SRC - Carrot Cake Cookies

Time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal!  I love getting my blog assignment each month and this month I was assigned the blog Its Yummi.    I know I have said it before but I always go straight to the desserts, and more specifically cupcakes if there are any.  I surprised myself this month though, because I kept looking at and thinking about these  Carrot Cake Cookies.  Usually I don't even consider making a cookie recipe no matter how good it looks as cookies are just not my thing (and by that I mean, I generally cannot make a decent cookie).  I have burnt so many cookies it is ridiculous, I just have zero instincts for baking a decent cookie so I usually avoid them.   

However, around the time I was deciding on my SRC choice I was asked to make cupcakes for a bridal shower, and one of the requested items was my pineapple carrot cake.  Sadly, I have tried but failed before at turning that recipe into cupcakes but I kept thinking that these cookies would be a great alternative if I could actually get them to come out good. Plus, it would give the bridal shower a taste of carrot cake but in cookie form.

They turned out amazing!!   Wow - they came out perfectly - probably the best batch of cookies I've made, and the customer for the bridal shower was thrilled that I threw these in with their cupcake order.   

I was a little concerned as I made them because they were very stiff as the wet and dry ingredients came together, but I stuck with the recipe (okay, I added another tsp of vanilla even though it wasn't needed, but see, no instincts for making a good cookie!) and they baked perfectly.  They were perfectly round, had a lightly crisp bottom and a cake-like texture.   Best of all, they tasted really, really good.  I will definitely be making these cookies again.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp orange zest

1 tsp vanilla extract 

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups oats

1 cup grated carrots 

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup flaked coconut

Cream cheese frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 8oz. package cream cheese
Seeds from 1 plumped vanilla bean (vanilla beans plumped in rum for at least 2 weeks)
2 cups icing sugar

Walnut halves for topping

Preheat oven to 350.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugars until combined.  Add in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until combined.

Add in the eggs, orange zest, vanilla extract and flour, mix until combined.

Take the bowl off the stand mixer and stir in by hand the oats, carrots, coconut and walnuts.

Drop cookie dough by tablespoons about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes.

To make the cream cheese frosting in the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and icing sugar and beat for 3 minutes, until thick and fluffy.

Frost the cooled cookies with the cream cheese frosting and top with a walnut half.

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