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Home » Cookies » Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

December 6, 2020 by Tracy | Updated December 6, 2020 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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cooked cookies with frosting on cooling rack and a hand holding a cookie with PInterest Pin text.
cooked cookies with frosting on cooling rack and a hand holding a cookie with PInterest Pin text.
cooked cookies with frosting on cooling rack and a toddler holding a cookie with PInterest Pin text.
cooked cookies with frosting on cooling rack with PInterest Pin text.
a cooling rack of frosted carrot cake cookies with Pinterest pin text.

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!

hand holding a frosted cookie

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, applesauce, sugar, oats, carrots, maple syrup, salt, egg, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla extract on a counter
  • 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

shredded carrots in a bowl and a hand with a paper towel on them

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!).

flour and spices mixture in a bowl

2nd Step: Mix flour and spices in a bowl.

mixing bowl with butter and sugar and flour mixture and then with carrots and oats

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.

balls of uncooked cookie dough on parchment paper

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.

baked cookies on parchment paper

6th Step: Bake!

a bowl of fresh whipped frosting

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!

cooked cookies on cooling rack

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!

cooked cookies with frosting on cooling rack

But really, what is a carrot cake without a sweet cream cheese frosting? The frosting adds a delightful creamy and sweetness to these cookies.

toddler hand holding a cookie with frosting

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!

cooked cookies with frosting on cooling rack.

Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

These Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are like an oatmeal cookie carrot cake love child.
5 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Low Salt
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
Author: Tracy

Equipment

  • baking sheet
  • Spatula
  • Stand mixer
  • or hand mixer
  • 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.

Notes

If using unsalted butter instead of salted, just add 1/4 teaspoon more salt to the recipe.
To "hide" the carrot more, grate instead of shred.  

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 776IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lindsay

    April 16, 2022 at 3:43 pm

    Is there a high altitude adjustment?

    Reply
    • Tracy

      April 17, 2022 at 8:55 pm

      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.

      Reply
  2. Alex

    April 17, 2021 at 7:09 am

    What if I don’t have applesauce?

    Reply
    • Tracy

      April 17, 2021 at 4:49 pm

      Hi Alex! No problem, just add an extra egg! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Heidy

    December 21, 2020 at 4:47 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was outstanding! I was blown away by the flavors! This is a keeper in my book! Happy Holidays!

    Reply
  4. Ramona

    December 20, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  5. Marisa F. Stewart

    December 20, 2020 at 10:05 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  6. Leslie

    December 18, 2020 at 1:02 pm

    5 stars
    I really love the carrot cake and cream cheese combination! Even more exciting that you made these into cookies! Great idea!

    Reply
  7. Amy

    December 18, 2020 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  8. Debbie

    December 18, 2020 at 7:46 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  9. Amy Liu Dong

    December 18, 2020 at 12:16 am

    5 stars
    I have never tried to add a carrot to my cookie but that sounds really good. I'll have to try that, thank you!

    Reply
  10. veenaazmanov

    December 17, 2020 at 10:10 pm

    5 stars
    Sounds like a healthy and delicious recipe. Love the frosting too.

    Reply
  11. Shelley

    December 16, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Kushigalu

      December 19, 2020 at 1:00 am

      5 stars
      What a healthy and delicious treat for carrot cake lover. The cream cheese frosting is the best combo ever. Thanks for sharing this.

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Tracy!

I'm here to help take the fear out of from scratch, whole foods cooking & share easy to make, approachable recipes that you can get excited about making! Read More…

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