Carrot Cake Cookies

These carrot cake cookies are light and moist. They have a delicious cream cheese frosting for all the goodness of a carrot cake in the convenience of a cookie! Perfect for potlucks and picnics.

Carrot Cake Cookie Ingredients

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy carrot cake cookie recipe: 

• For the cookies: butter, brown and white sugars, eggs, crushed pineapple, raisins, shredded carrots, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda, salt, and (optional) walnuts.
• For the frosting: cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.

How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies

You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below – but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make carrot cake cookies at home: 

1. Beat the butter and sugars together, then beat in the eggs.
2. Stir in the pineapple, carrots, and raisins.
3. Combine the dry ingredients, then stir it into the wet mixture. Add walnuts, if using.
4. Drop the dough onto a prepared baking sheet and bake.
5. Make the cream cheese frosting, then frost the cooled cookies.

How to Store Carrot Cake Cookies

Store frosted cookies in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze for up to three months. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Ingredients

Cookies:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup raisins

3/4 cup shredded carrots

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted, divided (Optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ to 3 cups powdered sugar

Directions

To make the cookies: Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Stir in the crushed pineapple, carrots, and raisins.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into carrot mixture. Fold in 3/4 cup walnuts if using.

Drop spoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven until tops are set, about 14 to 16 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Make the cream cheese frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar gradually to reach spreading consistency.

Frost cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts, if desired.