Carrot Cake Cookies

Carrot cake is one of my ALL TIME favorite desserts!!! When I make carrot cake, I shred the carrots by hand. It can be a little exhausting, which makes carrot cakes cookies even better as it requires less carrots than a whole cake.

I made this cookies last week. My husband and I each took some to our offices and people LOVED them!

I don’t like raisins so I usually substitute them for chopped pecans. I also like having that little extra crunch from the pecans.

If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer. I will say having a stand mixer makes everything soooooo much easier!

INGREDIENTS

FOR COOKIES

• ¾ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 3 carrots)
• ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 teaspoons milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350º degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
3. Shred 3 carrots into a bowl and set aside
4. Using a stand mixer, beat ¾ cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, then add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon salt.
7. Add the dry ingredients a ¼ cup at a time to the butter/sugar mixture until well-combined.
8. Stir in 1 cup shredded carrots, ¾ cup shredded coconut, ½ cup chopped pecans, and 2 cups oats and mix until combined.
9. Scoop 1” rounds of dough onto baking sheet.
10. Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool before adding the glaze
11. To make the glaze: in a small bowl beat together 1 oz cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons milk, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla, with a fork until combined.
12. Drizzle the glaze over each cookie and let it harden before serving.