Carrot Cake Cookies
You will fall in love with these carrot cake cookies. The soft carrot cookies have amazing flavor from vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and are frosted with brown butter cream cheese frosting. An easy cookie recipe for springtime, Easter dessert, or anytime!
Ingredients for Carrot Cake Cookies
Carrot Cake Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda + baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon + nutmeg
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Light brown sugar + granulated sugar
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract.
- Carrots – Very finely grated carrots. Use a food processor for best results.
- Milk – Room temperature.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Unsalted butter – To make brown butter. Check out my baking tutorial on how to make brown butter to learn more. For this recipe, we will need the brown butter solid, but at room temperature.
- Cream cheese – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla bean paste, if preferred.
- Heavy cream – A bit of heavy cream helps the frosting become smooth and creamy.
- Salt – A pinch of salt provides some contrast to the sweetness of the frosting.
Additional Ingredients
- Chopped pecans – Optional, for decoration.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Make the cookie batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. Cream the unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Stir in finely grated carrots. Add the dry ingredients to the carrot mixture, alternating with the milk. Mix on low speed until the cookie batter comes together.
- Bake the cookies: Portion the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and place on the prepared baking sheet pans. Bake the cookies for about 12 to 13 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the brown butter: Check out this tutorial on how to make brown butter. Chill the brown butter in the refrigerator until solid and then bring to room temperature to soften before making the frosting.
- Make the brown butter cream cheese frosting: Whip the brown butter and cream cheese for 5 minutes until light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until combined. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip the frosting for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the cookies: Fill a piping bag with the tip cut off with the frosting. Pipe the frosting onto the cookies and use an offset spatula to spread. Decorate the cookies with chopped pecans, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cookies to learn simple tips and tricks to make the most out of this recipe!
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough to create round, even, and uniform cookies.
- Immediately when the cookies come out of the oven, use the back of a spoon or a large round cookie cutter to gently shape the cookies so they are perfectly round.
- Be sure that the carrots are very finely grated. I recommend using a food processor, but if you don’t have one, you can use a box grater with the smallest grate size.
- You can make the brown butter a day or two ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Just bring it to room temperature before you start to make the frosting. Check out my tutorial on how to make brown butter to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the cookies?
Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
What is brown butter?
Brown butter is butter that has been cooked to the point that the milk solids toast and create little browned bits that have a nutty, caramelized taste. The butter will take on a deep golden brown color and you will see small brown flecks of nutty goodness in the buttercream.
Can I use regular cream cheese frosting on the cookies?
Yes! Check out my recipe for the best cream cheese frosting here. For this recipe, you will need about half of the recipe.
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Carrot Cake Cookies
Yield: 16 cookies
You will fall in love with these carrot cake cookies. The soft carrot cookies have amazing flavor from vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and are frosted with brown butter cream cheese frosting. An easy cookie recipe for springtime, Easter dessert, or anytime!
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely grated carrots
- ¼ cup milk room temperature
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cup unsalted butter to make brown butter
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp heavy cream
- ¼ tsp salt
Additional Ingredients
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional
Instructions
Carrot Cake Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and mix until combined and smooth. Stir in the finely grated carrots.
- Add half of the flour mixture into the carrot mixture and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Pour in the milk and mix until mostly combined. Then, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until the ingredients are well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Portion the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and place on the prepared baking sheet pans, allowing room for spreading. Bake the cookies for approximately 12 to 13 minutes until the cookies are puffed up. Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- First, make the brown butter. You can make the brown butter ahead of time. Add the unsalted butter to a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted. Continue to cook the butter, stirring regularly, until the butter starts to foam. At this point, the milk solids in the butter will start to turn a golden brown color. Stir the butter constantly so the milk solids do not burn. Once your achieve a golden brown color (which will happen quickly), remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the brown butter into a heat-safe bowl immediately.
- Cool the melted brown butter to room temperature, then, cover and chill the butter in the refrigerator until it solidifies. Bring the brown butter to room temperature before making the buttercream frosting.
- To make the brown butter cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together the softened brown butter and cream cheese for about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and salt. Mix the frosting low speed until combined and then increase the speed to medium and whip for a minute or two. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Assembling the Cookies
- Fill a piping bag with the tip cut off with the brown butter cream cheese frosting. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled carrot cookies and spread with an offset spatula. Decorate the cookies with chopped pecans, if desired.
Notes
- Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Made This Recipe?
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
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