The Best Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese
There’s something about carrot cake cookies with cream cheese that feels like a warm hug in dessert form. Imagine all the cozy flavors of a classic carrot cake, sweet carrots, cinnamon, and brown sugar, but in a soft, handheld cookie topped with thick, velvety cream cheese frosting. Sounds irresistible, right?
Servings: 18
Calories: 210kcal
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake Cookies:
- 1 ½ cups 190g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup 115g unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup 100g brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup 50g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup 100g finely shredded carrots
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz 113g cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup 60g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups 180g powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start by gathering your ingredients, making sure the butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature for smooth mixing.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This ensures everything is evenly distributed.
- Next, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, around 2-3 minutes. This step helps create a soft texture in your cookies.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing just until combined, bringing a warm flavor to the dough.
- Stir in the grated carrots, making sure they’re finely shredded to blend well with the dough.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring gently to avoid overworking the dough, keeping your cookies tender.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. This will make it easier to scoop and prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
- Drop scoops of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, ensuring ample space between each cookie for even baking. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes, until the edges are golden, and the centers set.
- Cool the cookies for a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack.
- While they cool, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until fluffy.
- Once the cookies are cool, frost them generously with the creamy frosting for a delicious finish!
Notes
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to prevent spreading and get the perfect cookie shape.
- Grate the carrots finely for an even texture in every bite.
- Wait until the cookies cool before frosting to keep the cream cheese frosting from melting.