Enjoy moist Carrot Cake Cookies, perfect for Easter. A simple recipe ready in 30 minutes. Make it classic- add frosting, walnuts and raisins.
Enjoy baking Carrot Cake Cookies, an easy and delicious treat that perfectly captures the essence of carrot cake in a convenient cookie form. Ideal for Easter or anytime cravings, these cookies are a hit plain or with frosting. This recipe promises quick, delightful results for bakers of all levels.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: Ready in under 30 minutes, these cookies are perfect for last-minute treats.
- Versatile: Enjoy them plain or topped with cream cheese frosting and walnuts for extra flair. Like or don’t like walnuts or raisins? You get to decide what goes in these carrot cake cookies!
- Family Friendly: A fun baking activity for any holiday, especially Easter, that the whole family can enjoy.
- Deliciously Moist: With ingredients like applesauce and shredded carrots, each cookie is moist and packed with flavor.
Ingredients Needed
- Spice cake mix (dry)
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Eggs
- Finely shredded carrots
- Chopped walnuts (optional)
- Raisins (optional)
- Frosting or icing (cream cheese, buttercream, or simple icing) (optional)
Recipe Overview
*Find the full instructions below in the recipe card*
This recipe is very simple with a “dump” and bake method.
Preparation:
- Start by preheating your oven. The cookie dough comes together so fast you may have to wait a few minutes for your oven to come to temperature.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat for easy cleanup. I would highly recommend NOT skipping this step. These cookies can very easily stick to your baking sheet.
Making the Batter:
- In a large bowl, combine the spice cake mix, applesauce, eggs, and finely shredded carrots. Add the optional ingredients if desired. Mix until well blended.
Baking:
- Using a size 40 portion scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons), drop the cookie batter onto the prepared cookie sheet. I usually bake about 12 at a time. If you add walnuts and raisins you will end up with a few more cookies than if you don’t.
- Bake the carrot cake cookies for about 10-13 minutes, or until the cookies are sponge-like to the touch.
Finishing Touches:
- Allow the cookies to cool if you plan on frosting them. A dollop of buttercream frosting or my simple but delicious Cream Cheese Frosting makes a delightful addition. If you are in a hurry try my Homemade Icing recipe. It can be ready in just a few minutes.
Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe Tips
- Grating Carrots: For the best texture in your Carrot Cake Cookies, finely grate the carrots. This ensures they blend well into the batter and bake evenly. I use the fine grate side of my box grater. You can also use a food processor to finely chop the carrots.
- Freezing: These cookies freeze beautifully. Just bake, cool, and store in an airtight container for future snacking. Just thaw (and frost) for a quick delicious snack or treat.
- Storage: Keep your Carrot Cake Cookies at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerated for up to 7 days for best freshness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it matter which brand of spice cake mix I use?
No but I will say, they are not all made equal. I have made this recipe several times using different brands of dry spice cake mix including Betty Crocker’s Delights Spice Cake mix and generic brands such as Kroger or Great Value. I will say, they all taste similar and look similar but not totally the same.
The Delights cake mixes have pudding mix in the dry mix. This makes the cookies a little more dense. The Kroger was my overall favorite but all brands still tasted great.
I have extra batter. What should I do with it?
If you find your self with 2 full sheets of cookies (24) and only a small amount of batter left in the bowl, don’t throw it out! Try making a mug cake. This is my favorite way to use leftover batter. It gives me a chance to sneak a taste before the cookies are out of the oven.
To make a mug cake with leftover batter, prepare an 10oz (or larger) mug by spraying it with nonstick spray. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter to the mug then microwave on high for 60-90 seconds until the cake is cooked through. Don’t over cook or it may become dry. Top with icing or frosting and a sprinkle of nuts or raisins if desired.
Can this recipe be made into cupcakes?
Yes! Mix as instructed. Make sure to use cupcake liners in your regular-sized muffin tin when baking. Fill each cup about 3/4 full then bake at 350°F for about 19-23 minutes or until the cupcakes are cooked through. You can use the toothpick test if needed. This recipe will make about 12 cupcakes. If adding walnuts and raisins you will end up with about 16-18 cupcakes.
Looking for More Springtime Desserts?
If you’re looking for some edible sunshine try my easy Lemon Curd or a batch of homemade Honey Lemonade, these are a hit every time. Around Easter we love making my Easter Fudge filled with colorful marshmallows and mini Cadbury eggs. Another fun Easter treat are these fun and festive Chocolate Turtle Pretzels.
Enjoy your Carrot Cake Cookies with a cup of tea or as a delightful treat for the Easter Bunny. Happy baking!
Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe Card:
Easy Carrot Cake Cookies
Enjoy carrot cake without the mess with these convenient, easy-to-share Carrot Cake Cookie. They're moist, flavorful, and ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 15.25oz Spice cake mix, dry
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 medium eggs, or 1 large
- 1 cup finely shredded carrots , about 1-2 large or 3 medium carrots
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
- 1 cup raisins, optional
- frosting or icing (cream cheese, buttercream) or a simple icing), optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix cake mix, applesauce, eggs, carrots, walnuts (optional) and raisins (optional) together until blended.
- Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons cookie batter onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. I like to use a size 40 scoop which is equal to about 1.5 tablespoons.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 10-13 minutes or until cookies are sponge-like when gently pressed.
- Enjoy warm or cool completely before frosting. If frosted, you can also sprinkle chopped walnuts on top as a garnish.
Notes
If adding walnuts and/or raisins, the recipe yield will increase by 5 to 10 cookies.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 28 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 132Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 150mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
Originally Published: 04.01.2018 Updated: 03.25.2024
Cookies from a cake mix are my go to and I have made a lot of them! I followed the recipe to a T and these did not turn out great for me. They actually stuck to the parchment paper (never had that happen before) and came out more like cookie shaped cakes. The flavor was good, but they just didn’t have a cookie texture.
Hi Erin. Thanks for sharing your experience here. I’m sorry to hear here the cookies didn’t turn out how you expected but glad they tasted good. I haven’t had a problem with these sticking to parchment so I’m not sure there. As for the texture, these are carrot CAKE cookies. They are meant to be like a little cake but hand held in the shape of a cookie. The texture you shared is how they are supposed to be. They shouldn’t come out like a typical chocolate chip or peanut butter cookie, more dense-like. That would take away from the “cake” aspect I looked for with this recipe.
Are the eggs you added in addition to the eggs called for in mix, or are the eggs you mention including the mix’s eggs. For example- I have a mix that calls for 3 eggs. Do I add the 2 that you mention (5 total?). Please forgive me if I’m misinterpreting. Thank-you!
Good question. For this recipe you will use the dry cake mix as your base dry ingredients then only add the additional ingredients listed in the recipe. Using eggs as an example, you will only use what is listed in my recipe which is 2 medium or 1 large egg. This also rings true for any liquid added to the recipe. You will not use any directions or ingredients on the cake mix box, you will only need the cake mix (dry).
I love carrot cake and so I know that I will love these cookies! Thank you for sharing! Love you!
These carrot cake cookies are the bomb. Everyone is making carrot cake but this recipe gives me the option to frost half of them with cream cheese frosting and half with buttercream or icing (because Ryan is weird and won’t eat cream cheese frosting). Haha. Love ya too!