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Soft and Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

A close-up of a soft carrot cake cookie, broken in half, showing shredded carrots and topped with thick cream cheese frosting.
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Make these soft, chewy carrot cake cookies that capture the classic spiced flavor of carrot cake in an easy, handheld treat. Top them with simple cream cheese frosting for the ultimate homemade dessert.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
  • For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1–2 tablespoons milk (if needed)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
  6. Fold in the shredded carrots and optional nuts by hand.
  7. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. You should have about 24 cookies.
  8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly soft. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
  9. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. To make the frosting, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
  11. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beating until creamy. Add milk one tablespoon at a time if the frosting is too thick to spread.
  12. Once the cookies are completely cool, spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting onto the tops of the cookies.

Notes

  • For the softest cookies, measure your flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
  • You can substitute cake mix for some of the flour if you prefer a shortcut, but adjust the other dry ingredients accordingly.
  • Chill the dough for 30 minutes before scooping if your kitchen is warm; this helps prevent spreading.
  • If you skip the frosting, these are excellent as simple, moist spice cookies.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://miameal.com/carrot-cake-cookies/