By Easter week. Brayden is seventy-eight weeks old. The first official daycare-pickup week starts Tuesday (April 4). Easter Sunday is April 9 at Mama’s house in Sapulpa. The family will be the standard Easter-Sunday gathering: us three, Mama, Cody, Aunt Linda and Roy, Aunt Patty’s family (Hannah is home for spring break, Hayden is staying at OSU for a research project), Roy Calloway, plus Harper and Justin and Hadley (who will be twelve weeks old and making her first family-Easter appearance).
The soft carrot cake cookies are a kid-friendly Easter-themed dessert — soft drop cookies with shredded carrot, raisins (optional, omitted for Brayden), chopped walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, finished with a cream-cheese-frosting drizzle. The cookies are the cookie-form-factor version of carrot cake — portable, easy-to-eat-with-one-hand, kid-sized.
The technique question is the carrot-moisture management. The shredded carrot releases moisture during the bake. The fix is the same as the zucchini-carrot muffins from April 2022 — squeeze the shredded carrot in a kitchen towel before adding it to the dough. The squeeze removes about a tablespoon of water per cup of shredded carrot. Without the squeeze the cookies come out gummy. With the squeeze they come out soft-but-set.
Sunday I made three dozen cookies. Twelve for the Easter-dessert table at Mama’s. Twelve for the freezer. Twelve for the apartment and the Sunday cooking week. The cream-cheese-frosting drizzle was applied after the cookies cooled.
Soft Carrot Cake Cookies
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 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
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1–2 tablespoons milk, as needed for consistency
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Fold in carrots. Stir the grated carrots (and nuts, if using) into the butter mixture until evenly distributed.
- Combine wet and dry. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined — do not overmix.
- Scoop and bake. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are just set and the tops look barely done. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Cool completely. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until fluffy. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until the frosting is spreadable but not runny.
- Frost and serve. Spread or pipe a generous dollop of cream cheese frosting onto each cooled cookie. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 25g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 85mg