Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
This recipe for carrot cake sandwich cookies is loaded with flavor! A cookie form of the popular dessert, these have pineapple, walnuts, and raisins in cookies that sandwich cream cheese icing.
I'm so excited to be kicking off this year's Christmas cookie series today!
Last year, my daughter and I worked to put together a week's worth of cookie recipes that would be perfect to bake for anything Christmas-related. From cookies for Santa to a holiday party, these treats would definitely make an impression. We had such a blast working together to make those cookies that we decided to do it again this year.
This first recipe is a spin on one of my favorite dessert recipes ever. If you've never made this recipe for Carrot Cake, you're totally missing out. It's beyond incredible. A rich carrot cake that's loaded with sweet elements like pineapple, nuts, and raisins, soaked in a rich buttermilk glaze and topped with classic cream cheese icing that's so perfect with a carrot cake. Trust me – you'll want to eat the whole thing in one sitting.
The one problem with the recipe is that it's kind of complicated to make. It's an afternoon-long process that has lots of individual steps (and ingredients). So, with these cookies, we decided to simplify that drawn-out recipe into cookie form. This one was actually my daughter's idea – she wanted a homemade version of the Carrot Cake Cookies we pick up each time we stop by Trader Joe's, and I knew the perfect inspiration recipe to use.
We whipped these up one afternoon about a month ago and they were a hit! Just as rich and delicious as the original cake, just in a smaller cookie form. An added bonus to making these cookies is the texture combo – the slightly crunchy outside works so well with the cream cheese icing.
Here's your recipe!
Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
- For the cookies...
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 8 oz can crushed pineapple drained
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- For the icing...
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger) in a medium bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a mixer to combine butter and brown sugar well. Add eggs and vanilla; stir until combined. Slowly (about 1/2 cup at a time) beat in dry ingredients until mixed well. Gently in carrots, pineapple, raisins, and walnuts.
- Spoon batter onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 16-18 minutes, until tops of cookies are set and start to brown.
- While cookies are baking, beat together butter and cream cheese for the icing. Add vanilla and salt. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until smooth.
- Allow cookies to cool once removed from the oven. Make sandwiches with icing in the center of cookies.
Enjoy! You can see last year's cookie series here. I'll be back with more cookie ideas this week.
