Carrot Cake Cookies: A Soft and Chewy Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Cookies

These carrot cake cookies take everything I love about a slice of carrot cake and shrink it down into something you can hold in one hand.

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They are soft, chewy oatmeal cookies packed with finely grated carrots, unsweetened coconut, and California Raisins, then sandwiched together with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

If you have ever wanted that carrot cake flavor without baking, stacking, and frosting a whole layer cake, this is the recipe I reach for.

I started making these for potlucks because they travel well and they look like you fussed, even though the dough comes together in one bowl with a hand mixer. The recipe makes a generous batch of 40 sandwich cookies, so there are plenty to share, and it halves easily when I only need a small tray for the family.

Here is what you can expect before you start:

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes
• Total time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 40 sandwich cookies
• Oven temperature: 350 degrees F

They are also genuinely good without the frosting, so if you want a simple carrot oatmeal cookie to dunk in coffee, you can skip the sandwich step entirely and still be happy with what comes out of the oven.

The cookies hold up well on a cookie platter and they keep for days in the fridge, which is why they have become my default dessert when I want something that feels special without a lot of fuss. You do not need any fancy equipment, just a couple of bowls, a mixer, and a cookie scoop.

How do you make carrot cookies from scratch?

Making carrot cookies from scratch is mostly a matter of creaming, mixing, and then folding in the good stuff. You cream softened butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture looks light and fluffy, beat in the eggs and vanilla, then add the flour, oats, and leaveners.

The last step is stirring in the carrots, coconut, and raisins by hand so they stay in tender pieces instead of getting beaten to a pulp.

Those final three ingredients are what give these cookies their carrot cake personality. The oats bring the chew, the coconut adds a little texture, and the raisins deliver small pockets of sweetness in every bite. Eaten plain they are a lovely soft cookie.

Sandwiched with cream cheese frosting, they become the kind of dessert people ask you to bring to the next gathering.

One thing worth knowing before you start: the dough will be very sticky. That is normal for this recipe, and a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop handles it beautifully. If you want smoother, more uniform cookies, dampen your hands and smooth the edges of each dough ball before it goes into the oven.

If you are new to sandwich cookies, the order of operations is simple. Mix the dough, bake and cool the cookies completely, then whip the frosting and build the sandwiches. Cooling matters, because a warm cookie will melt the frosting and slide apart.

What is the best way to grate carrots for carrot cake cookies?

Use the small holes on a box grater, or the grating blade of a food processor, so the carrots end up finely grated. This matters more than most people expect. Finely grated carrots disappear into the dough and keep the cookies tender and moist.

Coarsely grated carrots leave long shreds that never soften properly and give the finished cookie a stringy bite.

Skip the bags of shredded carrots in the produce aisle, and skip baby carrots packed in water. Both carry extra moisture that will thin out your dough and change the texture of the bake.

When you measure, spoon the grated carrots into the cup loosely rather than packing them down. You want 1 1/2 cups of lightly packed, finely grated carrots, and that is the amount the recipe is built around.

Quick tip: grate the carrots right before you mix the dough so their moisture ends up in the cookies instead of on your cutting board.

I keep a small box grater on the counter for this job, and it takes only a few minutes to work through the carrots. The fine shreds blend into the dough so evenly that nobody guesses how much carrot is hiding in there.

How should I store carrot cookies?

Because these cookies carry a lot of moisture from the carrots and the frosting, they need a little care once they are built. Stack them in an airtight container with a sheet of wax paper between each layer so they do not stick together. Without that barrier, the frosting will slowly glue the whole batch into one solid block.

The cream cheese frosting also means refrigeration is required. In the fridge these cookies keep well for 5 to 7 days. If you want to keep them longer, freeze them for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them on a tray first, then move the firm cookies into a freezer bag so they hold their shape.

A few storage habits that have saved me more than once:

• Let the frosting set for 1 to 2 hours before you pack the cookies away.
• Keep them chilled until you are ready to serve.
• Pull them out a short while before serving so the frosting softens just a little.

If you made the cookies without frosting, they are still happiest in the refrigerator because of all the moisture in the carrots. A little chill keeps them fresh and chewy instead of soggy.

If you are taking them to a party, pack the container in a cooler bag with an ice pack so they stay cold on the drive.

How to make Carrot Cake Cookies:

Finely grated carrots are the one step I will not compromise on, and the cookies are just as enjoyable unfrosted if you would rather skip the sandwich format. This batch makes 40 sandwich cookies, and it halves easily if you only want 20.

Ingredients for the cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup California Raisins

Ingredients for the frosting

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 8 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/3 cups powdered sugar

A quick word about the frosting. It comes together in minutes with an electric mixer, and the powdered sugar goes in slowly so the texture stays smooth. One tablespoon per cookie is plenty, and the smooth side of each cookie is the best surface for it.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
3. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
5. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and mix until combined.
6. Stir in the carrots, coconut, and raisins.
7. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. A 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop makes this easiest, because the dough will be very sticky. If you want smoother, more uniform cookies, smooth the edges of the dough balls with damp hands.
8. Bake the cookies for 9 to 10 minutes, just until the edges are starting to brown and the tops no longer look shiny.
9. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Once the cookies are cool, make the frosting. With an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth.
11. Add the powdered sugar slowly, whipping after each addition until the mixture is smooth.
12. Using a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop, place 1 tablespoon of frosting on the smooth side of one cookie and top it with the smooth side of a second cookie. Press them together gently so the frosting spreads out between them.
13. Let the frosting set for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
14. Store the cookies between layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.

Nutrition is provided per 1 sandwich cookie, based on the source recipe.

One note before you bake: the dough is meant to be very sticky. A 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop keeps the cookies even, and damp hands smooth the edges if you want a neater shape.

Here are some more great cookie recipes for you:

If these carrot cake cookies earn a spot in your regular rotation, there are several more cookie recipes on the blog worth trying next. They cover a similar range of soft, chewy, crowd pleasing bakes.

• Triple Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
• Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
• Raspberry Lemon Cookies
• Chewy Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Any of them would sit happily next to these carrot cookies on a holiday tray or a bake sale table. Start with the one that matches the mood of your crowd, and keep the carrot cake cookies in the fridge for the days in between.

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Carrot Cake Cookies

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Carrot Cake Cookies These carrot cake cookies take everything I love about a slice of carrot cake and shrink it down into something you can hold in one hand. They are soft, chewy oatmeal cookies packed with finely grated carrots, unsweetened coconut, and California Raisins, then sandwiched together with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

• Total Time: 30 min
• Yield: 40 sandwich cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup California Raisins

For the frosting
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar

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Instructions

1-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2-Line several baking sheets with parchment paper: Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
3-In a large bowl, or with a: In a large bowl, or with a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar, until light and fluffy.
4-Add the eggs and vanilla and mix: Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
5-Add the flour, oats, baking soda, baking: Add the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, and mix until combined.
6-Stir in the carrots, coconut, and raisins: Stir in the carrots, coconut, and raisins.
7-Drop the dough by the tablespoonful, 2: Drop the dough by the tablespoonful, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheet. This is easiest with a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop. The dough will be very sticky. If you want the cookies to be smoother and more uniform, you can smooth the edges of the cookie dough balls with damp hands.
8-Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes, just: Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes, just until the edges are starting to brown and the tops don’t look shiny anymore.
9-Let the cookies cool on the baking: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
10-Once the cookies are cool, make the: Once the cookies are cool, make the frosting. With an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla, until smooth.
11-Add the powdered sugar slowly, whipping after: Add the powdered sugar slowly, whipping after each addition until the mixture is smooth.
12-Using a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop,: Using a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop, place 1 tablespoon of frosting on the smooth side of a cookie and top with the smooth side of a second cookie, pressing them together gently to spread the frosting out between them.
13-Let the frosting set for 1-2 hours: Let the frosting set for 1-2 hours before serving.
14-Store the cookies between layers of wax: Store the cookies between layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 sandwich cookie
• Calories: 200
• Sugar: 19 g
• Sodium: 90 mg
• Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 7 g
• Carbohydrates: 26 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 2 g
• Cholesterol: 32 mg