These Carrot Cake Cookies are everything you love about carrot cake in an irresistible cookie! These cookies are loaded with carrots, warm spices and toasted pecans and topped with a luscious brown butter cream cheese icing! Whether you’re baking for Easter or just because, these cookies are sure to be a hit.
If you love carrot cake, you’ll also want to try my Nana’s famous Carrot Cake, Carrot Cake Bars and this Slow Cooker Carrot Cake!
Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe
Carrot cake has always been one of my favorite desserts, so turning it into a soft, chewy cookie just made sense! These carrot cake cookies have all the delicious warm spices, sweet shredded carrots, and crunchy toasted pecans that I love in the classic cake, but now they’re in an easier to eat handheld form.
And let’s be honest, the best part of any carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting, so I had to make sure these cookies had a generous swirl of cream cheese icing (with brown butter!) The nutty, caramel-like flavor of the brown butter takes the frosting to a whole new level, making these cookies absolutely irresistible.
I also love how easy these cookies are to make ahead. Chilling the dough in the freezer for an hour helps the flavors develop and keeps the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. Plus, they bake up beautifully golden with slightly crisp edges and a soft, cake-like center.
Whether you’re making them for Easter or just because you’re craving a sweet treat, these cookies are sure to be a hit. Trust me, once you take a bite, you’ll want to make them again and again!
A Wilton 2A Open Round Piping Tip creates those beautiful swirls of browned butter cream cheese on top of these cookies!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These carrot cake cookies are everything you love about classic carrot cake, but packed in a soft, spiced, and perfectly chewy cookie. With warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, plus a generous swirl of brown butter cream cheese icing, they’re an irresistible treat for any occasion. Here’s why we love them:
- Classic Carrot Cake Flavor: Packed with shredded carrots, toasted pecans, and warm spices, these cookies have all the flavors of a homemade carrot cake in a single serving form.
- Brown Butter Icing: The rich, nutty brown butter takes the cream cheese frosting over the top, making each bite melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Chilling the dough before baking enhances the flavor and helps the cookies keep their perfect shape, so they turn out beautiful every time!
What You’ll Need
Love that these cookies call for pantry staples! They are so easy to whip up no matter the occasion.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies
Soft, chewy, and bursting with warm spices, these carrot cake cookies are the perfect twist on my Nana’s Carrot Cake recipe. Loaded with shredded carrots, toasted pecans plus a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger – you get all of the delicious flavors of carrot cake in cookie form.
As always, you can find the full printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Carrot Cake Cookies
- Cream together the butter and both sugars.
- Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated, scrape down the bowl and add vanilla.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
- Mix in the dry ingredients on medium-low speed. Add the carrots and pecans.
- Scoop out the dough into balls and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and place the dough balls in the freezer.
- Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes at 350°F.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing
- Brown butter in a small pan over medium heat. Remove the butter from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Cream together the cream cheese and cooled brown butter. Add the vanilla.
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add the cinnamon and salt. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Transfer icing to a piping bag (if using) or you can spread the icing on top of each cookie using a spoon or offset spatula. (I used a round piping tip.)
- Pipe the icing around to form a swirl. Garnish with chopped pecans.
Lightly toasting the pecans enhances their nutty flavor and gives them a nice crunch. All they need is a few minutes in a dry skillet, until they turn golden brown and have a nutty smell!
Storage Information
- Room Temperature: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If they are frosted, place parchment paper between layers to prevent them from sticking together.
- Refrigerator: For longer storage, store frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them reach room temperature before enjoying for the best texture.
- Freezing (Unfrosted Cookies): Place baked, unfrosted cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.
- Freezing Cookie Dough: Scoop the cookie dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet until firm. Store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding an extra 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
Variations to Try
- Stir in a handful of raisins for a pop of extra sweetness and a chewy texture.
- Skip the pecans or replace them with shredded coconut for a nut-free alternative.
- If you love warm spices, add a pinch of cloves or allspice to add more flavor.
- Use half whole wheat flour for a slightly heartier texture while still keeping them soft and chewy.
Why do I need to chill the dough?
Chilling the dough helps the cookies keep their shape and prevents them from spreading too much while they’re baking. It also enhances the flavor!
Can I use pre-shredded carrots?
Definitely don’t recommend it. Freshly shredded carrots work best because they have more moisture. Pre-shredded store-bought carrots tend to be too dry and can make the cookies less soft.
What if my cookies don’t flatten while baking?
If the dough is too cold or thick sometimes, the cookies will hold their shape while baking. Simply “drop” or “slap” the baking sheet on a flat surface – like your counter top – to flatten the cookies.
Can I add raisins?
Absolutely! These cookies are delicious with raisins! I like to soak my raisins or golden raisins in hot water for about 10 minutes and then pat dry before adding to the dough along with the pecans.
Trish’s Tips
- Use a fine grater to shred the carrots so they blend seamlessly into the dough, keeping the cookies soft and moist.
- Freezing the dough balls for at least an hour helps the cookies hold their shape and prevents them from spreading too much while baking.
- Brown butter can go from golden and nutty to burnt in seconds. Stir constantly and remove it from the heat as soon as it turns a deep amber color.
- Beat the brown butter and cream cheese well before adding the powdered sugar to ensure a silky, lump-free frosting. If it’s too thick, a splash of milk or cream will help loosen it up.
- While you can spread the icing with a spoon, piping it on creates a pretty swirl and makes the cookies look bakery-worthy!
More Cookies To Try
- Easter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Coconut Cream Pie Cookie Cups
- Easter Cake Mix Cookies
- Lemon Meringue Cookie Cups
- Coconut Macaroons
- Italian Easter Cookies
Carrot Cake Cookies
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup finely shredded fresh carrots
- ½ cup chopped pecans toasted
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing
- ½ cup salted butter browned, cooled to room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Garnish
- chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
Carrot Cake Cookies
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated, scrape down the bowl half way through mixing and add vanilla.1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until they are all mixed together.2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Add the dry ingredients into the stand mixer and mix on medium-low speed until dry ingredients are just mixed together.
- While the mixer is on the lowest speed, slowly add the carrots and pecans. Mix just until combined, do not over mix dough.1 cup finely shredded fresh carrots, ½ cup chopped pecans
- Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the dough into balls and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and place the dough balls into the freezer to set for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a separate baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. The cookies will spread and you don’t want them to run together during the baking process.
- Bake cookies for about 15 minutes, checking to make sure they are done. You will know that the cookies are done baking when the tops no longer look wet and shiny. If they need more time let them bake for another couple of minutes and then check them again. Oven temperatures can vary so I like to use an oven thermometer to make sure that the temperature is correct. If you do not have an oven thermometer, check on your cookies often, starting around the 13 minute mark.
- Once cookies are baked, remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet. To make your cookies perfectly round you can set a a large biscuit cutter or large mouthed glass over each cookie and gently swirl it around to even out all of the sides.
- For each batch of cookies I like to use a separate baking sheet. You do not want to put the raw cookie dough onto a warm sheet from the oven or this can cause your cookies to bake incorrectly.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing
- While the cookies are baking, brown your butter in a small pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, I constantly stir the butter making sure that it does not burn and so that I can watch it carefully. You want to remove the butter from the heat once it has reached a beautiful golden brown. Set the pan aside so that the butter can cool.½ cup salted butter
- Once all of the cookies are baked and are cooling, start making your icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and cooled brown butter. Add the vanilla.8 ounces cream cheese, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Once the cream cheese, brown butter, and vanilla are mixed together add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. In the last cup of powdered sugar, add the cinnamon and salt.3 cups powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Once all of the ingredients are combined, mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until the icing is light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and mix for 1 minutes to get rid of any air bubbles.
- If your icing is too thick you can add a splash of milk or heavy cream. Too thin, place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- To ice the cookies, you can use a piping bag or you can spread the icing on top of each cookie using a spoon or offset spatula.
- If using a piping bag, fill the bag with icing and tie off the end. Cut a hole in the end of the bag and starting in the center of the cookie, pipe the icing around to form a swirl.
- Garnish with chopped pecans.chopped toasted pecans
Notes
- Room Temperature: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If they are frosted, place parchment paper between layers to prevent them from sticking together.
- Refrigerator: For longer storage, store frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them reach room temperature before enjoying for the best texture.
- Freezing (Unfrosted Cookies): Place baked, unfrosted cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.
- Freezing Cookie Dough: Scoop the cookie dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet until firm. Store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding an extra 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
Can I use pre-shredded carrots? Definitely don’t recommend it. Freshly shredded carrots work best because they have more moisture. Pre-shredded store-bought carrots tend to be too dry and can make the cookies less soft.
What if my cookies don’t flatten while baking? If the dough is too cold or thick sometimes, the cookies will hold their shape while baking. Simply “drop” or “slap” the baking sheet on a flat surface – like your counter top – to flatten the cookies.
Tools and Equipment (affiliate links): Half Sheet Baking Sheet | Parchment Sheets | Box Grater | Electric Mixer (Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer) | 3 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop |Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Round Piping Tips | Wilton 2A Round Piping Tip (tip I used) | Large Biscuit Cutter
Please see post above for more information, recipe tips and frequently asked questions.
Kathy says
Hi. I made these for Easter and they were a huge hit! I opted to make a brown sugar and cinnamon flavored drizzle rather than the icing, as my daughter and a few family members are not cream cheese fans.