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oatmeal carrot cake cookies are drizzled with cream cheese glaze and served on a marble and wooden board

oatmeal carrot cake cookies recipe

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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

Units Scale

For the Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies:

  • 2 large carrots (enough to yield 1 cup shredded)
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice (yield from about 1/2 orange)
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped dates
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Cream Cheese Icing:

  • 1/4 cup (half-stick) butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons water

Instructions

  1. Peel and grate the carrots, then place them in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl or pitcher. Sprinkle with about ½ tsp of salt, toss gently, and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients. a strainer containing shredded carrots is set over a glass pitcher
  2. 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!a small bowl of orange juice and zest sits next to a squeezed orange half
  3. 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.  a large mixing bowl containing various dry ingredients
  4. Stir until well combined, working the mixture with your hands as needed to break up any clumps of dates.the dry ingredients are stirred together into a coarse but uniform mixture
  5. Use an electric hand mixer to cream 1 stick of butter and the brown sugar together in a separate bowl until light and fluffy. butter and brown sugar are beaten into a fluffy paste
  6. 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.egg and other liquid ingredients are added to the bowl with the butter and sugar mixture
  7. 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.the drained shredded carrots are added to the bowl with the wet ingredient mixture
  8. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the bowl with the carrot mixture. the dry oat mixture is added to the bowl with the wet carrot mixture
  9. 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. a chunky, thick dough comes together in a large mixing bowl, with visible shreds of carrots, oats, and pieces of nut
  10. 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. 12 portioned and rolled dough balls are arranged on 2 parchment paper lined baking sheets
  11. 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.the dough balls are pressed down with a clear glass bowl, turning the balls into flat cookie patties
  12. 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. the baked oatmeal carrot cake cookies are arranged on a wire cooling rack on the countertop
  13. Make the icing while the cookies are cooling. Start by combining the softened cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl.soft cream cheese and butter are placed together in a large mixing bowl
  14. Whip until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. the butter and cream cheese are whipped until light and fluffy
  15. 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.a sifter of powdered sugar rests over the surface of the bowl with the butter and cream cheese mixture
  16. 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.the finished cream cheese icing has a thick, yet pourable consistency and creamy white coloring
  17. Drizzle your carrot oatmeal cookies with cream cheese icing as desired and enjoy! a small metal spoon is used to drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the baked carrot cake oatmeal cookies, creating diagonal lines and speckles

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. 
  • Author: Kelly
  • 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

Find it online: https://crescentmoonkitchen.com/oatmeal-carrot-cake-cookies/