Name: Carrot Cake Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 44 min
Ingredients: 125 g Butter (softened, unsalted); 200 g Light brown soft sugar; 1 Orange (zest only); 1 Egg (large); 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 85 g Carrot (grated); 125 g Plain flour; 125 g Wholemeal plain flour (or regular plain/all purpose flour); 1/2 tsp Baking powder; 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda; 1/4 tsp Salt; 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon; 1 tsp Mixed spice; 1/4 tsp Nutmeg; 150 g Pecans (chopped finely); 75 g White chocolate; 12 Fondant carrots

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I absolutely love carrot cake. Maybe it's because I feel like I'm getting some vegetables along with my cake! But it could also be the delicious spices and incredibly moistness of carrot cake! If you need a quick fix of those yummy flavours, I've turned carrot cake into Carrot Cake Cookies. They are packed with carrot, pecans and spices, and are so much quicker and easier to make than a full cake! The Carrot Cake Cookies are decorated with a drizzle of white chocolate and some fondant carrots.

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I prefer to use unsalted butter for this recipe, but you can also use a baking spread.
I highly recommend using light brown soft sugar for these cookies, not only for delicious flavour but they give the cookies their gorgeous golden colour. You could use caster sugar, or a mix of dark brown soft sugar and caster sugar, but the colour of the cookies will differ.
I used a mix of regular plain flour and wholemeal plain flour for these cookies. You can do all regular plain flour if you prefer.
Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento, and ground ginger. If you can't get hold of it where you're based, you can use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead or add a mix of other spices - I recommend cinnamon and nutmeg.
If you don't like pecans you can omit them. Or swap them for walnuts.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Carrot Cake Cookies

Started by mixing the butter and light brown sugar together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for about 3-5 minutes. Next add the vanilla extract, egg and orange zest and mix until combined.

Then mix in the grated carrot, plain flour, wholemeal plain flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. You can stir everything except the grated carrots together in a bowl first if you like. Mix until combined, then add the pecans and mix briefly until evenly distributed.

Divide the mixture into portions and roll into balls with your hands. Place onto lined baking trays with space in between them. Bake for 12-14 minutes, leave to cool for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. To decorate, drizzle them with some melted white chocolate and add a fondant carrot shape in the centre.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

Do you have to chill the cookies before baking them?

You can chill them before baking for even thicker and chunkier cookies, but I prefer to bake them straight away. If it's a warm day, you handle the dough a lot, of your butter was over softened, then chilling may be beneficial.

How do you get perfectly round cookies?

As soon as they come out of the oven get a round cookie cutter*, or a glass held upside down, that is larger than the cookies and put it over each cookie. Move it in a circular motion, pressing against the sides of the cookies gently to adjust any irregularities. This is called "scooting" or "hula hooping" the cookies.

How should the cookies be stored and can they be frozen?

You can keep the balls of unbaked cookie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months, and you can bake them straight from frozen whenever you fancy a fresh cookie. The baked cookies will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze the baked cookies too, wrap them well or store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Put a square of baking paper between each one to stop them from sticking together.

What is the best way to prepare the carrots?

If you have a food processor with a grater attachment then that’s the quickest and most effortless way to prepare them. A manual grater works really well too, and it only takes a few minutes.

Do you need any electric mixer to make this recipe?

While an electric mixer is helpful in making these cookies and will give the best results, you don't need one to make them. You can absolutely make the cookies by hand with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease. If you have an electric stand mixer, then you can use the paddle attachment to make these cookies.

Can this recipe be made gluten free?

For gluten free you can replace the plain flour and the wholemeal plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. Please check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Can this recipe be made dairy free?

For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking block instead of butter for the cookies. I recommend Flora Plant or the Stork Baking Block. You will also need to use dairy free white chocolate for the decoration. Please do check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

More tips for making the Carrot Cake Cookies:

I don't like walnuts so I always use pecans in carrot cake related bakes, but of course you can swap them out (or remove them entirely) depending on what you prefer.
If you're a raisin fan, you can add some to the cookies, I'd suggest 100g-150g.
If you can't get hold of the fondant carrots, you could decorate with a sprinkle of chopped pecans, leave them plain, or extra white chocolate!
Make sure to leave space between the balls of cookie dough on the baking trays as they will spread when baking, about 2" should ensure they don't stick together. If you make bigger cookies, you will need to leave more space.
Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes (nearer to 10 minutes is ideal) before trying to move them onto a cooling rack. Otherwise they will be too soft and will break or stick to the baking paper.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

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