Carrot cake, but make it cookies! These carrot cake cookies are thick, chewy and loaded with freshly grated carrots, crushed pineapple, walnuts and warm spices. Top them with a tangy cream cheese icing for all the flavors of the classic favorite in an easy, handheld dessert.
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Spring has sprung (at least on the West Coast)! And with the arrival of warmer temperatures, we can engage in our annual re-welcoming of all things carrot, asparagus, pea and rhubarb. First up: carrot cake cookies.
I have my go-to carrot sheet cake and even carrot cake cupcakes, but these two confectionery greats have officially joined forces and packed all that carrot cake flavor into thick and chewy cookie form.
I’m a big believer that carrot cake just isn’t the real deal unless pineapple is involved, and the same goes for these cookies. Trust me on this one. And just like their cake counterpart, these carrot cake cookies get topped with a tangy cream cheese icing. These cookies are the perfect way to ditch the forks in favor of your fingers and still enjoy a classic springtime dessert.
What Makes These Carrot Cake Cookies So Good
- Crushed pineapple in the dough: Just like in my pineapple carrot cake recipe, it lends sweetness and a touch of tang while also sealing in moisture. You won’t taste pineapple, but you’ll absolutely notice the difference in texture.
- Light brown sugar only: No white sugar here. Brown sugar adds moisture and a subtle caramel flavor that complements the warm spices.
- A full tablespoon of cinnamon: We want these cookies to be generously spiced, just like their cake counterpart.
- Freshly shredded carrots: Just like with my easy carrot cake recipe, freshly grated carrots are key. I like to use the small holes of my box grater for fine, delicate shreds. Pre-shredded carrots from the store tend to be thicker and drier, which means you’ll end up with dry, chewy shreds instead of tender pockets of carrot.
- Cream cheese icing on top: Drizzle it lightly for a bakery-style finish, or slather it on as thick as you like.
The full list and measurements are in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick look at what goes into the dough and the cream cheese icing:
Start by creaming together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. The mixture should look pale and noticeably increased in volume. Properly creamed butter and sugar is one of the secrets to soft, tender cookies.
Add the eggs, followed by the drained crushed pineapple and freshly grated carrots.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined, then fold in the chopped walnuts (or leave them out for a nut-free cookie).
Expect the dough to be a little wetter than a traditional chocolate chip cookie dough.
Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to drop generous mounds of carrot cake cookie dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cookies are set and lightly golden around the edges. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Icing
While your cookies cool, make the icing. Beat together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.
Drizzle the icing over the completely cooled cookies using a spoon, or transfer it to a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off for more control. The icing will firm up slightly as it sits.
Or, if you’re a little carrot cake (cookie) with your cream cheese frosting kind of person, skip the drizzle entirely and slather it on thick using the cream cheese frosting from my carrot sheet cake. YUM!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but I’d really encourage you not to. The crushed pineapple does a lot of heavy lifting in this recipe. It adds moisture, a subtle tang and keeps the cookies tender for days. Leave it out and you’ll end up with a noticeably drier, denser cookie that’s missing that soft, chewy texture that makes these so good. If you’re worried about a tropical flavor, don’t be. It completely disappears into the dough.
Absolutely! The cookies will spread a little more without them, but they’ll still be delicious. If you still want some added texture, you can substitute the walnuts with raisins or dried cranberries for a delicious nut-free alternative.
You can stir in about ¼ cup along with the walnuts.
Add milk one teaspoon at a time and beat until you reach a drizzleable consistency. If it’s too thin, add a little more sifted powdered sugar. The icing should fall off a spoon in a slow, steady ribbon.
Yes. Because of the cream cheese icing, these cookies should be stored in the refrigerator. Let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving for the best texture.
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup 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
- Carrots: Grate whole carrots yourself rather than using pre-shredded carrots from the store. Pre-shredded carrots are thicker and much drier, which can affect the texture of the cookies. I like to use the small holes of a box grater, but the shredding attachment on a food processor works well, too.
- Don’t skip the pineapple: The crushed pineapple adds moisture, sweetness and a subtle tang that keeps the cookies soft and tender. You won’t actually taste pineapple, but you’ll definitely notice the difference in texture.
- Nuts: Walnuts or pecans both work in this recipe, or leave them out for a nut-free cookie. Note: The cookies will spread slightly more without them.
- Storage: Because of the cream cheese icing, store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving for the best texture.
- Freezing: Freeze the baked cookies without the icing for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature and drizzle with fresh icing before serving.
- Icing vs. frosting: The icing sets firm, making these easy to stack with a sheet of parchment between layers. For a thicker, richer finish, use the cream cheese frosting recipe from my easy carrot cake instead.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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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!
Can you add raisins?
Absolutely!
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!