Carrot Cake Cookies
Soft and flavorful carrot cake cookies are packed with cinnamon, nutmeg, dark brown sugar, and shredded carrots. These cookies are a fabulous alternative to cake this Easter season.
Servings: 16
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake Cookies:
- 1 Cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed (light or golden would work too)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 2 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 ⅓ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
- ½ Cup Carrots, shredded
- ⅓ Cup Walnuts, chopped (optional)
For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¼ Cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- For the Cookies: To begin, cream the butter and both sugars for about thirty seconds, either by hand or with a standing or hand mixer. Add both eggs and the vanilla and mix well, another thirty seconds. Add your dry ingredients next: both flours, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix until no powder remain, about thirty more seconds.
- Gently fold in your shredded carrots and the chopped walnuts. Mix until just incorporated. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Using a four tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough balls out and place them on a nonstick baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before before frosting.
- For the Frosting:For the frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese and beat well with a standing or hand mixer for one minute. Add the remainder of the ingredients, and mix until smooth, about thirty seconds. For the piped carrots, simple remove a small portion of frosting to two smaller bowls, about 2 tablespoons for each bowl. Using orange in one bowl and green in the other, color the smaller bowls of frosting. Place the frosting in two small piping bags, and snip a small portion of the tips off of each bag.
- Frost each cookie with the white frosting, and then pipe the carrot design on top. Pipe a small bit of green above the carrot for the leaf design. For the walnuts, mix about ¼ cup chopped walnuts with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. spoon a small amount on top of each frosted cookie. Store any leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to four days.
Notes
See blog for dietary options in leu of gluten and dairy.