These carrot cake cookies with cream cheese frosting and candied pecans are the perfect treat for spring and Easter! The soft and flavorful carrot cake cookies are filled with the perfect spices, topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting, and are finished with candied pecans, making each bite a trifecta of textures and flavors!
These cookies are loosely inspired by the amazing Crumbl cookies, a personal favorite of mine. I also love carrot cake and bakes that remind me of spring, like these lemon, thyme, and rosemary cupcakes.
I wanted cookies that were soft and chewy, like a cookie, but with all the textures and carrot cake. So there are lots of carrots, pecans, and spices. Each bite has a little softness, a little tanginess from the cream cheese frosting, and a little crunch from the candied pecans.
Jump to:
- Why you will love this recipe:
- Key Ingredients:
- How to make these cookies:
- How to make the candied Pecans:
- How to make the cream cheese frosting:
- How to assemble the cookies:
- Here's a video showing how to make these cookies:
- Expert tips:
- FAQ
- Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Pecans
Why you will love this recipe:
- Perfectly spiced. These cookies are filled with the perfect balance of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Each bite is so warm and cozy.
- Perfect amount of carrots. There are 1 ¾ cups of shredded fresh carrots, so each bite is filled with carrot taste and texture.
- Amazing combination of three textures. I love it when textures combine to make a perfect bite, and these have soft cookie, creamy frosting, and crunchy candied pecans in each bite!
Key Ingredients:
Fresh carrots: the carrots add both flavor and moisture to the cookies. Using freshly grated carrots is key, as pre-shredded carrots don't have the same level of moisture.
Pecans: this recipe has toasted pecan pieces in both the cookie dough and candied pecan sprinkled on top of the finished cookies.
Spices: these cookies are filled with the best warming spices, like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
Brown and granulated sugar: the combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar helps give these cookies their soft texture.
All-purpose flour: Flour is what binds these cookies together, but be sure to measure it accurately; too much will make dense cookies, and too little will be soupy.
Eggs: Eggs help the cookies spread and keep the cookies together while baking.
Cream Cheese: cream cheese is what makes the perfect tangy frosting that really takes these cookies to the next level!
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make these cookies:
*Find the exact measurements, ingredients, and process in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Start making the cookies by beating the butter and sugars together, then mixing in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and carrots.
Step 2: Mix in the dry ingredients until just a few streaks remain, then mix in the pecans.
Step 3: Use a 2 tablespoon or spoon to scoop out 1½ -2 tablespoons of batter onto a lined baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
How to make the candied Pecans:
Step 1: while the cookies are cooling, make your candied pecans by whisking the egg white and water together until foamy.
Step 2: Mix in the 1 ½ cup candied pecan pieces until they are well coated.
Step 3: Mix the ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ cup brown sugar together, then add them to the pecans a little at a time.
Step 4: Spread the pecans on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 250 for 10-minute increments for 30 minutes, mixing each 10 minutes.
How to make the cream cheese frosting:
Step 1: Beat the 4 ounces of cream cheese and ½ stick butter until light and smooth.
Step 2: Mix in the vanilla and powdered sugar until fluffy and smooth. About 5 minutes.
How to assemble the cookies:
Step 1: Use a knife to swirl about 1 tablespoon of frosting around the cookie in a circular motion.
Step 2: Sprinkle the frosted cookies with the candied pecans.
Here's a video showing how to make these cookies:
Expert tips:
- To get the best texture possible, grate your own carrots, and don't purchase pre-shredded carrots. Pre-shredded carrots don't have enough moisture.
- Use your food processor and grating attachment to shred the carrots. It's so easy and saves so much time.
- Use toasted pecan pieces, and if you can't find them in the grocery store, dice and bake whole pecans at 350 for 3-5 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool completely before frosting. This prevents the icing from melting around the cookies.
- If you want to save time, buy pre-made candied pecans.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop and create uniform cookies easily
FAQ
Store these cookies refrigerated in an air tight container.
These cookies will keep cookies refrigerated in an air tight container for up to three days.
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Pecans
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 18-24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These frosted carrot cake cookies with candied pecans are the perfect treat for spring and Easter! The soft and flavorful carrot cake cookies are filled with the perfect spices, topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting, and are finished with candied pecans, making each bite a trifecta of textures and flavors!
Ingredients
Carrot cake cookies:
- ¾ cup butter softened
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 1 ¾ cup carrots shredded
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Candied pecans:
- 1 ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup Light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Cream cheese frosting:
- ½ stick unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch salt
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar
- (optional 1-2 tablespoons milk)
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grate the carrots to get 1 ¾ cups of shredded carrots. (about 4 medium carrots)
- Beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated, followed by the vanilla and the grated carrots.
- Top with the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices and mix until just a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add in the pecan pieces and mix until combined.
- Use a 2 tablespoon or spoon to scoop out 1½ -2 tablespoons of batter onto a lined baking sheet 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies have puffed up and the sides are slightly browned. Let cool.
For the candied pecans:
- Turn the oven down to 250 degrees
- While the cookies are cooling, make the candied pecans.
- Mix sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl.
- Whisk egg white and water together in a large bowl until frothy.
- Toss pecans in the egg white mixture to coat.
- Add the cinnamon sugar to the pecans a little bit at a time, mixing in between each addition.
- Spread onto a lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until pecans are evenly browned, another 20-30 minutes.
For the cream cheese frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese and butter until well-mixed. About 5-10 minutes.
- Add in the vanilla and mix.
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
Assemble the cookies:
Using a knife, frost the cookies with cream cheese frosting in a circular swirl motion.
Sprinkle with candied pecans.
Notes
*Measure your flour properly. This is my best baking tip! I typically fluff my flour, then scoop and level
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- This makes enough for about 1 tablespoon of frosting for each cookie; if you like a lot of frosting, double the recipe
- Add the optional milk for a smoother creamier texture.
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