Carrot Cake Cookies 
Yields: 2 - 3 dz.
Prep Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Ingredients:
For the Cookies:
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups finely grated fresh carrot (from about 6 medium carrots), patted dry
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
For the Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Orange jimmy sprinkles or chopped toasted walnuts, for sprinkling
Directions:
For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F with oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until well combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl, as needed.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture with the mixer on low. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Stir in the carrots and walnuts.
Using a 1 3/4-inch cookie scoop, drop leveled spoonfuls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each) of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 2 inches apart. Bake 2 pans at a time, rotating halfway through cooking, until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges, 14 to 16 minutes total. Cool the cookies on the pans for 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Dollop a spoonful of frosting on the top of each cookie and spread all over the top. Sprinkle with orange jimmy sprinkles or chopped toasted walnuts, if you like.
Tips:
Unfrosted carrot cake cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to three days. Top with frosting and nuts or sprinkles just before serving.
Although it can be tempting to reach for a bag of pre-shredded carrots, we recommend grating fresh carrots for these cookies! Grated fresh carrots have a higher water content and will yield cookies that are more moist and tender. With that being said, you’ll want to pat the carrots dry before combining them with the other ingredients so they don’t add too much moisture to the dough. To make grating carrots easy, use a food processor with the grating blade attached. Otherwise, grate the carrots on the small holes of your box grater.
Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman.com
