Looking for more Spring Inspired Desserts? Then give my Lemon Blueberry Bread and Mini Cheesecake Cupcakes a try!

Who here is ready for Spring? I could not be more ready for warmer weather! That makes me so excited to share this spring time treat with you guys today! There are few better holiday and food combinations than Easter and carrot cake. It’s just what everyone craves this time of the year! Springtime and these spiced, chewy, flavorful cake with sweet cream cheese frosting go hand in hand. And while I love homemade carrot cake, I knew there had to be another way to accomplish those flavors without having to make a layer cake and in a way that was more convenient (and didn’t require a fork). Thus, this amazing, chewy, delicious Carrot Cake Cookies recipe was born! Serve these as your Easter dinner dessert with some chilled milk or pair them with a hot cup of coffee in the morning for breakfast. There’s no wrong way to enjoy these beauties! They also make wonderful gifts everyone will love!

Ingredients for Carrot Cake Cookies

Wet Ingredients: You’ll need standard wet ingredients like unsalted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar an egg, and vanilla for this carrot cake cookie recipe. Dry Ingredients: This recipe calls for old fashioned oats (definitely not instant), all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Shredded Carrots: I prefer to grate mine from whole carrots because they’re more tender, but you can use a bag of shredded carrots if you’re in a pinch. Raw Nuts: I prefer pecans or walnuts, but cashews would also work. I don’t recommend peanuts, almonds, or harder nuts like macadamia nuts. Cream Cheese Frosting: Combine cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. That’s it!

How To Make Carrot Cake Cookies

Add in the egg and vanilla making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Combine dry ingredients: In a small bowl combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix just until combined. Fold in the shredded carrots and nuts by hand.

Portion out cookies onto the prepared baking sheet in heaping tablespoons. Lightly press down on the cookies. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies look set. They will still be a bit underdone and that is ok. The cookies will continue to cook as they cool.

Allow the carrot cake cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cookies are completely cool, drizzle on the cream cheese frosting. Allow the frosting to set, then enjoy!

Variations

Add some white chocolate chips for extra sweetness! Mix in some of your favorite dried fruits, like pineapple, cranberries, or raisins. Throw in some raw, unsweetened shredded coconut for extra flavor and texture! Turn these into carrot cake sandwich cookies by spreading cream cheese frosting on the underside of one cookie and pressing the underside of another into it. now you’ve got homemade carrot cake-style oatmeal cream pies! Sprinkle some toasted nuts on top of the cream cheese icing for decoration.

Tips

Use room temperature ingredients: That includes your butter and your egg! This helps to keep the batter smooth and lump free. Under bake the cookies: I bake the cookies just until the cookies are set around the edges even if they still look jiggly in the center. This ensures a soft and chewy cookie. Allow the cookies to cool before frosting: If you frost the cookies too earlier the frosting will melt!

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions

Store leftover carrot cake oatmeal cookies in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freeze raw cookie dough for up to 1 month in an airtight container or plastic bag. Roll into a cylinder shape and wrap in parchment paper to slice and bake later, or roll into balls and have individual cookies ready to bake whenever the craving strikes. Or freeze fully cooked, iced, and cooled cookies for up to 3 months. Reheat frozen cooked cookies by letting them thaw in the fridge or on the counter to room temperature, or bake frozen dough for 10-15 minutes at 350.

If you enjoyed these Carrot Cake Cookies, then you’ll love some of my other favorite cookie recipes:

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cookies Thumbprint Cookies Brookies