Carrot Cake Cookies with Orange Cream Cheese Filling

These rich and perfectly sweet Carrot Sandwich Cookies with Orange Cream Cheese Filling are super soft and beyond delicious. You will love them.

Why this recipe is so good:

If you want to make something different than your traditional carrot cake, these cookies are like two bite carrot cakes, but better.

Want an ultra soft sandwich cookie with a delectable cream filling?

These cookies are full of sweetened shredded carrots. This makes the cookies extremely moist and almost cake like.

The filling is similar to a cream cheese frosting but isn't as sweet and it's infused with orange zest.

How to make them:

Step 1: Combine shredded carrots with some brown sugar in a strainer. The sugar will sweeten and soften the carrots as well as remove some of the liquid.

Step 2: Melt butter and combine with orange zest and vanilla. Once it cools a bit, mix in an egg.

Step 3: Whisk together all the dry ingredients including flour, more brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.

Step 4: Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients as well as the softened shredded carrots. The mixture will be extremely sticky.

Step 5: Divide the cookie dough in half. Form 14 balls. Flatten each ball onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 6: The cookies will bake for 12-14 minutes. They will need to sit on the hot baking sheet a few more minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Step 7: The filling is made by creaming together softened cream cheese and butter with confectioners sugar, orange zest, and vanilla extract. The filling can be spread on with a butter knife, but I prefer to pipe it on using a plastic bag.

Step 8: Match cookies up into pairs by similar size. Add filling to half of the cookies and then press together to make a sandwich cookie.

Cooking tips for perfect results:

• I prefer to use peeled whole carrots instead of baby carrots. They have much better flavor and are less watery.
• You can shred the carrots using a cheese grater or a food processor with the grater blade attachment (my preference).
• The cookies will look under done when you take them out of the oven. You will need to trust your nose to determine if they've cooked long enough. Allowing them to sit on the hot baking sheet for a few minutes will ensure they get fully cooked.
• Make sure the cookies have cooled completely before adding the filling.

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave me a comment to let me know what you think!

Carrot Sandwich Cookies with Orange Cream Cheese Filling

These rich and perfectly sweet Carrot Sandwich Cookies with Orange Cream Cheese filling are super soft and beyond delicious. You will love them.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes

Total Time: 29 minutes

Hover to scale: 14 sandwich cookies

Chef: Krissy Allori

Ingredients

Cookies:

• ▢ 2 cups shredded carrots (packed)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar (divided)
• ▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon orange zest
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1 large egg (beaten)
• ▢ 1 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

Filling

• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
• ▢ 1 cup powder sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon orange zest
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
• Place shredded carrots in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of brown sugar over carrots and stir to coat. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes to make the carrots tender. You should get at least ¼ cup of brown liquid that drains out. Discard liquid and set carrots aside.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium sized bowl. Add 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla. When butter cools, but is still liquid, add egg. Stir well to combine.
• In large separate bowl, combine flour, remaining ½ cup brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda. Stir to combine. Add sweetened carrots and egg mixture. Stir to combine (you may need to use your hands). Dough will be very sticky.
• Divide dough into two equal portions. Using half the dough, make 14 balls of equal size on cookie sheet in three rows of 5-4-5. Use fingers to flatten each ball into circles that are about ¼ inch thick.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 12-14 minutes or until set. Allow cookies to rest on hot baking sheet for an additional 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Repeat with second half of dough.
• To make the filling, add 4 tablespoons cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of butter to bowl of stand mixture and beat with paddle on medium high speed for about a minute until light and fluffy. Add powder sugar, orange zest and vanilla. Scrape down sides and mix on low for about 30 seconds until well combined.
• Match cooled cookies into pairs of like sizes. Either spread filling with a knife or add filling to a plastic bag and cut the corner off to squeeze it out. Distribute filling evenly onto 14 cookies, placing filling on flat side of cookie. Top with second cookie, flat side against cookie.

Notes

Nutritional information based on one sandwich cookie.

Cooking tips for perfect results:

• I prefer to use peeled whole carrots instead of baby carrots. They have much better flavor and are less watery.
• You can shred the carrots using a cheese grater or a food processor with the grater blade attachment (my preference).
• The cookies will look under done when you take them out of the oven. You will need to trust your nose to determine if they've cooked long enough. Allowing them to sit on the hot baking sheet for a few minutes will ensure they get fully cooked.
• Make sure the cookies have cooled completely before adding the filling.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 3331IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

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This recipe was originally published in September 2014 and has been updated with more helpful information and cooking tips. Don't worry - I didn't change the recipe.