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Carrot Cake Cookies are your favorite cake turned into delicious carrot cake cookies with freshly grate carrots, warm spices, walnuts, and a simple vanilla glaze over top. These are homemade from scratch – no boxed cake mix needed!
Be sure and also make my Classic Carrot Cake recipe – Three layers of moist carrot cake with a dreamy cream cheese frosting. It’s amazing! Or these Sheet Pan Carrot Cake Bars that use carrot baby food as the ‘secret ingredient’. Trust me, it’s amazing!
Easy Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe (Homemade Carrot Cookies)
If you love carrot cake then you will want to make these cakey, soft-baked, and chewy cookies. Tastes exactly like a slice of carrot cake but in an easy handheld cookie form.
I love springtime and the Easter holiday because it means it’s that time of year where I can make all the carrot cake recipes. Whether it be a layered cake or carrot cake sandwich cookies, these recipes are sure to please with all the moisture the fresh carrots add and those warm spices.
Or maybe you want some fun ‘carrot recipes’ like these Carrot Patch Cookie Cups, Carrot Patch Chocolate Covered Strawberries, or a Carrot Cheeseball.
Ingredients Needed
- All-Purpose Flour
- Ground Cinnamon
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt : Kosher salt, sea salt, or table salt will all work in this recipe.
- Ground Ginger
- Butter : Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before beginning the cookie recipe. Leave it out for several hours ahead of time or try the ‘microwave tip’ of softening a stick of cold butter. Put the butter stick in the microwave and set the timer for 30 seconds – turn the butter every 4-5 seconds until it’s softened but not hot/warm. You may not use all of the 30 second time and that’s ok.
- Granulated Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Grated Carrots : You will need about 6 fresh carrots that have been shredded using a box grater (also called a cheese grater).
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk : A milk with a higher fat content is best to use because it will thicken the glaze nicely. Heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk are the best options. Keep in mind that you will need less milk if it has lower fat content versus needing more milk if it has a higher fat content. So start with the minimum amount of milk called for and add from there as needed.
How To Make Soft-Baked Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets (aka – rimmed cookie sheet 12″x17″) with parchment paper. Set aside.
Dry Ingredients : In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ginger until combined. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients : In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and light brown sugar until it’s light and fluffy. About 1-2 minute of beating. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed just until incorporated after each addition. Add in the vanilla extract and beat just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed with a spatula.
Add the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated and no flour streaks remain in the batter.
Add in the shredded carrots and walnuts. Mix on low speed just until combined.
Scoop the carrot cake cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches apart. I use a medium scoop to do this.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.
Make The Glaze : When the cookie are cooled prepare the simple vanilla glaze. Mix together the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until it forms a glaze. If it’s too thick then add more milk a little at a time. If it’s too runny then add more powdered sugar.
Drizzle the glaze over the cookies using a fork, a piping bag, or put the glaze into a Ziploc bag with the bottom corner snipped.
How To Store Leftover Cookies
Store leftover cookies inside an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, place the cookies inside the fridge for up to 7 days. The cookies are actually really yummy chilled from the fridge or also at room temperature.
To freeze carrot cake cookies, I like to wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and then store the wrapped cookies inside a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Store for up to 2-3 months. To eat, let the cookies thaw in the fridge, at room temperature, or use the microwave.
Carrot Cake Cookies FAQ’s
Will The Glaze Get Hard?
The glaze will harden and firm up as it sits at room temperature. Once dried and set, you can gently place the cookies on a plate or inside an airtight container to store them at room temperature.
Can I Dip The Top of The Cookies Into The Glaze Instead of Drizzling It?
Yes, if you like your cookies on the sweeter side with a glaze over the entire top of each cookie. You will need to double the glaze recipe and then gently turn the cookie upside down and dip it into the glaze. Place the cookie on a cookie sheet or wire rack to let the glaze dry and firm.
How Do You Get Even-Sized Cookies?
I always recommend using a cookie scoop when making any cookie recipe. This ensures that the cookies are all the same size and it helps them bake up perfectly round in shape. You can use a small cookies scoop, medium, or large cookie scoop. I always use a Medium Cookie Scoop for all my cookies recipe. If you use larger or smaller, reduce or increase the cook time accordingly.
Are These Cakey Thick Cookies or Flatter Traditional Cookies?
These classic carrot cake cookies are thicker, puffy, with a cake-like texture. They don’t have the traditional cookie look and texture, but rather a cake-like texture that is soft-baked and fluffy in texture. As they bake, the cookies will stay fairly puffy and won’t ever flatten out like traditional cookies might in the oven.
My Cookies Came Out Hard. What Did I Do?
There are two reasons why cookies would have a harder & firmer texture to them, rather than soft-baked. The first is that you may have mixed the cookie batter too much during the mixing stage of the recipe. Once you add in the flour, you want to make sure that you just mix until incorporated and no big flour streaks remain in the batter. Mixing on low speed will usually get the job done but increase the speed by 1 or 2 if needed.
The second reason is that the cookies were over baked. Just bake until the edges of the cookie start to firm up and look set. As the cookies cool they will continue to cook slightly as they cool down at room temperature.
Can I Use Pre-Shredded Carrots?
Yes, you can use store-bought pre-shredded carrots to save some prep time.
Although, I personally don’t recommend and never use them because the shredded carrots from the store have a much larger, longer, and firmer texture than the freshly grated carrots that you shred yourself.
More Amazing Cookie Recipes To Try
- No Flour Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
- Brownie Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
- Triple Peanut Butter Monster Cookies
- M&M Cookies
- Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies
- Family Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Reese’s Stuffed Monster Cookies
Carrot Cake Recipes
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (softened to room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups grated carrots (about 6 carrots)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Vanilla Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets (rimmed cookie sheet 12"x17") with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Dry Ingredients : In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, ginger and salt until combined. Set aside.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon salt
- Wet Ingredients : In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and light brown sugar until it's light and fluffy. About 1-2 minute of beating.Add in the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed just until incorporated after each addition.Add in the vanilla extract and beat just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed with a spatula.1 cup (2 sticks) butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated and no flour streaks remain in the batter.
- Add in the shredded carrots and walnuts. Mix on low speed just until combined.2½ cups grated carrots, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- Scoop the carrot cake cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2-inches apart. I use a medium cookie scoop to do this.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are set and golden brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.
- Make The Glaze : When the cookie are cooled prepare the simple vanilla glaze. Mix together the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until it forms a glaze.* If it's too thick then add more milk a little at a time. If it's too runny then add more powdered sugar.1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 tablespoons milk
- Drizzle the glaze over the cookies using a fork, a piping bag, or put the glaze into a Ziploc bag with the bottom corner snipped.
Notes
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