These Carrot Cake Pecan Cookies are cake-like and soft and completely irresistible when they’re topped with Orange Cream Cheese frosting!
I probably should have posted about these cookies right when I made them….because lets 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.} I did have a few left that I was going to bring to the lovely gals at Caitlin Wilson Design, but then I started driving there and to my horror watched the cookies FALL OFF MY CAR.
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Wait, you actually have to put the cookies INTO your car for them to make it there safely?
OHHHHHH YEAAAAAH. That’s the step I forgot.
I’m really smrt like that sometimes.
I was pretty upset about it looking down at my shattered plate and crumbled dirty cookies on the side of the road. But then started laughing because let’s be honest….that is pretty hilarious.
You’ve done that too, right? Riiiiight?
Excellent! We can laugh at ourselves together.
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.
Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake away until the edges are lightly brown and the cookies have a little pouf to them.
Pouf is a technical term…I know you were wondering that.
These are a very cake-like and soft cookie. 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.
I made this orange cream cheese frosting to go with these cookies…because everything tastes better with frosting.
#truth
Once your cookies have cooled, get some free child labor and get a-spreadin’.
Ahhh, how convenient! There was a helper right down the hall! Spread the frosting generously on top of each cookie and then top with some chopped pecans. Brooke’s turned out fabulous! In fact, she was insistent that we eat hers first before mine, sooooo I ended up only with my cookies to photograph.
I guess mine turned out ok…. 😉
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 at your Easter festivities! Have a great weekend, friends! Enjoy the holiday.
These Carrot Cake Pecan Cookies are cake-like and soft and completely irresistible when they’re topped with Orange Cream Cheese frosting!
These Carrot Cake Pecan Cookies are cake-like and soft and completely irresistible when they’re topped with Orange Cream Cheese frosting!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil*
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar**
- 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. softened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
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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.
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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.*If you do not have coconut oil, simply use butter.**If you do not have granulated sugar and molasses, simply use brown sugar.
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Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I love how these cookies are like little cakes! So yummy looking 🙂
Laura Dembowski says
These look awesome! I just made carrot cake cookies and the frosting was missing a little something – orange zest!
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
These look soooo yummy and perfect for easter! I love the addition of orange zest!
Lauren Everson says
On my goodness I would have cried if I lost a batch of cookies to the road! It would probably take a day before I found it funny. But, let’s be honest, it’s pretty funny!
These look wonderful. I might just have to make them today!
Kate @ Diethood says
Swoon…. These are terrific!
Diane says
These look awesome! Had to pin to try sometime this week! thank you
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction says
Lauren,
These cookies look so yummy. Pinned
Happy Easter.
Annamaria
Sandy says
Ohhhhhhh they look so good! I am going to make some for me and try to figure out to make some like these gluten free for my hubby! Thank you so very much!
Lynne says
Do you substitute the entire 1/3c + 1 tbsp granulated sugar with brown sugar or just the 1 tbsp?
Lauren says
The 1/3 cup of brown sugar substitutes for the 1/3 cup granulated + 1 tablespoon molasses.
Michael Kinsley says
Did you mean “1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar” or just “1/3 cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses”?
Lauren says
You can use 1/3 cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses OR 1/3 cup brown sugar. Either will work.
Barbara Coley says
Mixed all the ingrediants as listed. Put them in the oven to bake. Mine did not rise, they just spead all over the cookie sheet. What did I do wrong or is there an ingredient that isn’t listed here that should be? I look forward to your answer, as me and my husband thought these would be awesome!
Lauren says
How did you measure your flour? Do you sift it at all first?
lisa Freeman says
Mine also went flat. It feels like there is too much oil and not enough flour. Is it necessary to sift the flour first?
Lauren says
You don’t have to sift the flour. I usually fluff mine up with the measuring cup before actually measuring. Everyone measures flour differently, it seems. More flour should prevent them from going flat.
Tina says
Cookie dough looked nothing like your the posted pics. Mine were also a bit flat. I only baked 4 because the dough looked too wet. They definitely are soft like a cake. For me the cookie isn’t sweet enough.
Maddison says
These look delicious! As much as I’d like to eat them all in one sitting, I probably won’t be able to, so will they still keep ok for a couple of days?
Lauren says
Yup, just keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. They should keep for up to 4 days.
L Harper says
I don’t have coconut oil on hand, do I omit it completely or double the butter?
Lauren says
just double the butter 🙂
Pamela Palmer says
These cookies are delicious. The orange cream cheese frosting tastes great also.
Donna says
How would it work if the coconut oil was omitted and substituted with crushed pineapple
Denise says
Do you pack the carrots or just put it lightly in the measuring cup?
Lauren says
Measure the grated carrot into the cup. You can pack it in there and that should give you the accurate measure.
Dee says
These do sound great! I would like to make them for my daughter’s wedding in October. Do they freeze well? They would make a great Fall cookie as well.
Lauren says
DO NOT freeze these with the cream cheese frosting on them! Cream cheese turns grainy after being frozen. They should freeze fine without any frosting as long as they are wrapped well.
Wanda Fields says
If I do not use coconut oil, do I substitute ANOTHER 1/4 c. butter for the coconut oil, or just use 1/4 butter as listed?
Lauren says
You would substitute 1/4 butter for the 14 cup coconut oil.
Paula Babb says
What size scoop did you use?
Lauren says
two teaspoons
Lauren V says
Made this morning for my 2-year-old’s class (and ate one for breakfast). They are delicious!
Natalie says
I see you are fan of coconut oil, have you ever tried raw coconut sugar? You will get that delicious brown sugar taste of the granulated sugar+molasses but the coconut sugar is so much better… Lower glycemic index etc and the benefits that coconut has to offer.
BeckyEv says
Your little girl/sous chef is so adorable! Takes me back to cooking with my little ones. Can’t wait to try this – it looks delicious!
Belinda Quinton-Thomas says
These look great. I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing!
Martha says
Lauren, do these have to be refrigerated after making?
Lauren says
If they are going to be out longer than 4 hours, then I would refrigerate them.
Ashley says
For the coconut oil – do you buy refined or unrefined or the coconut oil that resembles regular olive/vegetable oil?
Betty Carlson says
Apple sauce would be good substitute for butter or coconut oil.
Patti Pinedo says
I have used a box carrot cake mix and added one cup of applesauce and one egg. Bake on 350 for about 9 minutes and frost with the cream cheese frosting! Easy and yummy!!! You can add the pecans too.
Patti Pinedo says
Sorry if I didn’t explain enough….take the dry mix, add the egg and applesauce. Drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheet. For another good and quick cookie use a spice cake mix and add egg, applesauce and chocolate chips! My favorite.
Midas' mom says
Love that you used boxed cake mix, with a little help and they still turned out great.
Thanks for passing this along !
Marsha says
These cookies do look pretty yummy. I am totally aggravated though by the fact that I just wasted about 30 pages of prining paper, not to mention the ink. I clicked to print this RECIPE and then walked away from the printer and came back to find not just the recipe but page after page of the blog. It might be a nice thing to set up your blog so folks can just print out your recipes. Thanks!
Marsha says
…oops…sorry. I just scrolled back up and saw that you do have an icon to print just the recipe….although it is very faint which is why I possibly missed it.
Tina says
Mmmmm. My kind a girl
Tina says
Evidently missed most of my comment. I would use all coconut oil and coconut sugar as someone else mentioned. Very healthy! Then add in some orange and/or cinnamon essential oil!
Tina says
Mmm. My kinda girl 🙂 would use all coconut oil, coconut or turbinado sugar, and maybe some orange or cinnamon DoTERRA essential oil! I can’t wait to try it!
Robyn says
I wonder how these would using a carrot cake cake mix and adding pecans, and then using your orange frosting??
Tasha says
Just made these and they were very flat and a little too greasy. Followed recipe exact. Any suggestions??
Lauren says
Do you sift your flour before measuring? Or spoon it into your measuring cup? Usually it’s all in the way you measure flour. It sounds like your dough could have used 1-2 more tablespoons of flour…that usually does the trick.
Amy says
Hi Lauren..can I make a cake instead of cupcakes using the same recipe..if yes..then what should be the size of the mould? Thank u for sharing this wonderful recipe! Your photos are really stunning!
Angela says
Has anyone tried packing and sending these in the mail?
Debi Duke says
My grandma made these but she made a peanut butter frosting. . They where yummy
Phyllis Harrison says
can’t wait to try the carrot cake cookies!
Kristina Bachison says
I made these cookies and they came out amazingly delicious!! I really love the orange zest in the frosting
Rachel says
These have got my husband written ALL over them. I will have to try them out! 😀
Charmaine says
Thank you for this excellent recipe. Perfect cookie for the Holidays.
Pat says
These look awesome. I am definitely going to try them.
Thank you.
Cathy Heser says
I have been baking for 50 years and have just started measuring with a scale. It is great! I think I get a much more accurate measure on dry ingedients such as flour. I have made these cookies twice. Since several comments said they were too thin, I measured by oz. I sifted my flour and 7 oz of sifted was way more than one cup but I went ahead and used the 7 oz. I made the cookies the size of a medium scoop. They were plenty thick but a little dry. Definitely not greasy and stood up really nice. I just made a 2nd batch. I used 5.8 oz. shifted flour and made the cookies with the smaller scoop. PERFECT! So good. I used 2 Tbs Splenda sugar blend and 2 Tbs dark brown sugar. I did not have Molasses but had Coconut Nectar, 1 Tbs. Used extra orange zest. I think this is my new favorite recipe. It takes a lot to say that. I love that it is not terribly sweet but just right.
Michelle says
They look so delicious, wishing I had at least one if front of me now…but would prefer 10 🙂
Suzanne says
Lauren do you think I could substitute maple syrup for the molasses? That’s not usually something I have on hand and would hate to buy some just to use one tablespoon! Thanks!
Lauren says
Totally!!
Sandra Eichwald says
Do you need any adjustments for high altitude (7,000 ft where I live)?
Hilda Andrade says
I guess my previous comment didn’t make it here. I am making these, but need a big batch. is it better to do each batch separately, or can I just triple the ingredients? I am attending a cookie exchange next month. Thank you.
Judy Pacifico says
If I use butter instead of Coconut Oil, do I use that in addition to the 1/4 cup of butter? That would mean 1/2 cup butter. Or, do I just eliminate the coconut oil or butter altogether & just use the 1/4 cup butter?