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With Easter being tomorrow, here is another last minute carrot cake recipe for you guys! In cookie form, that is. Let's talk Easter for a moment. Don't you just love it? It's one of my favorite holidays. I can't wait until my son gets a little older so we can do Easter egg hunts with him every year! Some of my favorite Easter memories are those of the Easter egg hunts we would have around my parents' yard with all of my cousins running around like nut jobs trying to find all the eggs. We had way too much fun! Also, dying the eggs is so fun too! I did that with my son this year, he just plopped the egg into the different colors, not too exciting for him yet since he is only 17 months. Ha, soon enough though. Easter is just so much fun. Anyway, back to the cookies, that's the reason you're here, right? These cookies are nothing short of amazing. Did I mention they are soft-baked? Extremely, extremely soft-baked. They are perfectly spiced without being overwhelming. With carrots and oats, it's very hard to overpower them with spices so I usually use a heavy hand, feel free to use less if you want. I think the browned butter cream cheese glaze is the real star of the show though. Without it, these cookies would just be ordinary. But with it... they are extraordinary! I don't think anything carrot-cake-like should ever not have cream cheese frosting or glaze. It's just wrong. To make it even better, I browned the butter. Browning the butter is optional but I recommend it. It gives the glaze an almost nutty flavor that pairs so well with the flavors in the cookies!
^ See those perfect browned butter flecks in the glaze? Droooool. You have. have. have. have to make it to go on top of these bad boys. It's absolutely necessary. If you don't want to brown the butter, I guess I will understand. But these cookies are just begging for some cream cheese glaze lovin'.
I threw some raisins in these on a whim and wasn't sure about it but I am SO glad I decided to add them because they add so much to these cookies! The sweetness they give perfectly compliments the spices.
These cookies have a texture like no other cookie I have made before. And I have made A LOT of cookies. They stay soft for over a week! I still have one or two in my kitchen that I made last week and they are still soft and delicious.
When they're done baking, they may seem like they aren't done but that is what gives them their ultra chewy and soft texture. They will set up when they cool, so don't panic. If you like a more crispy and firm cookie, feel free to bake them a little longer.
Carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts and if I can have it in bite size, let me at it!
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Soft-Baked Carrot Cake Cookies With Browned Butter Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
- Carrot Cake Cookies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted halfway
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg 1 yolk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats pulsed to half their size
- 1 ½ teaspoon corn starch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¾ cup finely shredded carrots
- ¼-1/2 cup raisins
- Browned Butter Glaze:
- 2 tbs unsalted butter browned
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 tbs powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1-3 tbs half & half or milk
Instructions
- For the Cookies
- In a large bowl, combine flour, corn starch, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together. Pulse oats in food processor until they are half their size and add them into the mix. Mix around with a fork until everything is blended a bit.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream half melted butter together with sugar until combined. Add in egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Slowly add in dry mixture until just combined. Fold in shredded carrots and raisins by hand with rubber spatula or spoon. Place bowl of dough into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- 10 minutes before they're ready to be baked, preheat your oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Take 1 ½ tablespoons of dough, roll into balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough. While one batch of cookies is baking, be sure to put the rest of the dough back in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Bake cookies for 13-15 minutes. Cookie edges should just be set and middle will be underbaked but will firm up as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. While all cookies are cooling, prepare the glaze.
- For the Glaze:
- First, you need to brown the butter. Once butter is browned (not burned!), pour it into a small cup or bowl being sure to get all of the browned parts at the bottom of the pan!! That's where the flavor is. Place in the fridge to solidify so it's no longer melted, about 10 minutes. Scoop the butter out and cream together with the cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until completely smooth. Pour in half & half 1 tbs at a time until it is to your desired consistency. I like mine to be on the thicker side. Pour into a decorating bottle or you can just use a spoon and spoon it onto the cookies that way.
- Once cookies are completely cooled, drizzle the glaze over top of them.
- Cookies will stay moist and soft for up to a week kept in an airtight container.
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