Description
Carrot cake cookies blend classic dessert flavors into perfect handheld treats. Warm spices and cream cheese frosting create delightful bites you’ll savor with pure comfort and nostalgic sweetness.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup (100 g) grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (50 g) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- ½ cup (60 g) raisins (optional)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Creaming: Utilize electric mixer to blend butter with granulated and brown sugars until achieving a pale, airy consistency.
- Wet Ingredients: Integrate egg and vanilla extract into butter mixture, ensuring complete incorporation.
- Dry Mixture: Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger into a separate bowl.
- Combining: Gently merge dry ingredients with wet mixture, stirring minimally to maintain delicate texture.
- Adding Texture: Carefully fold grated carrots, chopped nuts, and raisins throughout the dough, distributing evenly.
- Portioning: Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared sheets, spacing cookies approximately 2 inches apart.
- Baking: Cook for 10-12 minutes until edges turn golden and centers appear slightly firm.
- Cooling: Rest cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack for complete cooling.
- Frosting Preparation: Whip cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until achieving smooth, creamy consistency.
- Finishing Frosting: Gradually incorporate powdered sugar, beating until reaching desired spreadable texture.
- Optional Assembly: Transform into sandwich cookies by spreading frosting between two cooled cookie bases.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Stop stirring dry ingredients into wet mixture as soon as they’re just combined to maintain tender, soft cookie texture.
- Moisture Management: Grate carrots finely and pat dry with paper towels to prevent excess liquid from making cookies soggy or spreading too thin.
- Temperature Control: Let butter and eggs reach room temperature before mixing to ensure smoother, more evenly incorporated batter and consistent cookie structure.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Swap regular flour with gluten-free blend, use dairy-free butter alternative, and replace nuts with seeds for allergy-friendly version.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg