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These Carrot Cake Cookies are soft and moist with the classic warmly spiced carrot flavor. Brown butter cream cheese frosting adds a little something special. They’re quick and easy to prepare, making them ideal for the Easter dessert table or any other occasion.
Inspired by classic carrot cake, these carrot cake cookies have that same warm spiced carrot flavor with a moist, cakey texture. But instead of topping them with plain or cinnamon cream cheese frosting, like most carrot cake desserts, I decided to try brown butter cream cheese frosting on these.
The brown butter adds a rich, nutty flavor to the cream cheese and really pairs well with the flavor of the cookies. It’s also just a nice, unexpected touch. Feel free to swap it out with regular cream cheese frosting if you prefer, though!
These carrot cake cookies are super quick and easy to make, though they do need to cool before adding the frosting, and make a lovely Easter dessert (though they’re great anytime).
Why These Carrot Cake Cookies Are So Good
- Warm spiced flavor. These cookies have that classic carrot cake flavor, thanks to a generous amount of cinnamon, dark brown sugar, and freshly shredded carrots in the batter.
- Brown butter frosting. Carrot cake is typically topped with plain cream cheese frosting but I wanted to switch things up by adding some browned butter. It adds a lovely nutty flavor to the cream cheese, which pairs so nicely with the warm flavors in the cookies.
- Soft & moist. These carrot cake cookies are very soft and moist. They have more of a cake-like texture than a chewy texture, which is so nice with the rich, creamy frosting. The carrots themselves add lots of moisture to keep these cookies moist for days.
Recipe Ingredients & Notes
These cookies are made with shredded carrots, cinnamon, and a handful of pantry staples. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Flour – Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with a knife to ensure accurate measuring. Too much flour will result in dry cookies.
- Baking soda – Helps the cookies rise just the right amount in the oven.
- Salt – Balances and enhances the other flavor.
- Cinnamon – Adds the warm spiced flavor to the cookies.
- Butter – I recommend unsalted butter in these cookies and in the frosting. It should be at room temperature to easily cream.
- Sugar – Equal parts white and dark brown sugar sweeten these cookies. I opted for dark brown sugar over light brown sugar to have that richer molasses flavor that works nicely with the cinnamon and carrot flavors.
- Vanilla paste – Vanilla extract will also work.
- Eggs – Bring them to room temperature ahead of time.
- Shredded carrots – It’s important to shred the carrots yourself because fresh carrots have more moisture than pre-shredded carrots, which is important in achieving the texture in these cookies.
- Cream cheese – Softened cream cheese is the base of the frosting.
- Powdered sugar – Stabilizes and sweetens the frosting.
- Milk – Any milk you have on hand will work. Use only as much as needed to achieve the perfect frosting consistency.
- Crushed pecans – Optional but they make a great final topping for the cookies.
How To Make Carrot Cake Cookies
Here’s an overview of how to make these cookies. While the dough requires no chilling, keep in mind that the cookies need to cool completely before being frosted. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the dough. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla then stir in the grated carrots. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until no flour streaks remain.
- Bake the cookies. Place balls of cookie dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the tops look almost dry and they give just a little when touched on top.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting.
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring often. Once melted, continue cooking and stirring frequently until it reaches a deep golden color and brown flecks appear at the bottom of the pan. Allow to cool slightly.
- Make the frosting. Mix the cream cheese and browned butter on low speed to combine then increase the speed to medium to fully mix. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar a little at a time. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Frost the cookies. Frost the fully cooled cookies with a knife or transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe it on. Sprinkle some crushed pecans on top if desired.
Tips for the Best Cookies
Here are a few things to keep in mind when making these carrot cake cookies with cream cheese frosting for the first time.
- Avoid pre-shredded carrots. Pre-shredded carrots in the bag are too dry for this recipe. It’s important to shred fresh carrots yourself. The moisture they add to the cookies is worth the effort.
- Do not overbake the cookies. The cookies should still look a little wet on top when they’re pulled from the oven and give a bit when touched. Overbaking can result in dry cookies.
- Let the cookies cool completely. Be sure to plan at least an hour between pulling the cookies out of the oven and frosting them. If they are still warm, they’ll melt the cream cheese frosting.
- Don’t burn the butter. Browned butter should have a nutty aroma. If it starts to smell burnt or there are burnt specks instead of brown specks, toss it out and start over.
- Adjust the frosting consistency. Only add as much milk as needed to achieve a frosting that is thick but spreadable. It may only take a couple of tablespoons. If the frosting ends up too thin, just add a bit more powdered sugar.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature: Store carrot cake cookies with cream cheese frosting in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay soft for 4-5 days.
- Freezer: For longer storage, let the cookies cool completely then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. It’s best to freeze unfrosted cookies. To freeze frosted cookies, flash freeze on a baking sheet to harden the frosting first. Freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw on the counter.
Carrot Cake Cookies
These Carrot Cake Cookies are soft and moist with the classic warmly spiced carrot flavor. Brown butter cream cheese frosting adds a little something special. They’re quick and easy to prepare, making them ideal for the Easter dessert table or any other occasion.
Servings: 34 cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cookies:
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cups finely shredded fresh carrots
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 4-8 Tablespoons milk
- ½ cup pecans finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Set aside.
- Add the butter, white sugar and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Cream together on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until smooth, light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and eggs and mix to combine well.
- Add the grated carrots and stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix slowly until there are no more flour streaks. Do not over mix.
- Use a cookie scoop to place the cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the tops look almost dry and they give just a little when touched on top.
- Remove the cookies and transfer them to a baking sheet to cool completely before frosting.
Prepare the Frosting:
- Add the butter to a small saucepan and melt over medium heat stirring often.
- Once the butter melts completely, cook for another minute or two while stirring frequently.
- Continue heating and stirring the butter until it reaches a deep golden color and brown flecks appear at the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly.
- Add the cream cheese and browned butter to a mixing bowl and mix on low speed at first to combine, then increase to medium speed until it’s fully mixed.
- Add the vanilla and combine.
- Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until it is just mixed (you don’t want sugar to go flying everywhere). It will be dry and crumbly at first.
- Add a tablespoon of milk at a time to the frosting until it reaches a smooth and creamy texture.
- Once the cookies are fully cooled, frost the cookies with a knife or add it to a piping bag.
- If desired, sprinkle some crushed pecans over the top.
Last Step:
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Store carrot cake cookies at room temperature for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 1230IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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2 comments on “Carrot Cake Cookies”
Ok, I didn’t see the directions below but I did see above. I mixed all the dry, all the wet, then mixed together. I included the carrots in the wet and the nuts in the dry. I did not do the part with the sugar around the glass to flatten the cookie but these came out looking amazing and tasting amazing! My family loved them! Mine came out golden brown; crunchy around the outside and soft and chewy inside. I can’t even imagine how much more awesome they would taste had I followed the recipe correctly. Looks like the only way to mess these up is to miss an ingredient or burned them!
Love all these and I’m gonna try them