carrots at home. Pre-shredded carrots, while convenient, are very dry and larger than shreds from a box grater. You need the moisture from freshly grated carrots to make the best carrot cake cookies recipe super chewy and delicious. Use the large holes of a box grater or the grater attachment for a food processor or mixer.
- Add mix-ins. Pecans aren’t your only option! If you like a lot of mix-ins in your cookies, add ½ cup of shredded sweetened coconut or raisins to the cookie dough when adding in the carrots. If you prefer nutty cookies but don’t enjoy pecans, you can use chopped walnuts instead.
- Wait for the cookies to cool before frosting them. If the cookies are still warm, the frosting will melt. They need to be completely cool.
- Different frosting options: I like the rustic look of frosting spread over the top of each cookie with a butterknife. But you can also pipe the frosting on top of each cookie in a swirl or decorative pattern if desired!
