Carrot Cake Cookies with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

October leaves on the magnolias and the maples. Three days of counseling at the middle school in East Point. The work was the work.

Daddy in his apartment in the back. I brought him his coffee and his medication this morning. He grumbled. The grumble was the love. Marcus, 21, studying for finals at Alabama.

Sweet potato pie Sunday. The Cascade Heights standard. Mama's crust.

Jasmine, 19, home from Howard for the weekend. Isaiah, 18, called from Charlotte — coaching season starting.

The week held. The kitchen held. We are still here.

Darnell sent a photo from Clarksville. The garden is producing. He grew tomatoes the size of softballs. I sent him back a photo of my sweet potato casserole. We are competitive about food now in our middle age.

Miss Ernestine called Tuesday. She's ninety-something and sharp as ever. She told me my potato salad still needs more mustard.

The blood pressure check was Wednesday. The numbers were borderline. The doctor wants me to walk more. I am walking more.

Tuesday evening I sat at the kitchen table with my composition notebook and worked on the cookbook. From Brenda's Kitchen — that's the working title. I cannot write the introduction without crying yet.

Pastor preached about the prodigal son again. He preaches about that boy at least three times a year. The text is the text but every preaching is different. I cried in the second service this time. Don't ask me why.

Sunday service at New Birth this morning. The choir sang. I sang soprano in the second alto row. Pastor preached about Naomi and Ruth. The congregation said amen. I said amen.

Derek and I had date night Friday. Same restaurant, same booth, same enchiladas for me and carne asada for him.

Wednesday Bible study at the church. We read through Proverbs. The women in my row argued about whether wisdom is built or born. I said both. They agreed, sort of.

The neighbors had a Friday cookout this week. I brought my mac and cheese. They have come to expect this. I have come to expect this. The block is the block.

Thursday I made cornbread for a sister at church whose husband had surgery. I dropped it off at the hospital. She cried at the door. I told her, eat the cornbread, baby. The food is the saying.

Daddy sat in his chair after dinner watching the news. He fell asleep before the third quarter. Standard.

Andre called from LA. He told the Kevin Hart story again. Twenty-some years and that boy is still telling that story. Everyone in this family is going to hear about Kevin Hart at our funerals.

The kids were home for the weekend. The house was loud the way it should be.

I made a casserole for the church potluck. The pan came back empty. That is the only review I trust.

Saturday morning I had Set the Table at the Cascade Heights center. Twelve young women. We did baked chicken. One of them — Imani, sixteen — was so afraid of seasoning that she barely shook the salt. I stood next to her and put my hand over hers and said, baby, you cannot be afraid of food. We seasoned the chicken. The chicken came out right. She glowed.

I drove to the Walmart on Camp Creek Saturday morning. The kind of grocery run that takes two hours because you run into three people you know. Sister Patrice caught me in the produce. We talked about her grandbaby for fifteen minutes.

I went to the cemetery Saturday morning. Brenda's grave is on the hill at South-View. Curtis still goes most Sundays. I left a small bouquet of magnolias.

Sweet potato pie is the Cascade Heights standard — I wrote that down because it’s true, and because Mama’s crust is not something I can put into a recipe just yet, not without crying through the whole index card. But Imani at Set the Table reminded me that the kitchen is always teaching, and this week I wanted something I could make with my hands and share without a long story attached. These carrot cake cookies — soft, warm, kissed with cinnamon and crowned with whipped cream cheese — carry that same root-vegetable sweetness, the same Southern instinct that says feed the room and the room will be all right. The pan came back empty, just like the potluck casserole. That’s all the review I need.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 34 min (plus 20 min cooling) | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups finely grated fresh carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
For the whipped cream cheese frosting:
8 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
Ground cinnamon, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for about 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Fold in carrots and mix-ins. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the grated carrots and drained pineapple. If using, fold in the shredded coconut and nuts until just distributed.
Combine wet and dry. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, stirring gently with the spatula until just combined — do not overmix.
Portion and bake. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough (about 2 tablespoons each) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look just barely done. They will firm up as they cool.
Cool completely. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely — at least 20 minutes — before frosting.
Make the whipped cream cheese frosting. Beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until incorporated. With the mixer running on medium-high, slowly pour in the cold heavy cream and beat until the frosting is thick, light, and holds soft peaks, about 2–3 minutes. Do not overbeat.
Frost and serve. Dollop or pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto each cooled cookie. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate in a single layer until ready to serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Carrot Cake Cookies with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting — When the Kitchen Holds Everything Together