If you love carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, I am sure you will love these cookies. They are filled with yummy ingredients and flavors – shredded carrot, chopped pecans, orange and ginger – then finished off with a generous portion of cream cheese frosting.
The recipe makes 24 big cookies, a perfect finger-food alternative to carrot cake.
Carrot Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIE INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. orange extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrot (use the small holes on a grater)
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
- 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 8 oz. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- orange and green food coloring optional for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, shortening and sugars. Beat well to combine, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing until light and fluffy about 4 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and orange extracts.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt.
- On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Stir in the carrots and pecans.
- Scoop the cookies out onto parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until the cookies are set and slightly browned.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat well.
- Add the vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar until fully combined.
- Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and beat for a few more minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Frost the cooled cookies with the icing. If desired, color some of the frosting green and orange and pipe carrot decorations on top. Or, garnish with a toasted pecan half.
