Carrot Cake Cookies

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These Carrot Cake Cookies are cake-like and soft and completely irresistible when they’re topped with Pecans and Orange Cream Cheese frosting! These are very cake-like soft cookies. If you’re not wanting to make a whole carrot cake, this is a really great option for Easter…hence the name carrot cake cookies.

Carrot Cake Cookies | With Cream Cheese Frosting

I probably should have posted about these carrot cake cookies right when I made them….because let’s be honest. Looking at these photos makes me want to make them and eat them all over again.

They have a vegetable in them, so they’re totally healthy.

When I made them last week, they were part of my cheat meal. I ate one before lunch and then the last seventeen after. {I’m kidding, Mom. I don’t actually eat that many cookies.} But for reals, they can be so addicting, especially topped with an orange cream cheese frosting. *Swoon*

Main Ingredients Needed

You are going to need a lot of baking essentials to make these carrot cake cookies, plus a couple of less common ingredients. Here’s everything you need:

• Butter + Coconut Oil – these two are used for moisture and flavor! If you don’t have coconut oil just replace it with butter (1/2 cup total if replacing).
• Sugar + Molasses – these two create a sweet and rich flavor. Alternatively, you can sub out these two ingredients for 1/3 cup brown sugar.
• Vanilla – for flavor.
• Egg – for structure.
• Flour – this fills out the cookies.
• Baking Powder – this is used for rise and texture.
• Salt – to balance the sweet.
• Cinnamon + Nutmeg – two warm spices that go perfectly with the carrots.
• Grated Carrots – I suggest grating your own carrots instead of buying pre-shredded carrots (which can be a little on the dry side).
• Pecans – these give a super great crunch to the cookies as well as nutty flavor.

For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream Cheese – creamy tangy goodness.
• Butter – this helps create a smooth frosting. It also helps fill out the frosting.
• Orange Zest – this is where the orange flavor comes from! So good!
• Powdered Sugar – this thickens and sweetens the frosting.

How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies

The cookie dough is made just like any other cookie dough. Cream butters and sugar, add in egg and vanilla, stir in dry ingredients, incorporate nuts and carrots.  Blah blah blah….you know the drill. For full details, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Prep

Preheat oven. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.

Make Dough

Cream butter, coconut oil, sugar and molasses together until completely smooth. Scrape sides and mix again briefly. Stir in vanilla and egg. Then stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Scrape sides and stir again briefly. Stir in carrot and nuts by hand.

Bake + Cool

Scoop onto prepared baking sheets and bake until edges are brown and cookies have poofed up slightly in the center. Cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to the cooling rack. Cool to room temperature.

Frosting

For the frosting, place all ingredients into a small bowl and whip until smooth. Spread each cookie generously with frosting and top with chopped pecans if desired.

Storing Carrot Cake Cookies

Store Carrot Cake Cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days! Enjoy within a four hour window (this is because of the cream cheese frosting).

More Carrot Cake Recipes to Try!

• Carrot Cake Protein Bites
• Carrot Cake Cobbler
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Carrot Cake Oatmeal
• Carrot Cake Donuts

Come to mama! These turned out better than I expected and that orange cream cheese frosting really livened up this recipe. Really really delicious.

Hope you all get a chance to make a batch of these soon….maybe to have them at your Easter festivities! Have a great day, friends!

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5 from 26 votes

Carrot Cake Cookies

These Carrot Cake Pecan Cookies are cake-like and soft and completely irresistible when they’re topped with Orange Cream Cheese frosting!

servings 24 small cookies

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 9 mins

Total Time 39 mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/4 cup butter softened
• ▢ 1/4 cup coconut oil*
• ▢ 1/3 cup granulated sugar** + 1 tablespoon
• ▢ 1 tablespoon molasses
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/2 cup grated carrot
• ▢ 1/4 cup pecans + more for garnish, if desired

frosting:

• ▢ 2 oz. cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1/4 cup butter softened
• ▢ 1 teaspoon orange zest
• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
• Cream butter, coconut oil, sugar and molasses together until completely smooth. Scrape sides and mix again briefly. Stir in vanilla and egg. Then stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Scrape sides and stir again briefly. Stir in carrot and nuts by hand.
  
• Scoop onto prepared baking sheets and bake 8-9 minutes or until edges are brown and cookies have poofed up slightly in the center. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to cooling rack. Cool to room temperature.
  
• For the frosting, place all ingredients into a small bowl and whip until smooth.
  
• Spread each cookie generously with frosting and top with chopped pecans if desired.
  

Notes

*If you do not have coconut oil, simply use butter.

**If you do not have granulated sugar and molasses, simply use brown sugar.

Nutrition

Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 53mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 605IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carrot cake cookies