A soft, moist, cakey carrot cake cookie with a cream cheese frosting with a hint of orange. The recipe makes more frosting than you’ll need –unless you like a LOT of frosting which I actually don’t. Feel free to spread it on pancakes, waffles, or other baked goods.
Author: Gravel & Dine
Recipe type: Cookies & Bars
Serves: 52 cookies
Ingredients
3 c flour
1 t baking soda
½ t baking powder
½ t salt
2 t ground cinnamon
½ t ground ginger
¼ t fresh grated nutmeg
2 sticks, 1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
½ c dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 ½ c finely grated carrots, about a pound
½ c chopped pecans
½ c raisins chopped
FROSTING:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
10 T butter, softened
2 t orange zest
1 t vanilla
3 c powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Cream together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes on medium speed in a stand mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until almost combined. Stir in carrots. Stir in pecans and raisins until just combined.
Drop 1 ½ T portions of the dough on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake 10-12 minutes until set and still soft to the touch.
Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting. Beat together cream cheese and butter until well mixed. Beat in orange zest. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar.
Frost cookies. I use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off to make a makeshift pastry bag.
Store in an airtight container with parchment between the layers of cookies.
Recipe by Gravel & Dine at https://gravelanddine.com/carrot-cake-cookies/