These oatmeal carrot cake cookies are loaded with the sweet flavor of fresh carrots, rich spices, and old fashioned oats. A silky ribbon of cream cheese icing tops each cookie off with a decadent finish.
This carrot cake oatmeal cookies recipe is not born from any fantasy of making a healthier choice. Rather, it's the result of a firmly planted decision to have a treat and have the heck out of it.
As you know from my Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce recipe, sweet and syrupy carrot dishes as a dinner side are not usually my thing. But carrots for dessert? Now that's a vibe I fully subscribe to.
These cakey yet chewy cookies are warmly spiced, lightly citrusy, and completely carrot-laden. Oats provide structure and flavor, while a full complement of chunky mix-ins round out the carrot cake essence. And because we're feeding the soul here, this recipe is for 12 biiiig cookies instead of 2 dozen regular.
A moment with one of these jumbo, melt-in-your-mouth oatmeal carrot cake cookies is just the type of respite you deserve. Because sometimes, the most nourishing thing we can do for ourselves is to let go, and let something be exactly what it is. And in this case, that something is rich, decadent, and intentionally indulgent.
Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe Ingredients
ingredient notes & swaps
- It's important to use freshly grated carrots in this carrot cookie recipe, as store-bought pre-shredded carrots are too dry and coarse in texture.
- Baking soda works in tandem with the acidity of the orange juice to create lift. However, too much baking soda can actually cause a chemical reaction that turns the carrots green! To avoid this, we'll also use equal amount of baking powder to get that soft n' chewy, perfect cakey-cookie texture without the funny coloring.
- This carrot oatmeal cookies recipe is designed specifically to use regular old-fashioned rolled oats. Using other oat types (extra-thick, quick, instant, steel-cut, Irish) would require different chilling time, baking time, liquid ratios, etc., so I recommend avoiding those.
- Some souls love dried fruit in their carrot cake, others don't. For me, the more mix-ins the better! Raisins are more traditional, but my mom gifted me the Rodale Institute's Organic Hero Box which happened to contain a bag of Made in Nature Deglet Noor Dates--the perfectly chewy, sweet something for these carrot cake cookies!
- Feel free to replace the ¼ cup chopped walnuts with any other nut you like, or omit the nuts entirely.
- I like using vanilla paste in these cookies for the subtle flecks of vanilla bean it gives to the dough. Vanilla extract is just fine too, though.
- Ingredients for the icing for these cookies are not in the above photo, but it is almost the same as the cream cheese frosting I use on these Pumpkin Spice Blondies. The only differences: I double the cream cheese for these carrot cake cookies and add more water to make the icing thin enough to drizzle.
oatmeal carrot cake cookies recipe
These oatmeal carrot cake cookies are loaded with the sweet flavor of fresh carrots, rich spices, and old fashioned oats. A silky ribbon of cream cheese icing tops each cookie off with a decadent finish.
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 jumbo cookies 1x
Ingredients
For the Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies:
- 2 large carrots (enough to yield 1 cup shredded)
- 2 tablespoons orange juice (yield from about ½ orange)
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup finely chopped dates
- ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup shredded coconut flakes
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- ¼ cup (half-stick) butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Peel and grate the carrots, then place them in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl or pitcher. Sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon of salt, toss gently, and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Zest and juice the orange, then set aside. You can combine the zest and the juice in a small bowl together; they'll get added back in at the same time later!
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger powder, ground cloves, rolled oats, chopped dates, chopped walnuts, and coconut flakes.
- Stir until well combined, working the mixture with your hands as needed to break up any clumps of dates.
- Use an electric hand mixer to cream 1 stick of butter and the brown sugar together in a separate bowl until light and fluffy.
- Lightly beat the egg, then add it to the butter and sugar mixture along with the maple syrup, vanilla, and the orange juice + zest you set aside earlier.
- Beat or whisk the wet ingredients until smooth. Fetch your carrot setup and use your hands or a broad spoon to press and squeeze the carrots against the mesh of the strainer, extracting the excess liquid. Removing this extra moisture will create a more stable cookie dough that bakes up into crisp-chewy cookies! Once squeezed, add the shredded carrots to the wet ingredient mixture and fold them in.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the bowl with the carrot mixture.
- Fold the mixtures together until a sticky dough just comes together, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is even better!). The fridge time is necessary to soften the oats and will create craveably chewy, well-structured cookies that hold their shape during baking.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉. Scoop the cookie dough out in about ¼ cup portions, roll into balls, and arrange on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
- Use a lightly greased spatula or bowl with a wide flat bottom to press down on each dough ball until you have about ¼ inch thickness. These cookies don't spread out much on their own so we need to give them a little help! This dough is sticky, so the pressing will be easiest to do when your cookie dough is cold from the fridge. You can re-grease the bottom of the bowl as needed. A sprinkle of granulated sugar also helps the dough to release from the bottom more easily.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until set and lightly golden around the edges. Transfer the cookies from the baking sheet to a wire rack to let them cool completely.
- Make the icing while the cookies are cooling. Start by combining the softened cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl.
- Whip until light and fluffy using an electric mixer.
- Place the powdered sugar in a fine mesh strainer and sift it into the bowl with the cream cheese mixture, then add the vanilla extract.
- Whisk until smooth. Add about 2 tablespoons of water, then whisk well and check the consistency. You want it to fall in thick ribbons when you lift the whisk. If it is still too thick, add 1 teaspoon more water at a time until you get there.
- Drizzle your carrot oatmeal cookies with cream cheese icing as desired and enjoy!
Notes
- When chopping the dates, sprinkle them with a little granulated sugar to make them easier to slice through. They're so sticky they'll want to gum up your knife, but a little sugar really helps them to separate.
- All of the mix-ins (dates, walnuts, and coconut) can be modified to taste. Double up on one thing or omit entirely! Or add a handful of chocolate chips if you want to make oatmeal carrot cake chocolate chip cookies.
- The cookies will be easier to roll and press when the dough is nice and cold from the fridge. Take care not to leave it at room temperature for too long when working with it.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chilling Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 183.9 mg
- Fat: 17.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.8 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 55.8 mg
FAQs
Can you substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour in cookies?
In theory yes, but if you were to do that here, your cookies will turn out with a more delicate texture and less structure. Since these cookies are hearty and loaded with chunky mix-ins, all-purpose flour is best.
What are the best types of oats for chewy oatmeal carrot cake cookies?
Old fashioned rolled oats are definitely the best for making chewy oatmeal cookies. The key is to let the dough sit in the fridge for several hours or overnight before baking; this lets the oats soak up some of the liquid and soften up a bit, creating a chewy texture when you go to bake them.
Do oatmeal cookies need to be refrigerated?
Yes, due to the cream cheese glaze, these carrot oat cookies should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They'll keep for up to 5 days, but really are at their best right after baking!
Can you make these into carrot cake oatmeal sandwich cookies?
Absolutely! The soft, chewy texture of these cookies makes them ideal for sandwich cookies. You can adjust the cream cheese frosting to be less of a drizzle and more of a filling by leaving out the water at first. Check its thickness, then add just 1 teaspoon of liquid at a time until it has a stiff, smooth consistency for stuffing your cookies. Opting for vanilla ice cream is by no means wrong either
Are carrot oatmeal cookies healthy?
I mean, they do have carrots in them and whole grain oats, but as mentioned above, these cookies are an intentional treat 😉 If you're looking for a healthier version, try these 4 Ingredient Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies from Kirbie's Cravings. A friend of mine directed me to her cookie recipes when I was limiting fat intake due to gallbladder disease, and they were a lifesaver!
dig in!
Enjoy & let me know what you think 🌙 💛
