Carrot Cake Cookies are the ultimate sweet treat. Moist, chewy, and delicious, loaded with grated carrots and warm spices, and topped with an out-of-this-world coconut pecan cream cheese frosting.
If I'm being honest, I don't typically crave sweets. I'm much more of a salty girl. Present me with a cheese plate or a cake, and I'll take the cheese almost every day. However, the sweets I do love, I LOVE. Carrot cake is one such dessert, and these carrot cake cookies are my new favorite obsession. Less fussy than a cake, made super convenient in handled form, these cookies seriously deliver.
These carrot cake cookies have all the warm spices, sweet carrots, and creamy frosting you'd find in a classic carrot cake, but in soft, chewy cookie form. They're perfect for Easter time (also see this easy Dirt Cake recipe for another fun Easter treat!), weekend baking projects, or anytime you're in the mood for a dessert that feels like a hug.
This recipe is packed with grated carrots, a luscious cream cheese frosting with pecans and coconut, and just the right balance of chewy and soft textures. These babies are bound to become a family favorite!
Why I Love This Recipe
There's something so nostalgic and comforting about carrot cake recipes, isn't there? But let's be honest-sometimes you don't want to deal with the whole layered carrot cake process. That's where these chewy carrot cake cookies shine. They're simple, easy to bake, and bring the best part of carrot cake-dreamy cream cheese frosting-front and center.
I also love how versatile these little cookies are. They can be dressed up as carrot cake sandwich cookies or kept simple with frosting spread on top of each cookie (you could even turn these into carrot cake cupcakes if you wish). Either way, they're a sweet treat that's so hard to resist.
Key Ingredients
Here are the key players that make these cookies so irresistible (see the full list of ingredients and recipe instructions below in the recipe card):
For the cookies
- Fresh carrots. Grated carrots add moisture, natural sweetness, and a lovely pop of color. Use a box grater on the small holes for the best texture. (A food processor can also do the trick quickly.)
- Warm spices. A blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves gives these cookies their classic carrot cake flavor.
- Brown sugar and white sugar. A mix of light brown sugar and white sugar creates the perfect balance of sweetness and chewiness.
- Unsalted butter. Always start with room-temperature butter for creamy cookie dough.
For the coconut pecan frosting
- Coconut and pecans. These bring a nutty, tropical vibe to the coconut pecan frosting that will have you swooning.
- Room temperature cream cheese. The key to smooth, homemade cream cheese frosting is soft cream cheese-no lumps allowed!
How To Make Carrot Cake Cookies
Here's how to make these soft carrot cake cookies:
- Prep the oven and cookie sheets. Preheat the oven and line a prepared baking sheet with parchment paper or a slipmat.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, warm spices, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream the butter and sugars. Use an electric mixer or the paddle attachment over the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed to beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the wet ingredients. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract and milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Avoid adding too much flour to keep the cookies soft. (The cookie dough will be thick.)
- Fold in the carrots and raisins. Gently mix in grated carrots (make sure to remove excess moisture using a paper towel) and raisins. The dough will be quite thick - this is normal.
- Scoop dough and bake. Use a large cookie scoop to form cookie dough balls, placing them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Make the frosting. While the cookies are baking, make the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. (Make sure they're both at room temperature!) Gradually mix in powdered sugar to avoid lumps (if you own a sifter, you can also sift the sugar first to help with this). Add vanilla extract and a pinch of salt, then stir in the shredded coconut and chopped pecans for a delicious nutty twist.
- Assemble the cookies. Once the cookies are completely cool, spread or pipe the frosting on top of each cookie. Garnish with extra coconut or pecans for the finishing touch.
Variations and Substitutions
These delicious carrot cake cookies are perfect, but here are a few ways you can mix things up.
- Make It vegan. Substitute butter with vegan butter, use flax eggs instead of eggs, and opt for vegan cream cheese for the frosting.
- Skip the raisins. We love how the little raisin nuggets stud these soft cookies, but If raisins aren't your thing, swap them out for dried cranberries or leave them out entirely.
- Carrot cake sandwich cookies. Spread the cream cheese filling between two cookies for a decadent sandwich treat.
- Add maple syrup. For extra flavor, replace 1-2 teaspoons of powdered sugar with pure maple syrup in the frosting.
- Brown butter it up! Brown your butter before mixing it with the cream cheese to make brown butter cream cheese frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze unfrosted cookies in a freezer bag wrapped in plastic wrap for longer storage.
Yes! Pre-shredded cookies can make this recipe easy to make. Just make sure you squeeze out any additional moisture. (Note, I wouldn't use matchstick carrots since they're a little too long and thick for these cookies.)
Sticky dough can result from too much moisture in the carrots or too much milk. Make sure that you squeeze the excess moisture out of the carrots before using them. You can do this by simply wrapping the carrot shreds in a paper towel and squeezing them over a sink. Chill the dough for 20 minutes before scooping if the dough still feels too soft.
Yes! Replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend for chewy cookies with all the same deliciousness.
If you're a carrot cake lover, give these easy carrot cake cookies a try. They're the perfect thing dessert for spring or any time you're craving that delicious carrot cake flavor.
If you do try these soft carrot cake cookies, let me know what you think in the comments below, or tag me with a pic @frontrangefed on Instagram!
More Insanely Good Cookies!
- Snowball Cookies With Pecans
- Chocolate Chip And Walnut Cookies (Levain Bakery Copycat)
- Thick Sugar Cookies Made With Sour Cream
- Big Soft Ginger Cookies With Molasses
- Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Simple Small-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Lemon Biscotti
- Kitchen Sink Cookies
Recipe
Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe With Coconut Pecan Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
For The Carrot Cake Cookies
- ⅔ cup butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- 4 teaspoon whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups grated carrots moisture removed
- ½ cup raisins
For The Coconut-Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and milk, and mix until smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined.
- Gently fold in the shredded carrots, and raisins until evenly distributed.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to drop dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (Cookies will spread slightly while baking so leave plenty of room between them.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are set. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Coconut Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating well after each addition to avoid lumps.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt until combined.
- Gently stir in the shredded coconut and chopped pecans until evenly distributed.
Assemble the Cookies
- Once the cookies are completely cool, spread a generous layer of the frosting on top of each cookie.
- Garnish with additional shredded coconut or chopped pecans if you like.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Be sure to remove the moisture from the grated carrots before adding them to the cookie dough. To do this, simply place them between two paper towels and squeeze them over the sink.
- These cookies are moist. I suggest storing them in the refrigerator in an airtight container to preserve them. (I find it good to use wax paper between the layers of cookies to prevent them from sticking together.)
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Sarah says
My kids favorite Easter cookies! Don't omit the icing - it's fantastic!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Lora!