Carrot Cake Cookies

stacked carrot cake cookies on plate with carrots nearby

The older I get, the more appreciative I am for sweet treat recipes that have some nutritional value. This Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe is a perfect example of baking something that can be used as a relatively healthy snack, shhh… don’t tell the kids 😉

Carrots are great as a primary ingredient. These vegetables have many listed health benefits, including improving vision, balancing blood sugar, and they contain natural antioxidants.

carrot cake cookies on plate with carrots

Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe

This recipe requires several ingredients and is not the most simple recipe. If you are looking for a quicker and easier cookie recipe, you should check out our Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.

Ingredients

  •  2¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
  • 3½ teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 1 – 8 ounce Package Cream Cheese, softened
  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract (Recommend our Pure Vanilla Bean Extract)
  • ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
  • ¾ cup Brown Sugar, packed
  • ¾ teaspoon Salt
  •  1 Large Egg + 1 Large Egg Yolk
  • 1¼ cups Carrots, finely grated (Recommend Organic)
  • 6 tablespoons Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and spices until well blended. Set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Beat in both the sugars, vanilla, and salt. Mix thoroughly until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add an egg and egg yolk and beat in well until creamy and light, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. At a low speed, gradually add flour mixture and incorporate the flour fully. Fold in carrots and coconut until thoroughly mixed. The dough will be very sticky. Cover your bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  4. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
  5. Using a spring-loaded cookie scoop, measure out the cookie dough and place them on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. On a standard size cookie sheet, I am typically able to fit 12 cookies.
  6. One by one, toss each cookie dough ball in the powdered sugar and shake around until each has been thoroughly coated. Return the baking sheet and repeat with all of the dough. 
  7. Bake until cookies have spread into round cookie shapes and are puffed and crackly, about 15 minutes. Do not overbake. The cookies will still be soft in the centers. If they start to brown around the edges, they have baked too long. The underside of the cookies should be lightly browned.

stacked carrot cake cookies on plate with carrots nearby

Carrot Cake Cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Fridge Dough Resting Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • 1 Oven
  • 1 Electric or Stand Mixer
  • 1 Baking Sheet
  • 1 Parchment Paper
  • 1 Medium Mixing Bowl
  • 1 Small Mixing Bowl
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Cookie Dough Scoop – Or Large Spoon

Ingredients
  

  • cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
  • tsp Baking Powder
  • tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp Ground Allspice
  • ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
  • ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 8 oz 1 Package Cream Cheese – softened
  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter – softened
  • 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract – suggest our Pure Vanilla Bean Extract

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and spices until well blended. Set aside.
  • Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Beat in both the sugars, vanilla, and salt. Mix thoroughly until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add an egg and egg yolk and beat in well until creamy and light, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  • At a low speed, gradually add flour mixture and incorporate the flour fully. Fold in carrots and coconut until thoroughly mixed. The dough will be very sticky. Cover your bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  • The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Using a spring-loaded cookie scoop, measure out the cookie dough and place them on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. On a standard size cookie sheet, I am typically able to fit 12 cookies.
  • One by one, toss each cookie dough ball in the powdered sugar and shake around until each has been thoroughly coated. Return the baking sheet and repeat with all of the dough. 
  • Bake until cookies have spread into round cookie shapes and are puffed and crackly, about 15 minutes. Do not overbake. The cookies will still be soft in the centers. If they start to brown around the edges, they have baked too long. The underside of the cookies should be lightly browned.
Keyword Carrots, Cookies, Vanilla