I remember when I was younger, and our family would go out to dinner Sunday night. My favorite dessert was a slice of Carrot Cake. I loved the pecans and the cream cheese icing. All of the flavors just went so well together. I have been toying with the idea of converting a cake recipe to a cookie recipe for a year. I think I was afraid that the taste would not live up to the memories I had of the perfect Carrot Cake.
So I trusted my taste buds and decided I would give it a try and am so glad I did. I was not disappointed in the turnout of my Carrot Cake Cookie. I added pineapple to help give it moistness. The pecans, what can I say but were the icing on the cake. (Sorry just a little humor lol) Found a web page with the History of Carrot Cake, please enjoy it!
Fantastic Carrot Cake Cookies
Barbara HallIngredients
- 1 cup Butter unsalted 2 sticks room temperature
- ½ cup Light brown sugar 106 g
- ½ Sugar white 99 g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1-½ to 2 cups Carrots finely shredded about 3 large
- ¼ cup Pineapple crushed drained
- 2-¾ cups All-purpose flour 330 g
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground cloves
- ½ cup Pecans half chopped small
CREAM CHEESE ICING
- 8 oz Cream Cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup Butter unsalted room temperature
- 2 cups Powdered sugar 227 g
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Kosher Salt Just a pinch
- ½ tablespoon Milk if needed
- ¼ cup Pecans half chopped small
Instructions
COOKIE DOUGH
- In a food processor or a hand grater/shredder shred three large carrots. I use my Breville food processor, which has a large and small shedder attachment. The small shredder side was perfect for the size of the pieces I wanted for these cookies. You should get between 1-½ to 2 cups. Three carrots should be enough, but you can be the judge if you want a little more or less. DO NOT USE the store-bought bags of shredded carrot; they are dry and tasteless.
- In a bowl weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and run a whisk through to blend. In another bowl, weigh or measure the white and light brown sugars and set aside.
- In a stand or hand-held mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add both sugars and blend till thoroughly mixed. Add the vanilla extract, pineapple, pecans, and carrots. Turn the mixer down and slowly add the flour mixture till incorporated.
- Preheat oven to 350° and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I used a small cookie scoop and scooped 12 onto a pan. I flatten the tops a little to make it easier to add the icing after the cookies cool. Bake for 12-14 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack after you take them out of the oven.
CREAM CHEESE ICING
- In a stand or hand-held mixer, blend the cream cheese and butter till incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, salt, and the milk. Turn the mixer down and slowly add your powdered sugar and mix till smooth. When your cookies are cooled, add a generous amount of the cream cheese icing on top of the cookies. Finish with some of the chopped pecans.
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