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Buttery, light and sweet cookies laced with carrots, orange zest and plenty of spices. This is a very unique cookie, barely crisp on the bottom with a slightly chewy cake-crumb center.
The orange flavor comes through right along with all of the spices. The carrots are not overwhelmed with the different flavors, they are very well-matched.
These cookies taste even better the second day. With a glass of milk or a cup of coffee, they are perfect for an afternoon snack or even for breakfast.
When I saw the Carrot Pie recipe for this month’s Vintage Recipe Swap, I could hardly wait to play with ideas for a carrot dessert. I knew I’d be making something different, because pies just aren’t my favorite thing.
I had an idea for a carrot cake cookie, but it proved much harder to actually accomplish. I’m not a fan of cakey cookies most of the time; crisp and chewy is more my style.
My first two attempts at carrot cake cookies resulted in heavy, chewy, dense and very carrot-y cookies. However, the third time was the charm and these cookies were hailed as a success by all of my boys.
Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!
Ginger Spice Carrot Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup grated carrots packed
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon orange zest about 1 orange
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour*
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons potato starch
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrots and simmer over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes, until the carrots soften. Remove from the heat and add the brown sugar. Stir well to combine thoroughly. Add the egg, orange zest and the vanilla and stir to combine.
- Whisk the remaining dry ingredients together and then add to the mixture in the pan. Stir to combine and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment and then use a medium scoop to place large (2) tablespoon scoops on the tray. The cookies will spread considerably, 6 cookies should fit on a large baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges are just barely browned. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 8-10 minutes, before removing them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I'm the same way about cakey cookies, so yay for you figuring out a way to avoid that with a carrot cookie. Can you do the same for pumpkin? I'm dying for a good pumpkin cookie!
I have heard of pumpkin carrot cookies… Seek n you shall find..😋
I think the carrots would be excuse enough to eat a pile of these! They sound wonderful, what a great idea.
Yummo – these look delicious. Great recipe swap. Shari from http://www.goodfoodweek.blogspot.com
They look really delicious! Great recipe swap!
I love these cookie. Who would have ever thought that carrots in a cookie would look so heavenly.
3rd time is a charm! As recipe creators that's what it takes sometimes. Looks like it was well worth the effort, your cookies are very cute and sound/look divine.
Such dedication – tweaking your cookie recipe until it was perfect. One of these days I'll have to get enough of a head start on my post to do that…Carrot cake cookies are an automatic win in my book and your description makes these sound over-the-top good. I cannot wait to start baking all the great Fall dessert recipes from this swap!
Chewy cake crumb center?! Yes please! Your take on the recipe sounds so tasty…and I love bitten-into cookie 🙂
Yum!!!! I would adore these cookies and my mom is growing carrots right now so I can't wait to pinch some off of her and then share the cookies.
Wow! Ginger and carrot cookies!! Love them!!
I have been making these for my 3 year old who won't eat veggies and loves sugar! Our whole family loves them!