These rich and perfectly sweet Carrot Sandwich Cookies with Orange Cream Cheese Filling are super soft and beyond delicious. You will love them.
I got an abundance of carrots in my CSA box. Should I have peeled them, chopped them, and left them in the refrigerator for my family to have an available healthy snack? Maybe. Should I have whipped up a healthy side like a carrot salad or roasted them? Perhaps. Or should I have transformed them into an ultra soft sandwich cookie with a delectable cream filling? Yeah, you're getting to know me quite well, aren't you.
I knew I wanted to make something sweet but I wanted something different than your traditional carrot cake. These cookies are like two bite carrot cakes, but better.
I'm not gonna lie. The batter was super sticky and you have to use your hands to make them into nice little circles. But again, if you're getting to know me, you know I'm not afraid to make a mess when I cook if it means getting to like the batter right off my fingers. I teach my foodie-in-training kids well, you know.
This is what they look like when they come out of the oven. These cookies are unbelievably soft. If you like a cookie with a crunch, I'm afraid you'll have to move on.
A real professional-quality piping bag is on the long list of kitchen items I someday hope to buy. But in the meantime, a good old plastic sandwich bag with the corner snipped off does the trick.
Because I have OCD when it comes to food, I lined my cookies up with like-sized cookies so that both sides of my little sandwiches were even. Then I arranged them on the cooling rack with their partners. Then, I evenly distributed the cream filling so that each cookie go the right amount. Being neurotic with things like this brings me great pleasure. I make no apologies for my crazy behavior.
Because... the end result is what you see below. And these cookies were GOOD.
Carrot Sandwich Cookies with Orange Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 cups shredded carrots (packed)
- 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (divided)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg (beaten)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese*
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 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 1/4 cup of brown liquid that drains out. Discard liquid and set carrots aside.
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter in small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla. When butter cools, but is still liquid, add egg and whisk mixture.
- In large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Stir to combine. Add sweetened carrots and egg mixture. Use hands to mix and form dough into bowl. 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 1/4 inch thick.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 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
Lolly Jane
Sooo yummy! Wow!!
Heather
I will fly you to So. Cal if you will make these for me!
spfoodie
Just you wait until I get all crazytown with Christmas Cookies!
Kerry Bishop
Can you please tell me what pumpkin pie spice is or what I can use instead I am from Perth Australia Thankyou love your recipes
spfoodie
Hi Kerry, Pumpkin pie spice is something I like to buy when I'm too lazy to throw several different spices in. Its mostly cinnamon with a bit of allspice and nutmeg. That's all. 🙂 -Krissy
Alicia Crews
Is the flour AllP or SR?
spfoodie
Hi Alicia. I used all purpose. I'll edit the recipe to include that. Thanks! Krissy
Alyssa
What a delicious and healthy dessert. I just wanted to let you know that I have a website (Simply Creative Recipes) where I showcase recipes that I find and I am linking to this post if you don't mind. Please feel free to submit any recipes to my site if you'd like.
Roni
Do I have to use the orange zest in the cream cheese filling? I'm not a huge fan. Will it also be noticed in the cookie?
spfoodie
If you don't like it, you can definitely leave it out! The orange zest is completely up to personal preference and won't impact how the cookie or the filling turn out. -Krissy
Kristin
Made this in lieu of carrot cake for my husband's birthday and it was a big hit! He's not into overly-sweet desserts so this was right up his alley! The orange zest left a nice zing of flavor in the frosting. Thanks for the recipe!
spfoodie
Awesome! Thank you so much for letting me know!!! -Krissy
Jude Rutkowski
Will these freeze??
Krissy
you bet! -Krissy