These carrot cake cookies are perfect for Easter! Soft, chewy cookies have warm, flavorful spices like carrot cake and are topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Love carrot cake recipes? Try caramel carrot cake, carrot cake cupcakes, and classic carrot cake, too!
Table of Contents
Easy Carrot Cake Cookies
If you love the classic flavors of carrot cake, these carrot cake cookies with cream cheese frosting are perfect for your Easter dessert table this year!
They’re soft, moist, and cake-like and require just 12 minutes in the oven for when you want the taste of a carrot cake without having to bake one. They are the perfect spring treat slathered in frosting or enjoy one plain for breakfast or snack!
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make. This carrot cookie recipe takes around 40 minutes to make from start to finish and that’s including icing!
- Flavorful. These cookies have just the right amount of carrot taste, sweet warm cinnamon spice plus the buttery taste of cake-like cookies with a heavenly icing.
- Make ahead. Bake them completely and allow them to cool before storing them. Take them out when you’re ready to enjoy them and ice!
Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar.
- Wet ingredients: Unsalted softened butter, at room temperature, vanilla, and eggs.
- Carrots: Freshly grated carrots patted dry with a paper towel. Do not use pre-shredded as they are too dry and will not provide the right amount of moisture for these cookies.
- For the cream cheese frosting: Softened cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
Substitutions and Variations
- A delicious cream cheese frosting is just the beginning. Try a brown butter frosting, maple cream cheese frosting or caramel cream cheese frosting instead.
- Throw some chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter or use some as a garnish on top of the icing.
- Adding 1/2 cup raisins would make a great addition.
- Add coconut flakes for a hint of the tropics to pair with the warm spices.
- For extra spice, add some ground ginger or cloves to your cookie dough.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set that aside.
- Mix wet ingredients. To the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment cream butter and sugars, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. When it looks pale and airy mix in the vanilla and eggs until combined. Then, fold in the carrots.
- Combine the two bowls. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined and no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix. Scoop about 2 Tablespoons of dough and drop the cookies onto a prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. In a preheated 350°F oven until the edges start to brown. Let them cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting. While the cookies are cooling grab a large bowl and beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar a cup at a time until fully mixed in. Add vanilla and salt and mix until fluffy and easily spreadable.
- Cool and frost the carrot cake cookies. Once cookies are completely cooled, spread frosting overtop. Adding it to cookies that are still warm will thin out the frosting leaving it runny. Add a garnish of chopped nuts on top if desired. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Shredding carrots. Use a box grater or food processor to shred the carrots easily. Don’t use the bagged carrots (your cookies won’t be as moist).
- Even amounts of dough. A cookie scoop for the dough can help make sure all your cookies are the same size.
- Sandwich cookies. Place frosting in between two carrot cake cookies back to back and turn them into carrot cake sandwich cookies.
- A colorful frosting. Add a drop or two of food coloring to the frosting to match any special occasion. Add a carrot gummy or Easter sprinkles to make them festive.
Recipe FAQs
This is either because the flour wasn’t measured properly (using the spoon and level method), the batter was overmixed, or the cookies were overbaked.
Once the edges are golden remove the cookies from the oven. They may be slightly soft and underdone in the middle, but they will continue to bake on the sheet as they cool. Make sure to remove them to a cooling rack.
You can! You won’t have the same from scratch flavors or the sweetness and moisture from the fresh carrots. Follow this recipe here for cake mix cookies and just use a box of carrot cake mix.
Certainly. Once you’ve scooped them onto parchment paper or the silicone mat, place them in the freezer to flash freeze until solid. Once frozen transfer them to a freezer bag and keep them frozen for months.
When you are ready to bake them, place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven. No need to thaw them first.
No need to refrigerate these! Keep them covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Want more easy cookie recipes? Try these 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies, funfetti cake mix cookies, and gooey butter cookies next!
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Carrot Cake Cookies
Video
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt , or 3/4 table salt
- 1 ½ -2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups finely fresh grated carrots , patted dry with a paper towel (*see notes)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4-6 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar , more as needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch Kosher salt
Optional: pinch of salt, food coloring
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with a silicone mat.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add 1/2 teaspoon more cinnamon for extra flavor.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium 2 to 3 minutes, or until pale and airy. Mix in the vanilla and eggs until combined. Fold in the carrots.
- Stir flour mixture into the batter until just combined and no streaks remain, being careful not to over-mix.
- Using a large cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop cookies on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Let cool 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until completely incorporated. Mix in vanilla and salt until desired consistency is reached (should be fluffy and easily spreadable).
- Spread frosting over completely cooled cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Cookies, Desserts, Easter, Frosted Cookies, Kid-Friendly, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
For shipping purposes- Does the frosting harden at all?
It will slightly if left out, but it is definitely a softer frosting.
These carrot cake cookies are so easy to make, full of flavor and was super delicious! We loved it much!
I made these cookies and they turned out great! I love the blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and carrots. Just the right sweetness. Delicious!
i added some crushed nuts and some chopped raisins
That sounds delicious BettyLou!
These are carrot cake cookies were amazing!!!! And the cream cheese frosting was to die for!! I will be making these for our family’s Easter brunch!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! :)
I made these for my carrot-cake loving husband and he said he prefers these over cake! Thank you!
My new favorite cookies! I just enjoyed my last one with my coffee. Just delicious!