Carrot Cake Cookies are everything you love about carrot cake in a cookie! Ribbons of fresh carrots, pineapple juice plumped raisins, coconut, cinnamon, drizzled with a cream cheese frosting and crushed walnuts!
Carrot Cake is a favorite dessert any time.
The classic combination of homey cinnamon, tangy cream cheese, crunchy walnuts along with fresh grated carrot and raisins are just the start of this favorite dessert.
Imagine everything you love about Carrot Cake rolled into a Carrot Cake Cookie!
They are easy to make. Great to nibble on.
Perfect when you don’t want to make or have a whole cake.
You’ll find all the ingredients you love in one bite-size package!
Carrot Cake Cookies
These cookies are not overly sweet and enjoyable with or without the frosting.
The addition of raising soaked in pineapple juice adds some extra natural sweetness!
For the classic Carrot Cake flavor the cream cheese frosting drizzle and crushed walnuts are a must!
The cookies are soft both inside and out.
The grated carrots, raisins and coconut give a satisfying chunky texture to the cookies.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- All Purpose Flour (regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend)
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- ground Cinnamon
- Egg Yolks
- Light Brown Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Pineapple juice
- Sweetened Coconut Flakes
- Raisins
- Carrots
- Confectioner’s/Powdered sugar
- Walnuts
Ingredients Notes
Flour
These carrot cake cookies can be made with regular All-Purpose Flour or a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend.
My recommended gluten-free flour is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Cream Cheese Frosting
The frosting is made with:
- Confectioner’s/Powdered Sugar
- Cream Cheese
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
It’s quickly beaten into a creamy frosting then warmed so it can be drizzled on top.
Crushed walnuts make the finishing touch.
Pro Tips for Making Carrot Cake Cookies
Do not overmix the recipe steps using flour. This will keep the cookies from becoming dense.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before moving them. This is especially important if making them gluten-free. Being a softer cookie this allows them to become firmer to handle.
Allow the frosting to set before stacking the cookies. The frosting does not harden but does become set. Waiting allows storing them without a mess.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies – Step-by-Step
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 2: Place the raisins and pineapple juice in a bowl for 15 minutes (photos 1-2). Drain and reserve the pineapple juice.
STEP 3: Using a mixer cream together the butter (1 stick – 8 tablespoons) and brown sugar until creamy (photos 3-4).
STEP 4: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt (photo 5). Whisk together (photo 6).
STEP 5: Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture (photo 7). Beat to fully combine.
STEP 6: In a small bowl mix together the egg yolks, pineapple juice and vanilla (photos 8-9). Beat into the dough mixture (photo 10).
STEP 7: Add the carrots, raisins and coconut (photo 11) and stir in by hand just until combined (photo 12).
STEP 8: Using a large cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons) scoop onto the prepared baking sheet with 2-inches in between (see photo below).
Bake 10-12 minutes until the tops of the cookies are no longer wet.
Cool completely on the baking sheet then transfer to a sheet of wax paper for frosting.
Making the Cream Cheese Frosting
STEP 9: Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of butter until combines (photos 13-14).
STEP 10: Warm the frosting just until is can be drizzled (photo 15). Drizzle over the cookies and sprinkle with crushed walnuts (photo 16). Allow to set or eat immediately!
How to Store
In the Refrigerator
Place cooled frosted cookies in single layers in a hard container with a lid (not a bag).
Place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper in between layers.
Chill in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love!
- Hummingbird Cake
- Easter Candy Bark
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Oreos Crust
- Italian Cream Cake
- Apricot Crumble
Try these Cookie Recipes too!
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Carrot Cake Cookies
These soft delicious cookies have all the classic Carrot Cake ingredients in a cookie! Wonderful texture, cream cheese frosting drizzle and crushed walnuts on top.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1/4 cup Pineapple Juice
- 10 tablespoons Unsalted butter 1 stick + 2 tbsp - softened
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 tablespoon ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3 Egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup sweetened Coconut Flakes
- 1 larg Carrot grated
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Confectioner's/Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup crushed Walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper.
Start by soaking the raisins in the pineapple juice for at least 15 minutes. This plumps and sweetens the raisins. Once soaked, strain the raisins from the juice and reserve the juice.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat until well combined.
In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolks, pineapple juice and vanilla.
Slowly add this mixture into the batter and mix until combined.
Add in the coconut, raisins and carrot and stir just until they are combined.
Using a large cookie scoop, place cookies on the prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are no longer wet. Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a sheet of wax paper to finish cooling.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are no longer wet. Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a sheet of wax paper to finish cooling.
Frosting:
Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and butter until well combined.
Heat the frosting over low/medium heat on the stove top or in the microwave until the consistency is just thin enough to drizzle over the cookies.
Crush the walnuts in a plastic bag and set aside for the topping.
Drizzle the frosting all over the cookies and sprinkle with the crushed walnuts. Set aside to allow the frosting to set or eat now! NOTE: allowing the frosting to set will make it easier to stack and store the cookies later. The frosting does not become hard but it will set enough to stack the cookies without a mess.
Recipe Notes
The cookies have a softer consistency. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack or piece of wax paper to frost them.
Allow the frosting to become firm (it will not fully harden) to make them easier to stack or store.
Peter Yalanis says
This recipe makes the best cookies I have ever eaten. I’ve made it twice and had to give away most of the cookies because I would have eaten the entire batch myself. It’s good to have neighbors and grandchildren who love great cookies. Oh yeah, I have shared this recipe with friends and relatives whose comments are the same.
Sandra says
These are really fantastic cookies! A huge hit at our house!
Suzy says
These are amazing! Love that I can make carrot cake into cookies! Delicious!
Natalie says
I love carrot everything these days. And these cookies sound amazing. SO good! I must make them this weekend. I love that you added raisins.
Nicole Robinson says
Thank you for this recipe! My kids and I love it. Tastes just like carrot cake without the extra time to make it! I also substituted pineapple tidbits for the raisins and they came out great! We wanted a treat and these cookies are very satisfying!