Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe - Mess for Less (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Vicky · This post contains affiliate links.

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In the past, I have made carrot muffinsand I wanted to try something new. So I decided to take the carrot cake idea and turn it into a cookie with this Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe. The results were delicious! Don't forget to try out the rest of thefamily-friendly recipeson Mess for Less.

Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe - Mess for Less (1)

⭐Why This Recipe Works

Perfect Easter treats - While you can certainly enjoy these any time of the year, they are especially fun for Easter.

Quick recipe - From start to finish, this recipe takes just 30 minutes!

Made with carrots - You can make yourself feel better about enjoying these cookies because they are packed with good-for-you carrots.


🥣Ingredient Notes

  • Brown sugar and granulated sugar - Using two types of sugar gives the cookies a rich, sweet flavor.
  • Grated carrots - You will want to grate your own carrots since store-bought shredded carrots will not have enough moisture.
  • Craisins or dried cranberries - You can use raisins instead. Adds to the texture of the cookies.
  • Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice - These spices help give the cookies the flavor of carrot cake.
  • Pecans - Adds a nutty flavor to the cookies.
  • Butter - Use room temperature butter. Do not try to melt it in the microwave. Just let it come to room temperature naturally.

📋Step by Step Instructions

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars.

STEP 2: Beat in the two large eggs and add grated carrots and craisins. Mix well.

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STEP 3: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.

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STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to form cookie dough.

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STEP 5: Fold in the pecans.
STEP 6: Drop by rounded tablespoon full onto a greased baking sheet. You can also use a cookie scoop for this step.
STEP 7: Bake for 15 minutes, then remove cookies and let them cool on a wire rack.

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This recipe makes quite a bit of cookies (I got 40 out of it) so be prepared to eat a ton of cookies or give some away.

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👩🏻‍🍳Expert Tips

Tip 1: You will be using grated carrots for this recipe. A box grater is perfect for this purpose, just don't grate the carrots down too far or you run the risk of scraping your fingers.

Tip 2: Try these carrot cake cookies topped with cream cheese frosting for a more authentic carrot cake flavor. You can also place frosting in between two cookies to make carrot cake sandwich cookies.

Tip 3: You can use a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet if you don't want to use cooking spray. This also makes for an easier clean-up.


🤷🏻‍♀️Recipe FAQs

Can you use raisins instead of dried cranberries in this recipe?

Yes, you can substitute raisins in this recipe.

How do I store these cookies?

airtight container

What other nuts can I use in this recipe?

I used pecans, but you can also use walnuts.


🥕Related Carrot Recipes

  • Carrot Muffin Recipe for Kids
  • Carrot Cake Squares with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Cake Mix Carrot Cake Cookies
  • Hidden Veggie Baked Mac and Cheese

🌟If you try this recipe, leave a star rating below or a reviewin the comment section. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to get my latest recipes!

📖 Recipe

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Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe

Love carrot cake? You must try this Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe. Each cookie is packed with carrot cake flavor - shredded carrots and sweet, warm spices, plus dried cranberries and pecans.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: cookies

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 40 cookies

Calories: 87kcal

Author: Vicky

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars.

  • Beat in the two eggs and add grated carrots and craisins. Mix well.

  • In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt.

  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to form cookie dough.

  • Fold in the pecans.

  • Drop by rounded tablespoon full onto a greased cookie sheet.

  • Bake for 15 minutes, then remove cookies and let them cool on a wire rack.

Notes

  • You will be using grated carrots for this recipe. A box grater is perfect for this purpose, just don't grate the carrots down too far or you run the risk of scraping your fingers.
  • Try these carrot cake cookies topped with cream cheese frosting for a more authentic carrot cake flavor. You can also place frosting in between two cookies to make carrot cake sandwich cookies.
  • You can use a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet if you don't want to use cooking spray. This also makes for an easier clean-up.
  • This nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using online calculators. Your nutritional information may vary depending on numerous factors.

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 619IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Try this Recipe! Pin it for Later.Mention @vickycat or tag #messforless!

Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe - Mess for Less (13)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephanie @ Life, Unexpectedly

    That would be the perfect recipe for Lily's Easter Breakfast at school! Thanks for sharing!!

  2. LadyD Piano

    Thanks for the yummy cookie recipe!

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Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe - Mess for Less (2024)

FAQs

How to make cookies more chewy and less cakey? ›

Using too much flour will make your cookies too cakey, so try reducing the flour amount by two tablespoons. Avoid using cake flour instead; try a mix of all-purpose flour and bread flour for a more dense and chewy texture. Using too much baking powder. According to the science geeks at Serious Eats—we love you!

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

Cornstarch Is The Secret To Soft And Chewy Cookies.

What does adding cornstarch to cookies do? ›

1. Cookies. Cornstarch does kind of incredible things to cookies. I mean not only does it give them soft centers, prevents them from spreading, and makes them somewhat thick (in a good way), but it also contributes to the chewiness factor, which, in my opinion, is the most important cookie attribute.

Why is my carrot cake soggy in the middle? ›

When a cake is wet in the middle it is because the edges have cooked faster than the centre. This happens because of the way the cake cooks naturally in the tin – the sides of the cake tin heat up first.

How do you make cookies soft and chewy vs hard and crisp? ›

Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

How do I make my cookies chewy instead of crunchy? ›

The higher the protein content of a flour, the more gluten can be developed when hydrated. Plus, a higher protein content means more moisture can be absorbed. Together, a higher protein flour retains more moisture and creates more gluten—aka it's more elastic and chewy.

How do bakeries keep their cookies soft? ›

Corn Syrup (Light)

Light corn syrup is sometimes used in specialist cakes and confectioneries to help keep baked products soft and doughy for longer.

What are three factors that contribute to a chewy cookie? ›

Salted butter, softened – I prefer salted butter but you can also use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough. Brown sugar – Just brown sugar because we will get the 'granulated sugar' flavor from the corn syrup. Corn syrup – The corn syrup is what makes these cookies CHEWY FOR DAYS.

How can I make my cookies fluffier instead of flat? ›

The Fix: Chilling the Dough

Refrigerate the remaining dough until it feels firm to the touch, one to two hours. This chills the butter, so it won't spread rapidly in the oven. Although your cookies won't be as fluffy as they might have been, they won't turn into pancakes.

What does melted butter do to cookies? ›

Melted butter is important in cookie making because it helps create a unique texture and flavor that cannot be achieved with solid butter. During the melting process, the butter's water content evaporates, leaving only fat behind. This results in a more concentrated flavor and a softer texture in your cookies.

Is butter or oil better for carrot cake? ›

Carrot cake is oil-based, rather than butter-based. This keeps it moist and helps it last for days. Unfortunately, it also means you lose the leavening power that creaming butter and sugar would bring. (Creaming, or beating together the two ingredients on high speed, aerates the butter.)

Why does carrot cake taste weird? ›

Using baking powder (a chemical leavening agent) often becomes tricky. How much is enough to leaven dense, oil-based cakes like carrot cake? Sometimes, we end up using too much baking powder to help this type of cake rise, and this mistake can unfortunately make them taste bitter or like chemicals.

How do you get cookies to be chewy? ›

You can rest it for at least an hour, which will evaporate some of the water and increase the sugar content, helping to keep your baked cookies chewy. The longer you allow your sugar cookie dough or chocolate chip cookie dough to rest in the fridge, the chewier your cookies will be.

How to make cookies chewy after baking? ›

The easiest way to soften cookies with bread is to place the cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread and leave them for a few hours. The bread will release moisture and help to rehydrate the cookies, making them soft and chewy once again.

What can cause a cookie to be too chewy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

What makes cookies stay soft and chewy? ›

For soft cookies, use: Brown sugar, as it has a high moisture content and retains moisture better than white sugar. Also, when combined with eggs, brown sugar can prevent spreading (taller cookies tend to be softer and fluffier). Shortening instead of butter or in addition to butter.

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