Carrot Cake Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 Medium-Sized Carrots (enough for one cup once coarsely grated)
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 ¼ Cups of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup (approximately 3 ounces) of Walnuts
• ½ Cup each of Raisins, Granulated Sugar, Packed Light Brown Sugar and Unsalted Butter (1 stick)
• 1 Teaspoon each of Cinnamon
• ½ Teaspoon each of Baking Soda, Freshly Ground Sea Salt and Vanilla Extract

Frosting

• 8 Ounces of Cream Cheese
• ¼ Cup of Honey

Method

1. First of all place one oven rack in the upper 1/3 of the oven and another in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and then grease 2 baking sheets. It is quite okay to use a non-stick cooking spray if you so desire. Similarly it is alright to use butter, lard or a light application of cooking oil (olive oil works well).
2. Wash, peel and trim the carrots and then coarsely grate them. We are looking to get 1 cup of coarsely grated carrot so adjust the number of carrots used to reflect this. Once done crush the walnuts and soften the butter.
3. Use a medium-sized mixing bowl and add in the flour, the cinnamon, the baking soda and the freshly ground sea salt. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine all of these dry ingredients.
4. Add the butter, the packed light brown sugar, the granulated sugar, the egg, and the vanilla extract to your food blender or food processors bowl. Then select a medium speed setting and beat these ingredients for about 2 minutes. They should have now transformed to become a pale fluffy mixture. Note that you can of course elect to perform this procedure by hand using a whisk. The results are often somewhat better but it does take a while longer.
5. Reduce the speed of your food mixer/ blender/ processor to low and gradually add in the coarsely shredded carrots, the crushed walnuts and the raisins. Continue mixing for a couple minutes longer until all ingredients are more or less evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
6. Next up add in the flour and continue beating until the mixture becomes just combines. Your carrot cake cookie batter is now ready to be portioned and baked.
7. Take your prepared (greased/buttered/sprayed) baking sheet and drop 1½ tablespoon-sized portions or the carrot cake cookie batter onto the baking sheet. Space the dollops of batter approximately 5 centimeters (2 inches) apart. It is most important not to “crowd” the batter dollops on the baking sheet.

   
   Carrot Cake Cookies on Baking Sheet

8. Read more in Cookies

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   Pop the carrot cake cookie batter loaded baking sheets into your preheated oven (375 degrees F) and bake for 7 minutes. Then swap the two baking sheets such that top one now becomes the bottom one and vice versa.

9. Continuing baking your carrot cake cookies until said carrot cake cookies take on a lightly browned color and are yet springy to the touch (15 minutes or so depending upon your oven)

10.  Once done remove the carrot cake cookies from the oven and leaving them still on the baking sheet allow them to cool for a minute or so. Now transfer the carrot cake cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

11.  Use your food processor to thoroughly blend the cream cheese and the honey until this mixture becomes smooth

12.  Once the carrot cake cookies have cooled place a generous tablespoon-sized dollop of the cream cheese filling onto the center of a carrot cake cookie. Then taking a second carrot cake cookie and place it on top of the cream cheese filling and gently work it down (sandwich) to spread the filling across the inside surface of these double-decker cookies.

Serving

These portions will yield around 12 to 14 carrot cake cookies. Grab a hot cup of coffee/tea/milk etc have a fresh carrot cake cookie or two. Also serve as a wonderful delicious treat to serve up to guests (particularly those who habitually arrive unannounced. Enjoy!