As two cookbook authors, we love creating recipes that create a fusion between two equally delicious foods. So here’s a fun mashup up our most popular cookie with our favorite seasonal cake flavor: this carrot cake cookies recipe! These soft and chewy cookies have all the best elements of carrot cake: moist, spiced cake, vibrant flecks of carrot, and crunch of walnuts or pecans—all condensed into bite-sized perfection! Top it all off with a drizzle of cream cheese frosting and it’s a perfect sweet treat for spring (or in any season, we think!). Jump to the recipe—now.
Why make these carrot cake cookies
These carrot cake cookies are outrageously good: chewy, soft, and delicious! We developed them based on our popular chocolate chip cookies, and we might like them even better. Here are a few reasons to love them:
People love them. Our recipe tester Lexi said, “The spices are spot on. They definitely taste like carrot cake, but in cookie form. They were really fun to make and so good! By the way, they taste AMAZING straight from the fridge. Quite addictive.” They are easy and store well. There’s no chilling the dough required and no special techniques. And, these cookies stay soft and chewy for days! The cookies have nutritious ingredients. They’re not a health food, but these cookies are loaded with old Fashioned oats, carrots and walnuts. They’re easy to make vegan. These cookies are eggless and can be made with coconut oil for vegan or with butter!
Ingredients you need
Carrot cake is not hard to make, but whipping up a layer cake does take some time and technique. Instead, these cookies are bite-sized forms of carrot cake that come together simply and require less overall quantities of ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need for these carrot cake cookies:
Baking essentials: Neutral oil (grapeseed, canola or vegetable), butter or coconut oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, all-purpose flour Produce: Carrots, applesauce Pantry ingredients: Old Fashioned oats, walnuts, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt Icing ingredients: Cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk
A note on almond extract
We highly recommend using the almond extract for the best flavor! The recipe calls for 1/16 teaspoon extract (1 to 2 drops), which is just enough to give it a nuance in flavor but not enough that it is strongly perceptible. We use a ⅛ teaspoon measure and fill it halfway; if you don’t have one, you can approximate using a ¼ teaspoon.
Tips for baking carrot cake cookies
There are a few tips for baking the best carrot cake cookies! Here’s what we do to get even-sized cookies that work every time:
Use a cookie scoop or weigh the batter. If you have a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, it’s helpful for portioning the dough: just overfill it slightly. You can also weigh out the batter at approximately 50 grams per cookie (or weigh your entire dough and divide by 18). Non-stick cookie sheets are helpful. This has become our preferred method for cookies. We recommend using two of these non-stick cookie sheets for the most even bake. Bake each tray separately for the most even bake. If you have a very even oven, you can try baking both sheets at once and rotate the sheets halfway through. However, our oven is pretty uneven so this is what works best! There’s no need to refrigerate the dough in between batches.
For the cream cheese icing
The cream cheese drizzle is what takes these cookies to the next level! You’ll need just cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and milk (vegan as desired). We piped on the icing using a piping bag, but you can use a fork to drizzle as well.
Warm 3 tablespoons cream cheese in the microwave or stovetop. Warming it makes it easy to stir into a glaze. Adjust the liquid as necessary. The icing will feel very thick at first, but keep stirring and it will form into a thick drizzle. That’s all there is to it! Use a piping bag for neat zig zags, or a fork for a messy, more organic drizzle. Don’t use a spoon, which makes for more of a thick, uneven look.
Dietary swaps: they’re easily vegan!
These carrot cake cookies are easily made vegan! Simply use refined coconut oil, which is our favorite way to make these cookies (the butter is a swap). For the icing, use vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, and the plant-based milk of your choice. Or, go to this Vegan Cream Cheese Icing.
Storage info
Carrot cake cookies hold up well over time, keeping their chewy texture. Here’s what to note about storing them:
Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 1 week. The texture holds up well and they stay chewy with no need to add anything to the container. Store refrigerated for 2 weeks. Allow to come to room temperature before serving. Store frozen for up to 3 months.
More cookies recipes
Carrot cake cookies are perfect as a spring recipe or any time of year! Here are a few more cookies you might enjoy:
This carrot cake cookies recipe is…
Vegetarian. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, see the Dietary Swaps section above.
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⅓ cup neutral oil (grapeseed, canola or vegetable) ¼ cup refined coconut oil or butter, at room temperature ½ cup granulated sugar ¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce ½ tablespoon vanilla extract 1/16 teaspoon almond extract (optional but recommended)* 2 cups [280 g] all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¾ teaspoon kosher salt 1 ¼ cups Old Fashioned oats ¾ cup shredded carrots (large grated) ½ cup chopped walnuts (toasted in a dry skillet for a few minutes until fragrant, if desired)
For the cream cheese icing (or vanilla glaze)
¼ cup cream cheese (or vegan cream cheese) 2 tablespoons butter (or vegan butter) 1 cup powdered sugar 2 to 3 teaspoons milk of choice
