Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies

These Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies are like carrot cake but in cookie form. They are soft cookies full of spices, pecans, and carrots topped with a creamy and tangy cream cheese frosting. What’s not to love? 

I would typically make these carrot cake cookies in the fall because I always thought the spices were perfect for the season. However, I’ve since realized that I like carrot cake all year long! So, make them for the fall, whip them up for Easter, or prepare a batch for a summer meal al fresco. You do you! 

Drop cookies like these are always a favorite. (Do you remember the frosted pecan cookies, frosted lemon cookies, or frosted pumpkin cookies I made?) Eating this type of cookie is almost like having a cupcake. Topped with a mound of frosting, it doesn’t get much better.

Why You’ll Enjoy This Recipe

These bad boys will live up to your expectations! 

• Grated fresh carrots are mixed up with oats, fall spices, and pecans to create a super flavorful and soft cookie.
• You’ll love the flavor of the pecans in this recipe, so make sure to include them. I chopped mine up until they were as fine as cornmeal because I don’t like bits of nuts in my cookies. Of course, if you prefer a crunch, just use finely chopped pieces.
• Who doesn’t adore cream cheese frosting? Paired with carrot cake, it’s classic and delicious.

And if you enjoy carrot cake, you’ll love this carrot cake loaf and carrot cake truffles.

Ingredients:

The perfect combination of ingredients comes together to create these frosted carrot cake cookies. Being soft, sweet, spiced, and providing a serving of vegetables (okay that last one might be pushing it), what’s not to love?

• unsalted butter – What’s a cookie without butter? I prefer unsalted to control the amount of salt in my recipes. Kerrygold is my go-to. 
• brown sugar and granulated sugar – A combination of both adds great depth of flavor. 
• baking soda – Added to give a little rise and keep the cookie soft. 
• cinnamon, ginger, orange zest, and vanilla – This is where so much of the flavor comes from. Don’t forget your spices and flavorings.
• kosher salt – I prefer kosher salt for baking. 
• eggs – Eggs help to hold everything together. 
• all-purpose flour – All-purpose flour is a staple for most of my cookie recipes. 
• quick-cooking rolled oats – Oats add a bit of texture and another layer of flavor. 
• grated carrots – Grated carrots are a must. Their subtle sweetness makes them great for baking recipes. 
• pecans – You can leave the pecans out if you’re not a fan. Or, as I suggest above, chop them extremely fine and you won’t even know they are there. 
• cream cheese frosting – Carrot cake and cream cheese frosting go together like peanut butter and jelly. This combination is a must. 

How To Make:

I’ll walk you through the steps to make these carrot cake cookies. For your convenience, I’ve provided a full ingredient list and recipe instructions at the bottom of this post. 

Making the Cookies:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Beat at medium speed until creamy and then beat in the eggs, orange zest, and vanilla.
2. Next, mix in the flour. Then, stir in the oats, carrots, and pecans until just combined.

3. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake 13-15 minutes.
5. Cool for two minutes on the baking sheet; then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Mix the Frosting:

1. Begin by beating together the butter, cream cheese, salt, and vanilla until smooth.
2.  Then, add the confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, beating in between, until smooth and creamy.

Bring the Two Together: 

1. Once the cookies are cooled, frost each with about one to two tablespoons of frosting.
2. Serve and enjoy! 

Recipe Tips and FAQ

• Use fresh carrots and grate them yourself. Store-bought shredded carrots can often be a bit dry. 
• Make sure the carrot cake cookies have cooled completely before adding the cream cheese frosting. 
• Let your cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes. This will help them maintain their height. 

How do I store these cookies? 

Store them in a tightly sealed container for up to a week. 

Can you freeze these cookies? 

You sure can! Pack them in an airtight freezer container adding a piece of wax paper between each layer of cookies. Freeze for up to two months. 

More Reader Favorite Cookie Recipes

• Whipped Shortbread Cookies
• Nutella Thumbprint Cookies
• Lemon and White Chocolate Cookies
• Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (Homemade Oreos) 
• Gingersnaps with Apple Cider Glaze

I hope you’ll bake up a batch of these frosted carrot cake cookies. If you do, please leave a comment and a 5-star rating below. 

Want more from Inspired by Charm? Follow along on Instagram and TikTok for daily updates and behind-the-scenes looks at my processes. There’s even more inspiration on Facebook and Pinterest! 

Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies

These Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies are like carrot cake but in cookie form. They are topped with a cream cheese frosting for the perfect finishing touch.

Print Pin Rate

Course: cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 36

Calories: 234kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1 cup grated carrots about 3 medium carrots
• 1 cup pecans finely chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 package (8 ounces) softened
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar

Instructions

• Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Beat at medium speed until creamy, scraping the bowl when necessary. Then beat in the eggs, orange zest, and vanilla.
• Next, mix in flour. Then, stir in the oats, carrots, and pecans until just combined.
• Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons on to a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet; then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
• In the meantime, prepare the frosting. Begin by beating together butter, cream cheese, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Then, add the confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, beating in between, until smooth and creamy.
• Once the cookies are cooled, frost with about 1-2 tablespoons of frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 930IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg