I assume you all know carrot cake. For Easter a “must have” or better said a “must bake” in my house ;) It’s very important to have it at Easter cause the Easter bunny likes that cake and of course we want to make the Easter bunny happy ;)
This year I did not make a whole cake. I basically made 28 little carrot cakes. Oh well, actually carrot cake cookies… but they are as good as big cakes :P

I think I never had a real bad carrot cake… maybe once or twice. They are not always outstanding, but I think it’s hard to mess them up completely. As long as the cake is dense, moist and has some nuts in it, I will always like it. And of course a good cream cheese frosting. Without that a carrot cake is lame :P
The cookies here are far from being dense or heavy or whatever. Moist maybe, but not as massive as you would expect from a real carrot cake. No – these little fellas are light and fluffy. Or better said they were light and fluffy until I topped them with the cream cheese frosting :P I like it so much, that’s why I had to add a lot of it on top… but that’s ok. It makes the cookies just perfect.

As you can see in the pictures, I made two different versions: one with chopped pecans on top – very easy to make – and the second version with little carrots piped on top. Those are also easy to make, just take a bit longer because of the piping. Make the version you like the most – they are both delicious ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the dough:
1/2 cup (120g) butter
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup (40g) rolled oats
1 cup (120g) carrots, finely grated
1/4 cup (30g) pecans, chopped
For the frosting/decoration:
1/3 cup (80g) butter
5 oz. (140g) cream cheese, drained and at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (200g) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
chopped pecans
orange/green food color (optional)
Für den Teig:
120g weiche Butter
100g Zucker
50g brauner Zucker
1 Ei (L)
1 TL Vanilla Extract
200g Mehl (Type 405)
1/2 TL Natron
1/4 Backpulver
1/4 TL Salz
1 1/2 TL Zimt, gemahlen
1/4 TL Ingwer, gemahlen
40g Haferflocken (Feinblatt)
120g Karotten, fein geraspelt
30g Pekannüsse, gehackt
Für das Frosting:
80g Butter
140g Frischkäse, abgetropft und bei Zimmertemperatur
200g Puderzucker
1/2 TL Vanille Extrakt
Prise Salz
gehackte Pekannüsse
orange/grüne Lebensmittelfarbe (optional)


DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add the butter and sugars to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix in until very well combined. In a second bowl mix the flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add to the large bowl and mix until just combined. Add the rolled oats, grated carrots, and chopped pecans and fold in. Place in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
3. Use two teaspoons or a small cookie scoop to place small portions of dough (with enough space in between cause they spread a lot) on the baking sheet – I got 12 per baking sheet – and bake for 12-14 minutes. The cookies should have set, the edges browned a bit, but the center should still be soft to touch. Take out of the oven and let cool down a bit on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool down completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store the cooled cookies in a box until you frost them, so they don’t dry out that much.
4. For the frosting brown the butter by melting it over medium heat in a small pot. Cook until it begins to get dark spots. It will smell nutty and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour in a heatproof bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour – it should thickened but not be completely solid. Let the cream cheese drain or place it on some paper towels to get rid of some liquid. Beat the chilled browned butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until light and fluffy. If you want to decorate the cookies with small carrots, take about 3-4 tablespoons from the frosting aside. Color half of it orange and the other half green and fill into small piping bags.
5. Frost the cookies with the cream cheese frosting and pipe little carrots on top or simply sprinkle with chopped pecans.
2. Die Butter mit den beiden Zuckersorten in eine große Schüssel geben und hell und luftig aufschlagen. Ei und Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und gut unterrühren. In einer zweiten Schüssel das Mehl mit Natron, Backpulver, Salz, Zimt und Ingwer vermischen. Zur großen Schüssel dazugeben und kurz unterrühren. Die Haferflocken, geraspelten Karotten und Pekannüsse dazugeben und unterheben. Den Teig für etwa 20 Minuten in den Kühlschrank stellen.
3. Mit zwei Teelöffeln oder einem kleinen Cookie Scoop (Eisportionierer) Teigportionen mit genügend Abstand auf das Blech setzen – die Cookies laufen etwas auseinander. Für 12-14 Minuten backen. Die Ränder sollten etwas Farbe bekommen haben, in der Mitte sollten sie aber noch weich sein. Aus dem Ofen nehmen und erst auf dem Blech etwas abkühlen lassen, dann auf einem Kuchengitter komplett auskühlen lassen. Mit dem restlichen Teig wiederholen. Die abgekühlten Cookies in einer Schachtel aufbewahren, damit sie nicht austrocknen.
4. Für das Frosting die Butter in einem kleinen Topf bei mittlerer Hitze schmelzen. So lange kochen, bis sie anfängt braun zu werden – sie sollte aber nicht verbrennen. Wenn es anfängt nussig zu riechen, ist sie perfekt. Vom Herd nehmen und für 10 Minuten abkühlen lassen. In eine hitzebeständige Schüssel füllen, abdecken und im Kühlschrank für etwa eine Stunde abkühlen lassen. Die Butter sollte wieder etwas angedickt haben, aber nicht fest sein. Den Frischkäse abtropfen lassen bzw. auf ein paar Küchentücher aus Papier legen und Flüssigkeit entziehen lassen. Die gekühlte Butter zusammen mit dem Frischkäse cremig aufschlagen. Puderzucker, Vanille Extrakt und Salz zugeben und alles so lange aufschlagen, bis es hell und luftig ist. Wer die Cookies mit kleinen Karotten verzieren möchte, sollte von der Mischung etwa 3-4 EL abnehmen und dann mit oranger und grüner Lebensmittelfarbe einfärben (jeweils die Hälfte) und in kleine Spritzbeutel füllen.
5. Die Cookies mit dem Frosting bestreichen und dann kleine Karotten aufspritzen oder einfach mit gehackten Pekannüssen bestreuen.


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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Carrot Cake Cookies
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 14
- Total Time: 63
- Yield: 28 1x
Description
Delicious little cookies inspired by a classic cake: Carrot Cake Cookies!
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 cup (40g) rolled oats
- 1 cup (120g) carrots, finely grated
- 1/4 cup (30g) pecans, chopped
For the frosting/decoration
- 1/3 cup (80g) butter
- 5 oz. (140g) cream cheese, drained and at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- chopped pecans
- orange/green food color (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Grate the carrots finely and set aside. Chop the pecans and set aside as well.
- Add the butter and sugars to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix in until very well combined. In a second bowl mix the flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add to the large bowl and mix until just combined. Add the rolled oats, grated carrots, and chopped pecans and fold in. Place in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Use two teaspoons or a small cookie scoop to place small portions of dough (with enough space in between cause they spread a lot) on the baking sheet – I got 12 per baking sheet – and bake for 12-14 minutes. The cookies should have set, the edges browned a bit, but the center should still be soft to touch. Take out of the oven and let cool down a bit on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool down completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store the cooled cookies in a box until you frost them, so they don’t dry out that much.
- For the frosting brown the butter by melting it over medium heat in a small pot. Cook until it begins to get dark spots. It will smell nutty and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour in a heatproof bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour – it should thickened but not be completely solid. Let the cream cheese drain or place it on some paper towels to get rid of some liquid. Beat the chilled browned butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until light and fluffy. If you want to decorate the cookies with small carrots, take about 3-4 tablespoons from the frosting aside. Color half of it orange and the other half green and fill into small piping bags.
- Frost the cookies with the cream cheese frosting and pipe little carrots on top or simply sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Notes
- Enjoy baking!
I really like the idea! could totally see these as cookie sandwiches as well :) excuse me… I’m off baking those delicacies!
Cookie sandwiches sounds awesome with these.
Gonna try that too :)
Cheers,
Marc