CARROT CAKE COOKIES
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cookies
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar packed
1 large egg room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup finely shredded fresh carrots
½ cup chopped pecans toasted
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing
½ cup salted butter browned, cooled to room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Garnish
chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
Carrot Cake Cookies
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars.
½ cup unsalted butter,½ cup granulated sugar,½ cup light brown sugar
Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated, scrape down the bowl half way through mixing and add vanilla.
1 large egg,2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until they are all mixed together.
2 cups all purpose flour,1 tablespoon corn starch,1 teaspoon baking soda,½ teaspoon fine sea salt,1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,¼ teaspoon ground ginger,½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Add the dry ingredients into the stand mixer and mix on medium-low speed until dry ingredients are just mixed together.
While the mixer is on the lowest speed, slowly add the carrots and pecans. Mix just until combined, do not over mix dough.
1 cup finely shredded fresh carrots,½ cup chopped pecans
Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the dough into balls and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and place the dough balls into the freezer to set for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a separate baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. The cookies will spread and you don’t want them to run together during the baking process.
Bake cookies for about 15 minutes, checking to make sure they are done. You will know that the cookies are done baking when the tops no longer look wet and shiny. If they need more time let them bake for another couple of minutes and then check them again. Oven temperatures can vary so I like to use an oven thermometer to make sure that the temperature is correct. If you do not have an oven thermometer, check on your cookies often, starting around the 13 minute mark.
Once cookies are baked, remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet. To make your cookies perfectly round you can set a a large biscuit cutter or large mouthed glass over each cookie and gently swirl it around to even out all of the sides.
For each batch of cookies I like to use a separate baking sheet. You do not want to put the raw cookie dough onto a warm sheet from the oven or this can cause your cookies to bake incorrectly.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing
While the cookies are baking, brown your butter in a small pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, I constantly stir the butter making sure that it does not burn and so that I can watch it carefully. You want to remove the butter from the heat once it has reached a beautiful golden brown. Set the pan aside so that the butter can cool.
½ cup salted butter
Once all of the cookies are baked and are cooling, start making your icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and cooled brown butter. Add the vanilla.
8 ounces cream cheese,1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Once the cream cheese, brown butter, and vanilla are mixed together add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. In the last cup of powdered sugar, add the cinnamon and salt.
3 cups powdered sugar,½ teaspoon ground cinnamon,½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Once all of the ingredients are combined, mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until the icing is light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and mix for 1 minutes to get rid of any air bubbles.
If your icing is too thick you can add a splash of milk or heavy cream. Too thin, place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
To ice the cookies, you can use a piping bag or you can spread the icing on top of each cookie using a spoon or offset spatula.
If using a piping bag, fill the bag with icing and tie off the end. Cut a hole in the end of the bag and starting in the center of the cookie, pipe the icing around to form a swirl.
Garnish with chopped pecans.
chopped toasted pecans