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Adorable carrot cake cookies are so easy to make. Topped with homemade cream cheese frosting, they’re hard to resist!

Carrot Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Carrot Cake Cupcakes are more favorites to make around this time of year.

Carrot cake cookies frosted and served on a white platter.

A Carrot Cake Twist to Love!

Cookies are a really popular dessert to make during holidays and Easter is no exception.

Our go-to for the holiday are these carrot cake cookies, which taste so delicious!

What’s not to love:

  • Easy. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, and even though there are a few of them, the recipe is still so simple.
  • Delicious. These cookies are soft and sweet and sure to be a hit.
  • From cake to cookie. Carrot Cake is most popular around spring and Easter, but now it’s in a deliciously chewy cookie form – another great Easter dessert!
Unsalted butter cut into squares on a white plate.

Simple Ingredients

  • unsalted butter Softened butter is key. This post will show you How to Soften Butter Quickly.
  • granulated sugar
  • brown sugar
  • large eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • all-purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • cinnamon 
  • salt
  • grated carrots – Grate your carrots as the ones in the bag are too dry. Depending on the desired texture, use the large holes or small holes of a box grater.
  • chopped pecans
  • cream cheese softened
  • powdered sugar
  • green food coloring
  • orange food coloring
Cookie dough mixed in a bowl.

How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies

  1. PREP. Preheat oven to 350ยฐF.
  2. WET INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until combined and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla making sure to mix well.
  3. DRY INGREDIENTS. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the wet mixture and beat to combine. Fold in carrot shreds and chopped pecans. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until combined.
  4. BAKE. Use a cookie scoop, and drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet (or line the baking sheet with parchment paper). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack.
  5. FROSTING. Make the frosting by combining cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Reserve a little bit of the frosting for the carrot design on top of each cookie.
    • Frost cookies. Use food coloring to dye parts of the reserve frosting green and orange. Pipe carrot design onto the cookies.
Carrot cake cookies in dough balls ready for baking.

RECIPE TIPS

  • For bright-colored frosting, use gel food coloring (like these) rather than liquid food coloring.
  • Piping. If you don’t have a piping bag, put the frosting in a Ziploc bag with a small portion of the tip cut off.
  • Make sandwich cookies. Spread the cream cheese frosting on top of one cookie, and stack a second one on top. They would work fine with any shape cookie, but circular cookies are the most popular choice.
  • Decorate. We love the decorative carrot, but sprinkles, chopped pecans, and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar all work great!
  • Variations.
    • Replace pecans with walnuts or raisins.
    • Remove frosting or replace with Buttercream.
    • Add in a teaspoon of cinnamon, ginger, or allspice or even.
Cream cheese frosting in bowl for topping carrot cake cookies.

Storing Info

  • Make it ahead of time. We like to make these the day before, along with the frosting, and store them in the fridge until ready to frost and serve.
  • STORE frosted cookies in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • FREEZE Carrot cake cookies unfrosted, frosted, or just the dough!
    • Unfrosted. Place cooled cookies in an airtight container or bag and store them in the freezer.
    • Frosted. Freeze one layer of cookies until the frosting is hard, place a layer of wax/parchment paper on top, add another layer of cookies, freeze, and repeat this process until all of your cookies are frozen in separate layers.
    • Dough. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil or a freezer bag. Freeze for a few months. When you’re ready to use, thaw the dough in the fridge until it’s workable enough to roll out and cut.
Carrot Cake Cookies topped with cream cheese frosting.

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4.80 from 24 votes

Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Adorable carrot cake cookies are so easy to make. Topped with homemade cream cheese frosting, they're hard to resist!
Servings: 24
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Refrigerate/Freeze: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 22 minutes

Ingredients 

Frosting

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350ยฐF.
  • In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until combined and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla making sure to mix well.
  • Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and beat to combine. Fold in carrots and chopped pecans and mix until combined.
  • Drop dough scoops onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be lightly browned. Let cool.
  • Make frosting by combing cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beating until smooth. Reserve a little bit of the frosting for the carrot design on top.
  • Frost cookies. Use food coloring to dye parts of the reserve frosting green and orange. Pipe carrot design onto cookies.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 352kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 241mg, Potassium: 96mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 2286IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and Iโ€™m the mom of SIX stinkinโ€™ cute kids and the wife to my smokinโ€™ hot hubby, Lo. My momโ€™s maiden name is Luna, and Iโ€™m one of the many crafty โ€œLilโ€™ Lunasโ€ in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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4.80 from 24 votes (11 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




57 Comments

  1. Katie says:

    5 stars
    These have great flavor and such a soft texture. I love making these around Easter time!

  2. Amy L Huntley says:

    5 stars
    Carrot Cake is a favorite of mine, so I knew that I would love these cookies! So simple to make too!

  3. Allyssa says:

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!

  4. Maria says:

    Is it really calling for baking soda? Or should it be baking powder?

  5. Lisa C says:

    1 star
    Is the โ€œflourโ€ the boxed cake mix?

    1. LilLunaTeam says:

      Sorry for the confusion. The “flour” in the ingredient list is not the boxed cake mix – it is just flour. I will make that change in the body of the post. Thanks so much for catching that. I appreciate it!

  6. sharon says:

    the comment that “the use of cake mix makes this recipe so easy” I don’t see cake mix in the recipe??

  7. Emma T says:

    5 stars
    I have a question: Where is the recipe for using cake mix, I can’t wait to try this recipe and my other question i do you have a recipe for pumpkin cookies using cake mix.
    I know you are busy and would understand if you don’t have time to answer.
    btw, i love all of your recipes and the simplicity of them.

  8. B says:

    4 stars
    My cookies spread out soooo much… like paper thin I don’t know if it is me, or if this recipe needs more flour. I wish they came out, because the picture looks so good!!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Oh, I am sorry they did! There are many factors that can cause that, but it’d hard for me to know, since I was not there. I would suggest googling it & see if it was any of the reasons suggested. Hope you figure it out.

  9. Carol says:

    Says use box carrot cake mix to make the cookies but then gives a from SCRATCH RECIPE. An error I assume but does not help me to convert my box cake mix.

  10. Jerrica says:

    5 stars
    I was looking for the original carrot cake cookies that yOu Posted here bY the barefoot baker. The cUtout ones. Do you still have that recipe? Im Sure this neW recipe is just as good but we like the cUtout ones, we come back year after year to make them. I should have printed it out.

    1. Jerrica says:

      Nevermind, i did pront out the recipe!

      1. Tay says:

        Hi, do you think you could send me the original recipe? Thanks

      2. Jerrica says:

        Sorry Iโ€™m just now seeing this. I can email it to you.

      3. Chrissy says:

        Hi Jerrica!

        If you still have the original recipe, would you mind sharing it?

        Thank you!

      4. Jerrica says:

        Can I get your email?

      5. Alice says:

        Hi Jerrica,

        The drop cookies look great, but I also am looking for the original carrot cake roll-out cookie recipe. You mentioned that you did print it out. Would you share the recipe? Thanks!

      6. Jerrica says:

        I found the printout. I just need an email address please