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A variety of easy carrot cake cookies topped with cream cheese frosting and walnuts, plain, or coated in coconut.

Carrot Cake Cookies

The best chewy carrot cake cookies made with maple syrup and brown sugar. These cookies are topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting for the perfect holiday treat.

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
YIELD 30 1-oz cookies

Ingredients

Carrot Cake Cookies

  • 2 large carrots, peeled and finely grated (160g wet)
  • 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 /2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter
  • ⅔ cup (135g) light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup (120 ml) real maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (25g) chopped pecans, walnuts, or pistachios *optional
  • ⅛ cup (18g) raisins, finely chopped (golden raisins preferred) *optional
  • ½ cup dessicated coconut, for rolling *optional

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 oz (113g) block full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 cups (233g) powdered sugar, sifted *or more
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

Dry the carrot shreds

  1. On a parchment-lined sheet pan, spread the shredded carrots in a thin layer. Dehydrate them in your oven on a low temperature (200-225℉/100℃) for around 25-30 minutes. They should be dry and shriveled, reducing down to very small shreds with just a slight bit of moisture to them. Separate them with your fingers to prevent clumps. Dry carrot yield should be around ½ cup (22g).

Carrot Cake Cookies

  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and dried carrot shreds. Set aside.

  2. In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add maple syrup and beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.

  3. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Then mix in pecans and raisins by hand to avoid over-mixing.

  4. Wrap cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. If the chilled cookie dough is hard to handle after being chilled, leave it on the counter for a few minutes to soften.

  5. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line 2 pans with parchment paper.

  6. Drop rounded balls of dough, 30g or 1.5 tablespoons each, onto prepared baking sheets (I like using this ice cream scoop to create my cookie dough balls). Leave 2-inches/5cm between each cookie. Roll any cookies in coconut now, before you bake them.

  7. Bake for 9-10 minutes, just until the cookies begin to brown at the edges. Cookies will appear slightly undone but will continue to bake on the warm baking sheet. Leave cookies to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then on high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. If you want a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar.

  2. Frosting can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Before using, bring to room temperature and whisk by hand for a few seconds until satiny and smooth. Alternately, you can warm it slightly in the microwave for easy spreading on cookies.

Recipe Notes

Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months if kept in an airtight container in the freezer.

COOKIE CUP VARIATION:

Carrot cake cookie cups are just as easy to make too. Instead of baking cookies on a sheet pan, place cookie dough balls 1 tablespoon in size into a greased mini muffin pan. Using a flour-coated tablespoon, press down into the centers of the cookies to create a cup-shaped well in the middle. Dipping the underside of the tablespoon in flour ensures it won't stick to your dough. Bake the cookie cups for 7-8 minutes, until they start puffing up in the center. Remove pan from oven and press the measuring spoon gently back into the centers before they cool down. Let the cookie cups rest in the mini muffin pan for 10-15 minutes until cool and remove.