Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I saw this recipe on Pinterest the other day.  That website seriously gets me in so much trouble.  I omitted the currants because, well, for one thing I haven't the slightest idea where one even goes to buy currants, and for another, I didn't feel like having strange pieces of random fruit in my cookies.  But do whatever you want.  Word on the street (and by street, I mean MarthaStewart.com) is that you can replace the currants with raisins.  Your call.  Martha's frosting was.... less than desireable.  I don't know if it was the lemon juice or what the heck was wrong but it was a big fail.  It tasted salty and sour and weird.  Maybe she got the recipe in jail.  I don't know.

Anyways, I replaced it with some of my own cream cheese frosting and suddenly everything was right in the world.  These are AWE. SOME.  Put them in your tummy now.  You can also make the cookies a day in advance and store them in a Ziploc.  It makes these super fast to assemble and eat. The cookies are chewier than I expected and taste a bit like a gingersnap/carrot cake cross, but they are still amazing.  If you are afraid of grating carrots, you need to invest in one of these. Seriously.  I'm pretty sure that's the best five dollars you will ever spend.

Carrot Cake Cookies

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

-1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

-1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

-1/4 cup sugar

-1 large egg yolk

-3/4 cup flour

-1 tsp ground ginger

-1/2 tsp salt (feel free to skimp a little here)

-1 cup rolled oats
-3/4 cup packed, finely grated carrots (this was 2 big carrot sticks for me)
-1/3 cup dried currants (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. In a large bowl whisk together melted butter, sugars, and egg yolk.  (Make sure your butter isn't hot or it will cook your egg!) In a medium bowl whisk together flour, ginger, and salt.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture until combined.  Stir in oats, carrots, and currants. 

(You may want chill your dough for a few minutes here, so you will get thicker cookies that spread less.  I just popped my bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes.)

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto lined cookie sheet.  Bake 15 minutes or until edges are crisp.  Rotate your pans once during baking.  Move to wire rack to cool.  Store in airtight container until ready to fill and serve.

No-Fail Out of this World Cream Cheese Frosting

*If you'd like to use this recipe to frost cupcakes or a cake, double it.  This is great plain, or with pure orange or lemon extracts in place of the vanilla.  You could pretty much just eat it with a spoon if you wanted to.  Or no spoon.  It's not my house.  I don't make the rules!

-4 oz cream cheese (1/2 a package)
-2 Tbsp butter
-1 cup powdered sugar
-3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until combined.  (If you'd like to pipe it, add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.)


Assemble each cookie by placing a large dollop of frosting on the flat side of one cookie and topping with the flat side of another.  Enjoy!


Submitted to: Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Submitted to: Cast Party Wednesday