We’re taking classic carrot cake and giving it a cookie makeover with a simple recipe for Carrot Cake Cookies. Imagine all the flavors you love in a moist, spiced carrot cake, but in a portable, snackable form. Get ready to fall in love with these chewy, spiced cookies topped with a tangy cream cheese icing.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Carrot Cake Cookies
- Easier and quicker than classic carrot cake. No need to fuss with layers and frosting—these cookies come together in a snap, giving you all the carrot cake goodness without the hassle.
- Perfectly portable. These cookies are the perfect on-the-go treat, ideal for lunch boxes, picnics, or a sweet snack anytime.
- Moist and chewy. Thanks to the crushed pineapple and shredded carrots, these cookies are insanely moist with a chewy texture.
- Packed with flavor and loaded with warm spices.
- Nutty crunch. Chopped walnuts add a satisfying crunch, perfectly complementing the soft, tender cookies.
I’m a big believer that carrot cake (and hence, carrot cake cookies) just isn’t the real deal unless pineapple is involved. It lends sweetness and a touch of tang while also sealing in moisture. And just like its cake counterpart, carrot cake cookies also get topped with a tangy cream cheese glaze.
The best part? You don’t need any fancy equipment or ingredients. Just some pantry staples, fresh carrots and a handful of spices will do the trick. And that cream cheese icing? It’s the same dreamy topping that makes pineapple carrot cake irresistible, but in a convenient, spreadable form perfect for cookies.
These carrot cake cookies are the perfect way to ditch the forks in favor of your fingers and still enjoy a classic springtime dessert.
- Butter: Make sure the butter is softened so it creams easily with the sugar. I like to use unsalted butter so I can control the final amount of salt in the cookies.
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Crushed pineapple: Make sure to drain the pineapple really well to avoid excess moisture in your cookie dough.
- Carrots: Finely grating the carrots means they’ll mix in more easily.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda: A combination of both ensures the cookies rise perfectly and stay soft and chewy.
- Cinnamon and allspice: These warm spices give the cookies their signature carrot cake flavor.
- Walnuts: I’m pro walnuts in carrot cake, so I had to add them here, too. You can use pecans instead though.
For the cream cheese glaze you’ll need powdered sugar, cream cheese, whole milk and vanilla extract. These ingredients come together to create a rich and tangy topping that perfectly complements the spiced cookies.
Because this dough doesn’t require any chilling, it’s important to use cold eggs. This helps prevent the cookies from overspreading while baking, ensuring they maintain their shape and texture.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat so the cookies don’t stick to them.
- Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until both are smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the crushed pineapple and grated carrots.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until just combined, then add the walnuts.
- Scoop the cookies and place onto the baking sheet. Bake, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Make the icing. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together all of the icing ingredients until combined.
- Frost the cookies. Drizzle the icing over the cookies and let the icing harden before serving.
These carrot cake cookies will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Place pieces of wax or parchment paper in between the layers of cookies so the cookies don’t stick to one another.
Baked cookies without the icing can be frozen for up to 3 months. To store them properly, place the cooled cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or a resealable freezer bag, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. When you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw the cookies at room temperature before adding the cream cheese icing.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you can use pre-shredded carrots for convenience, I recommend shredding fresh carrots yourself. Freshly shredded carrots are more moist and flavorful, which enhances the texture and taste of the cookies. If you do use pre-shredded carrots, make sure to check their moisture content and add a bit of extra moisture if they seem dry.
Absolutely! To make these carrot cake cookies without nuts, simply omit the chopped walnuts. If you still want some added texture, you can substitute the walnuts with raisins or dried cranberries for a delicious nut-free alternative.
- Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
- Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry “Carrots”
- Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers
- Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Banana Pudding
- Or any of these Best Spring Dessert Recipes!
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
For the icing:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined, then add the crushed pineapple and grated carrots and mix until combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer and beat just until combined then add the chopped walnuts and mix until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop about 2 tablespoons of the dough into mounds on the cookie sheets, spacing the mounds at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 15 to 18 minutes then remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to racks to cool completely. While the cookies are cooling, make the icing.
Make the icing:
- In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until combined.
- Drizzle the icing over the completely cooled cookies and let the icing harden before serving.
Kelly’s Notes
- I like to use an ice cream or portion scoop to make sure the cookies are all the same size.
- I recommend spacing these cookies two inches apart on the baking sheet. That might seem like a lot, but it’s not: Any closer and the cookies will spread into each other.
- You can soften butter in 30-second bursts in the microwave. I recommend microwaving the unwrapped stick whole so it doesn’t melt too quickly.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from All Recipes.
These cookies were soft, chewy and full of flavor!
Thrilled you enjoyed the cookies, Lesley!
Recipe sounds great. In order to add fresh cranberries how would u suggest to alter recipe?
Hi Paulette! You can stir in 1/2 cup of dried cranberries to the batter right before scooping out the cookies :)
Marvellous cake!!!! We enjoyed our party with this awesome cake, Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. Thanks alot!!!!!!!
You are so welcome! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Did I read that correctly? 1 oz of cream cheese? Is it supposed to be 10oz?
Yes the recipe is correct! It yields enough cream cheese glaze for to drizzle across all of the cookies.
Question: Do you use the packaged shredded carrots or shred your own? I’d sure love to use the packaged. Do you think they’d be too coarse? These sure look great!
Hi Erin! I shredded my own so they were a bit finer, however I think this recipe would work with the pre-shredded variety. You’ll just have larger pieces of carrot. Let me know if you give it a shot!
I made this today and the turned out great! The ingredients mentioned all spice but it was never mentioned in the directions so I just added half a teaspoon and they still tasted great. Not too sweet and taste just like the cake. Also, I added about 4 tablespoons of cream cheese because 2 tablespoons wasn’t strong enough. Thanks for the recipe! :)
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Taylor! And thanks for the head’s up about the allspice. I added it into the directions :)
Great cookie to welcome Spring! They look so delicious! xo
Thank you so much, Robyn!