These Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are like an oatmeal cookie carrot cake love child. They're a soft, healthy-ish cookie topped with a super sweet frosting made with homemade cream cheese!
Ok, I know these little cookies don't necessarily look super special. But friends, let me just tell you that we are obsessed with these Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.
As typical with most of our recipes here at SFS, these are not only healthy(ish) but also kid loved and mom approved. Are they packed with butter or refined sugar? Nope. Are they flavorful and full of (sneaky) nutrition? YAAAS. So when my girls ask for another, I will happily say Yes.
Ingredients Needed
- Flour - All purpose flour is what we use, but you could also use a gluten free flour.
- Old Fashioned Oats - These are an oatmeal cookie at heart and old fashioned rolled oats are best for this - quick or steel cut will not work.
- Carrots - Helloooo vitamin A and potassium packed cookies!
- Sweeteners - Brown sugar and real maple syrup.
- Butter - Salted is what we use, but if you only have unsalted, no problem. See recipe notes.
- Unsweetened Applesauce - This adds some moisture (and nutrition) to the cookies.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ground Ginger, Salt - All making these cookies super flavorful and carrot cake like.
- Vanilla Extract - Have you made your own, yet?
- Egg and Baking Powder
Step-by-Step Instructions
My favorite thing about this recipe is the amount of shredded carrot that's in it.
1st Step: Shred the carrot and then take some of the moisture out by using paper towels to soak some of the moisture out.
If your carrots don't have a lot of moisture, you can just do this while they're in the bowl, or you could wrap them up in multiple paper towels and wring out the moisture from the carrots over the sink.
Tip: I chose to shred carrots, but you could definitely grate it, which is smaller and finer. Especially helpful if you're truly trying to "hide" the carrots from some kiddos (or veggie averse adults!).
2nd Step: Mix flour and spices in a bowl.
3rd Step: Cream butter and sugar, add egg, maple, vanilla, and applesauce in either a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Then add the flour and spice mixture and continue to mix (with either the mixer or with a spatula).
4th Step: Mix in the carrots and the oats by hand with a spatula.
5th Step: Add balls of cookie dough to parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Tip: These cookies wont spread much - if you want a flatter round cookie you can gently flatten the balls on the baking sheet.
6th Step: Bake!
Meanwhile, make your Cream Cheese Frosting by mixing cream cheese with butter, sugar.
My very favorite go to recipe is of course our Cream Cheese Frosting From Scratch, which uses our homemade cream cheese!
Once these cookies are baked, honestly, they are delightful on their own. Full of oats and carrots and delicious flavor. Oats and carrots - so healthy but with just enough flavor and spice!
But really, what is a carrot cake without a sweet cream cheese frosting? The frosting adds a delightful creamy and sweetness to these cookies.
My kiddos absolutely love these cookies. And I am happy to give them! Not only are they packed with oats and carrots, but the added sugar is minimal and the nutrition is high. Plus, I know exactly what is in them - especially with the Cream Cheese From Scratch!
Our Other Favorite Cookies
- Oatmeal Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies
- Thin Mints From Scratch
- Andes Stuffed Sugar Cookies
- Homemade Milano Cookies
- Pecan Sandies
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large carrots, peeled and shredded or grated about 1 1/2 cups
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch ground ginger
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened salted or unsalted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch kosher salt (unless you're using salted butter)
- 1-2 tablespoons water, optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, and salt to a medium sized bowl and mix.
- Add butter and sugar to a bowl of stand mixer (or to a large bowl) and cream with paddle attachment or hand mixer.
- Beat in egg and then add maple syrup, vanilla, and then add applesauce.
- Add flour mixture and then use a spatula to mix in.
- Add in oats and fold in shredded carrots and with spatula.
- Add small balls of dough (2-3 inches) on parchment paper. Keep in balls or flatten if a flatter cookie is desired. Leave at least 1 inch between doughs because they will not spread much.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then rotate baking sheets in oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make cream cheese frosting.
- Remove cookies from oven and add to cooling rack.
- Once cookies are cooled, add frosting.
- Serve and enjoy! Or store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowls add cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and salt. Cream with a hand mixer. Slowly add sugar, one cup at a time and blend until creamy.
- Add water (just one tablespoon at a time) if you like a looser frosting.
Is there a high altitude adjustment?
Hi Lindsay! I'm sorry, I have not made these at a high altitude. But this is a great article to help with adjustments for cookies! https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking It depends on your altitude, but I'd start with increasing the oven temp by 25 degrees and then increasing liquid (applesauce) and flour, based on this article and the altitude that you are at.
What if I don’t have applesauce?
Hi Alex! No problem, just add an extra egg! 🙂
This recipe was outstanding! I was blown away by the flavors! This is a keeper in my book! Happy Holidays!
Yummm, these oatmeal carrot cake cookies look beautiful and healthy! I would love to give these a go and make them for my family for breakfast one day. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I cant wait to try it out!
What a wonderful combination. Love the oatmeal and carrot together with the cream cheese to finish it off. I'm planning on making several batches to give to our neighbors along with some sugar cookies. These cookies will look great in their cookie box.
I really love the carrot cake and cream cheese combination! Even more exciting that you made these into cookies! Great idea!
I love oatmeal cookies and I love carrot. Why I have never thought to combine the 2 is beyond me! These cookies were super delicious! Took it to a friend's morning tea and was so popular!
These Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies are now my new favorite cookies. That Cream Cheese frosting is the perfect touch for these cookies. This recipe is going into my keeper recipe box.
I have never tried to add a carrot to my cookie but that sounds really good. I'll have to try that, thank you!
Sounds like a healthy and delicious recipe. Love the frosting too.
Oh my goodness - so much to love here! I mean, seriously ... oatmeal cookies combined with carrot cake?!? Yes yes yes! And a bit healthier, too? Even better! Thank you!
What a healthy and delicious treat for carrot cake lover. The cream cheese frosting is the best combo ever. Thanks for sharing this.