Description
Delightful Carrot Cake Cookies merge classic dessert charm with portable cookie convenience. Sweet spices and cream cheese frosting create irresistible bites that comfort and delight, making you crave another delectable treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients and Sugars:
- 1 cup Unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup Brown sugar packed light or dark
- 1/2 cup White granulated sugar
- 1 cup Finely grated carrots
- 2 Large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- 6 ounces (170 grams) Cream cheese room temperature
- 2 ounces (57 grams) Cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons White granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare cream cheese filling by blending cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until silky. Carefully drop small dollops onto wax paper-lined sheet and freeze until completely solid, ensuring easier cookie assembly later.
- Finely grate carrots and thoroughly squeeze out excess moisture using paper towels to prevent soggy cookie texture.
- Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg) in a separate bowl. In another container, cream melted butter with brown and white sugars until smooth. Incorporate grated carrots, vanilla, and egg yolks. Gently fold in dry ingredients, mixing minimally to maintain tender cookie consistency.
- Form dough into 2-tablespoon portions, creating a central indent. Place frozen cheesecake dollop in each indentation, carefully encasing filling by wrapping dough around it. Chill assembled cookies in freezer for 10 minutes to maintain structural integrity during baking.
- Bake at 350°F for 13-15 minutes, focusing on one baking sheet at a time. Allow cookies to rest on sheet for 10-15 minutes, permitting cheesecake filling to stabilize before transferring to cooling rack.
- Optional decorative touch: Prepare cream cheese frosting, divide into two portions, and color one orange and another green. Artfully pipe miniature carrot designs atop each cookie for whimsical presentation.
Notes
- Squeeze out excess moisture from grated carrots to ensure crisp, not soggy cookies that maintain perfect texture and prevent spreading during baking.
- Freeze cream cheese filling beforehand to make handling easier and create clean, precise cookie assembly without messy filling leakage.
- Chill assembled cookies before baking to help maintain their shape and prevent excessive spreading, resulting in beautifully structured treats with intact cheesecake centers.
- Consider alternative dietary options by swapping ingredients like using gluten-free flour, plant-based butter, or reducing sugar for more health-conscious versions without compromising delicious flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 194
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 205 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 32 mg