These Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are bakery quality, chewy, and easy. They're like a carrot cake in cookie form and the best sweet treat!
Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies
Do you find yourself wanting carrot cake but something smaller than a slice? Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting incorporate all of the wonderful flavors of carrot cake including carrots, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, and raisins.
You'll find everything in these soft, chewy carrot cake cookies covered with cream cheese buttercream frosting. The ultimate handheld treat!
Cream Cheese Frosting for Cookies
Quicker and easier than making an entire carrot cake while still getting to enjoy all the amazing flavors and texture of the cake. These cookies will hit the spot.
Now, if you want something to hold in your hand and you're still craving carrot cake, I have a wonderful Easy Carrot Cake Bars recipe for you to check out. I'm sure that you'll just love it!
Moist Carrot Cake Cookies
Sometimes, as we all know, it's difficult to get children to eat their vegetables. The great thing about these moist carrot cake cookies is that they're an excellent way to sneak in some veggies without kids knowing it!
The key is to make sure the carrots are shredded as finely as possible before adding them to the cookie mixture. Once in and baked, the carrots are virtually invisible and add that healthy kick.
The Origins of Carrot Cake
The origins of the best carrot cake are unclear and disputed according to wikipedia. If you want to read the entire article feel free to take a look!
Carrot puddings were eaten by Europeans in the Middle Ages when sugar and sweeteners were expensive and many people used carrots as a substitute for sugar.
Many food historians believe that this is where carrot cake originated from.
The recipes date from as far back as 1591 where one for "pudding in a Carrot root" was published to various forms of carrot pudding over the years to 1814 where Antoine Beauvilliers, former chef to Louis XVI, published a recipe popular enough to be stolen by others.
Can you imagine, a recipe so delicious that it dates back hundreds of years?! Regardless of the origin, I certainly am glad that it's around now!
Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
This easy carrot cake cookies recipe is from my grandmother's binder. For those of you that don't know, my grandmother kept a binder full of recipes that we used to try together and ones that were her specialties.
When she passed away I was lucky enough to receive her binder from my mother and slowly I am including all of her favorites as well as my own into my own binder. She was definitely amazing in the kitchen.
These best carrot cake cookies are so delicious and the icing is to die for! I can't make these that often because I can't stop eating them. These cookies are that good, especially if you love carrot cake even half as much as I do.
Tips for Making the Best Carrot Cake Cookies
- Do not use store bought, pre-grated matchstick carrots no matter how tempting. We tried to do it to save some time and the cookies did not work out at all. The thick carrots were so dry in the cookie it truly was a disaster.
- When grating your fresh carrots use a smaller hole to grate them or chop them as small as possible with your knife.
- Make sure to use quick cooking oats for this recipe.
- Accurately measure all of your ingredients to ensure the best results.
- Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature, while left at room temperature, before you start your baking in order to achieve the best results. I usually leave the butter on the counter as soon as I know I am going to be baking and leave the eggs on the counter about a half hour before I am going start baking.
- Bake your cookies on parchment paper or a silicone mat covering your rimmed baking sheets for a much easier cleanup.
- Try to make your uncooked cookie dough discs as uniform as possible to encourage even baking.
- Feel free to make your cookies bigger or smaller than recommended just adjust your baking time accordingly.
- Bake your cookies until they are golden brown around edges and the center is just slightly underdone to ensure a soft, chewy cookie.
Options for Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
There is nothing like a carrot cake oatmeal cookie, smothered in this wonderful cream cheese buttercream frosting. You have to choose between walnuts, pecans, and coconut to include in your recipe if you want any.
Like I said before, the icing is to die for. You can spoon it on top of the cookies, using a spatula or a knife. Or you can place the icing inside of a small icing bag (to make a homemade one simply put the icing in a sandwich bag and make a small snip in one corner) and drizzle it.
My son Patrick used to love drizzling the icing all over the cookies. He used to try to write his name on all the cookies, whether they were his or not.
If you want to switch it up a bit, you can always add food color or color gel to your icing. You can make all colors and shades depending on your mood or the time of the year.
You also have the option of decorating these delicious cookies with a variety of toppings. The traditional toppings include similar things as what you include in the recipe like walnuts or pecans or coconut.
There are, however, many other things that you can decorate your cookies with. Sometimes I like to go outside the box and even add diced raisins on top.
When I'm feeling adventurous or it's around a holiday, I up my decorating game. Around Christmas, I top them with red and green sprinkles or sparkles along with little gummie Christmas trees. For Valentine's Day I use pink and red sprinkles and little heart candies.
For St. Patrick's Day I use green sparkles and little leprechaun hats. I could go on but I think you get the idea.
Entertaining and Edible Carrot Cake Cookie Gifts
Sometimes I make batches of these Easy Carrot Cake Cookies and freeze them. Believe it or not but I actually have a whole shelf in my freezer devoted to cookies.
It's great because I can pull them out out of the freezer the day I'm having company and easily thaw them on a platter. I serve them as if I had just made them and my guests will think I slaved in the kitchen all day...just for them!
These chewy carrot cake cookies are also perfect for serving around the holidays and for making edible holiday gifts (this is where you get to perfect your decorating skills).
I always keep my old cookie tins, like my mother before me and her mother before that, just for occasions where I'd like to fill them with edible gifts.
Regardless, if you don't have cookie tins on hand fear not. Just buy some cellophane, ribbon, and a small box from your local dollar store.
What you want to do is to fill the box with cookies and seal it. Then, center the box on the cellophane and gather it all up above at the top. Tie it off with the ribbon you bought and bam! Bob's your uncle! You now have a wonderful edible gift for someone special.
How do you store Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies?
These cookies can easily be made a day or two before you need them and they store beautifully in your fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
However, I highly recommend freezing the cookies ahead of time and removing them from your freezer the morning you need them. They defrost at room temperature quickly and always taste great, with or without frosting. Have a look below.
Can you Freeze Easy Carrot Cake Cookies?
Yes you can freeze Carrot Cake Cookies, with or without the Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting!
First, clear enough space in your freezer to place your rimmed baking sheet.
Put all of your cookies, whether they are frosted or not, on the rimmed baking sheet, making sure the cookies are not touching each other at all.
Place the rimmed baking sheet in your freezer until your cookies are completely frozen, less than an hour generally.
Using plastic wrap, totally cover each cookie so the entire cookie is covered.
Place wrapped cookies inside a large freezer bag or an airtight container and place them inside your freezer.
When you are in the mood for or need the cookies, remove the number you want from your freezer bag or container and remove all of the plastic wrap from each cookie.
Allow the cookies to defrost on your counter for about 30 minutes and they will be ready to eat! If you can wait that long!
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Ingredients in Soft Carrot Cake Cookies
Cookies
- butter
- sugar
- egg
- milk
- vanilla
- carrot
- flour
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- salt
- quick cooking oats
- raisins
- walnuts, pecans or coconut
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- cream cheese
- butter
- icing or powdered sugar
How to Make the Best Carrot Cake Cookies?
Cookie
Combine butter, sugar, egg, milk, vanilla, and mashed carrot in a large bowl, ideally with a handheld or stand mixer.
Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and mix until incorporated.
Next add oats, raisins, and walnuts, pecans, or coconut until totally combined.
Make discs that are 1 to 1 ½ inches wide and between ½ - ¾ of an inch high.
Place on the prepared baking sheet and into the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or golden brown around edges and the center is just slightly underdone to ensure a soft, chewy cookie.
Cool cookies on a baking sheet for the first 5 minutes and then on to wire racks to cool.
Frosting
Beat the cheese with butter until smooth and fluffy.
Then add icing sugar and beat until well combined.
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Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting Video
Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup carrot, cooked, mashed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups oats, quick cooking
- 1 ¼ cups raisins
- ½ cup walnuts, or pecans, chopped or coconut, shredded
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 4 oz half pkg. cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup butter, softened or ½ stick
- 1 ¾-2 cups icing or powdered sugar
Decorations
- festive sprinkles or sparkles, as needed
Instructions
- Get out and measure all of your ingredients, you are about to make some wonderful cookies!
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
- Shred your carrot (carrots-depending on the size)
- Ideally, using a handheld or stand mixer, in a large mixing bowl combine butter, sugar, egg, milk, vanilla.
- Add carrot to your mixing bowl, and blend until incorporated.
- Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix until incorporated.
- Next add oats, raisins and walnuts, pecans or coconut.
- Stir until totally blended.
- Make discs that are 1 to 1 ½ inches wide and between ½ - ¾ of an inch high.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet and into the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or golden brown around edges and the center is just slightly underdone to ensure a soft, chewy cookie.
- Cool cookies on baking sheet for the first 5 minutes and then onto wire racks to cool.
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Beat cheese with butter until smooth and fluffy. Then add icing sugar and beat until well blended.
- Using a spatula, knife or spoon or icing bag, spread frosting on top of cookies. Cover with sparkles or sprinkles if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Kyra
Hi Karin, I would have never made carrot cake oats had it not come as a request from a close friend. I will give your recipe a try and let you know how it turned out. Hope they come out just as in the picture shown in your recipe. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Kyra
Karin and Ken
I can't wait to hear how everything went. I love these cookies and hope you do as well. My fingers are crossed if that helps at all. Take care and all the best. Karin
Ai
For the love of cake, please add a “Go straight to the recipe” link. I gave up when I had to read about the history of the carrot cake. When will you people realize that no one cares?! This recipe already left a bad taste in my mouth!
Karin and Ken
I apologize for all of the extra writing. It is an unfortunate reality of present day blogging. That being said I have a blue jump to recipe button right under the title. If you have any suggestions as to where I should place the button so it is easier to notice I will gladly move it. These cookies are delicious and I hate the thought of you not making a recipe because of all the writing. Take care and all the best. Karin
Gerard Obringer
Is it cooked shreded carrots or raw?
Karin and Ken
I can’t apologize enough for not getting back to you sooner. I usually cook the carrot and prefer it that way myself but it can be done both ways. This recipe is definitely delicious and worth a try! All the best to you. Karin