Carrot Cake Cookies
Christy, Sinkology’s food-loving recipe blogger, is here to share some recipes she has created for the Sinkology blog that reflect our view of a copper sink: simple, timeless, affordable, and beautifully rustic.
Carrot cake is my absolute favorite cake flavor so when I saw this recipe for carrot cake cookies in my Bon Appetit magazine years ago, I had to make them. Since then, it has become one of my top 5 favorite cookie recipes. Most carrot cake cookie recipes are for soft and “cakey” type cookie instead of a true cookie with buttery crisp edges and chewy middle. One bite of this delicious cookie will evoke all the characteristics of a carrot cake wrapped up in a cookie with its subtle cinnamon and brown sugar base speckled with grated carrots, walnuts, and shredded coconut.
Let’s start baking some delicious carrot cookies! Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grate your carrots if you didn’t take the easy route like I did by buying the already pre-shredded carrots in a bag. Those are handy. My grated carrots were super long so I did a rough chop to make them smaller, about 1“ long – not minced.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat together the softened butter and both sugars on medium speed until creamy, a minute or 2. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Continue to beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.
Add the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Stir in (or use the mixer on low speed) the grated carrots, walnuts and coconut. If you aren't a fan of coconut, please feel free to omit it, but the carrots and walnuts are a must to make them a true carrot cookie. Feel free to swap walnuts with pecans if you prefer as well.
On prepared cookie sheets lined with parchment or silicone mat, drop a heaping tbsp. of cookie batter, spaced 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.
Let cool on the baking sheet for a minute then transfer to a cooling rack.
While the cookies are baking, make the cream cheese filling if desired and chill in the refrigerator until the cookies have cooled completely.
Half of my family prefers the cookies without cream cheese and the other half prefers them with cream cheese. You can’t go wrong with either one! Sandwich the flat sides of the cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling. I actually prefer one cookie spread with cream cheese so I can add more walnuts on the top.
You can store cookies without cream cheese at room temperature in an airtight container but if you use cream cheese filling, then store in the refrigerator.
- 1 ÂĽ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ÂĽ tsp. salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup grated carrots, about 2 medium carrots (or use pre-shredded carrots from a bag). Roughly chopped if necessary to no longer than 1' pieces.
- 1 scant cup walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 8 oz. cream cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1. Preheat oven 375F.
- 2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, beat together butter and both sugars on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg and vanilla extract. Continue to beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and beat on low just until combined. Stir in the grated carrots, walnuts, and shredded coconut.
- 3. Drop a heaping tbsp. cookie batter about 2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mat. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.
- 4. Let cool on baking sheet for a minute then transfer to cooling rack.
- 5. While cookies are baking, make the cream cheese filling if desired. Beat together cream cheese and 2 cups powdered sugar until smooth.
- 6. Sandwich the flat sides of cooled cookies together with a generous tbsp. of cream cheese filling in between. Or spread some on individual cookies and top with extra walnuts.
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