These Carrot Cake Cookies are soft, chewy, and simple to make using a boxed cake mix. Warm spices, grated carrot, and a creamy cream cheese frosting give you all the flavor of classic carrot cake in cookie form with very little fuss.
[feast_advanced_jump_to]
With my parents’ anniversary approaching and their wedding cake being carrot cake, I decided to make these cookies to echo that tradition. As a kid I always wished for a chocolate cake, but these cookie-sized carrot cakes are now a favorite dessert in my house.
This recipe captures the cozy, spiced flavor of carrot cake while staying quick and forgiving — great for celebrations or everyday baking.
Why This Recipe Works
Easy and fast: the recipe uses minimal ingredients and comes together quickly.
Boxed cake mix creates reliably soft, chewy cookies. Using a cake mix simplifies the base while adding your own shredded carrot and spices gives the cookies more texture and depth of flavor.
What You Need For Carrot Cake Cookies:
Boxed cake mix: Choose a carrot cake mix from a trusted brand.
Add-ins: Grated carrot and a blend of warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves) brighten the flavor and add texture. They’re optional but recommended.
Frosting: A whipped cream cheese frosting is my favorite — it’s light, tangy, and smooth. If you’re short on time, store-bought cream cheese frosting works too.
How to Make Carrot Cake Cookies:
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the carrot cake mix with melted butter, eggs, grated carrot, and the spices you choose to use. Mix until just combined.
- Step 2: Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to portion the sticky dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet for even, round cookies.
- Step 3: Bake for about 9–11 minutes, depending on whether you used butter or oil, then remove and allow the cookies to cool.
- Step 4: Top cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting. Optionally color a small portion of frosting orange and green to pipe tiny carrot decorations. Serve and enjoy.
Pro Tip: No Flat Cookies
Using butter yields thicker, fluffier cookies. If you substitute oil, the cookies will likely spread more; baking them a couple of minutes longer helps them stay a bit thicker. For neat, round cookies use a cookie or ice cream scoop since the batter is sticky.
This recipe aims to be simple while giving thick, chewy results — exactly what you want in a carrot cake cookie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store frosted or unfrosted cookies in an airtight container. Properly stored, they will keep for up to a week.
No — the cake mix already has much of the base flavor. Adding shredded carrot and a bit more spice improves texture and depth of flavor, but the cookies are still good without them.
Because the batter is sticky, using a cookie or ice cream scoop gives the most consistent, round shapes.
Related Cookie Recipes
If you enjoy this easy cookie recipe, try other favorites like Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies, Grinch Cookies, Chewy Chocolate Cookies, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, or Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies for more baking inspiration.
- Lucky Charms Cookies
- S’mores Cookies Recipe
- Easy Heart Shaped Cookies
- Moon Pies
If you try this recipe, please leave a review and share your feedback in the comments — it helps others find this favorite.
Carrot Cake Cookies
Print
Pin
Ingredients
- 1 Box Carrot Cake Mix
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup butter melted
Optional Ingredients
- 1 Medium carrot, grated ½ cup
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 5 tbs heavy cream
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
Optional Decorating Items
- Orange and green food coloring
- Piping bag
- Small writing tip
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
In a large bowl combine the carrot cake mix, eggs, melted butter, grated carrot, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix until just combined.
-
Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a cookie or ice cream scoop for even shapes.
-
Bake 9–11 minutes, depending on whether you used butter or oil. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
-
Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting: beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt, then gradually mix in powdered sugar until smooth.
-
If decorating, portion a small amount of frosting into two bowls and tint one orange and one green. Use a piping bag and small tip to add tiny carrot decorations.
-
Frost the cooled cookies with white cream cheese frosting, pipe carrots if desired, and serve.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- To achieve uniformly round cookies, use a cookie or ice cream scoop because the batter is sticky.
- If using butter, bake about 9 minutes. If substituting oil, bake closer to 11 minutes to reduce spreading.
- Oil tends to make cookies flatter; butter helps them stay thick and fluffy.