Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Let’s be honest with each other … the best part of carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting, right? It’s sweet and tangy, rich and indulgent and so darn good. This recipe takes all the flavors of carrot cake (carrots, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts, coconut) and loads them into a  soft and chewy cookie that is then sandwiched with a hefty dose of cream cheese frosting. These cookies are faster and easier than making a whole carrot cake. They are easily portable and they can be eaten with one hand. No plate or fork needed. Friends, this recipe is a dangerously delicious thing. If you like carrot cake (or cream cheese frosting!), you have to try these. You will not be disappointed.

A few notes about the recipe: The original recipe yields 2 dozen large sandwich cookies. I cut the recipe in half and I reduced the size of cookies. Since one sandwich  is made up of two cookies and a generous amount of frosting, I find that smaller cookies are better. Also, when dropping your dough onto the baking sheets, you need to make sure that your dough is all the same size. You want the cookies to bake up evenly so that when you sandwich them, the top and bottom halves are similar in size. For this recipe, I used a 2 teaspoon cookie scoop.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
Makes 15 sandwich cookies

For the cookies:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the cream cheese frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 heaping cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the cookies:
Beat butter and sugars for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping the bowl if necessary.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low until just combined. Stir in the oats, coconut, raisins, carrots and walnuts by hand. Place dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or  silicone liners.

Scoop the dough into evenly sized mounds and place a couple inches apart on the cookie sheets. I used a 2 teaspoon  scoop to ensure that each cookie would be similar in size. This is important, since the cookies will be sandwiched.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until golden brown and still slightly soft in the center. Rotate your cookie sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets and fill with frosting.

For the frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter for several minutes, until combined. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat for a couple more minutes until smooth and creamy. If the frosting appears too thin, place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to slightly firm it up.

The sandwiched cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temp or in the fridge.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Channel

See also: Oatmeal Cream Pies