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These Crumbl carrot cake cookies are lightly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves then topped with a smooth homemade cream cheese frosting. The perfect holiday cookie anytime!
Love Crumbl cookies? You need to try these, Crumbl pecan pie cookies, The Best Crumbl Apple Pie Cookies with Oats, Crumbl Mom’s recipe cookies/ Soft Oatmeal cookies and The softest Crumbl Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I started getting requests to make the Crumbl carrot cake cookie at the beginning of this year, but I had to wait until they released it again so I could try it myself. Once I tried it, I knew I had to make these for Thanksgiving week.
They have this unique texture, not quite cakey but not like a regular cookie either, and it took a few tries to nail it in this recipe.
Why you need to make this recipe!
- This recipe is easy enough to make with kids.
- These cookies are topped with just the right amount of nuts.
- You can make these for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter, or any time of year, without waiting for Crumbl to bring it back, and since we’re talking about that you have to try these Easter Bunny Puff Pastry Twists too!
Ingredients for this Carrot cake cookie recipe
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this frosted carrot cake cookie recipe. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed ingredient measurements.
- Butter– You can use either salted or unsalted butter for this recipe.
- Brown & granulated sugar– This cookie recipe uses both brown and granulated sugar.
- Carrots– We will need some freshly shredded carrots for these carrot cake cookies.
- Vanilla– The vanilla will add a nice depth of flavor to the cookies as well as the frosting.
- Egg yolk – This recipe needs one yolk as the binding agent.
- Heavy cream- The heavy cream is also used to add extra fat to the cookie recipe and make it more soft.
- Cinnamon, all spice, ginger cloves– These are the warming spices used to flavor our carrot cake cookies.
- Baking powder, baking soda– These are the leavening agents that will give some height to the cookies.
- Salt– The salt will help balance out the sweetness of the cookies.
- Flour– AP flour works great for this recipe.
- Cream cheese– You will need full fat cream cheese to make the smoothest cream cheese frosting.
- Powdered sugar– The powdered sugar is used to sweet the cream cheese frosting.
- Pecans– The pecans are used to top the cookies with after frosting.
How to make Crumbl carrot cake cookies
This is how you can make these cookies at home. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed instructions!
- Cream the butter and both sugar together.
- Mix the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla in until smooth.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until the flour mixture disappears.
- Scoop out the cookie dough, place on the baking sheet, gently flatten and bake.
- Let the cookies cool down then frost.
Make the cream cheese frosting.
- Cream the butter and cream cheese together.
- Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until creamy.
- Frost each cookie with a round tip and decorate with pecans
Frequently asked questions – FAQ
Each of these cookies comes in at about 490 calories, based on 8 large cookies from this recipe. That includes the cookie base and the cream cheese frosting on top.
Yes! This frosting recipe makes enough to frost all 8 cookies and works great on cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, or a slice of cake too.
These carrot cake cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Just make sure to let the cookies get back to room temperature before enjoying them.
Yes! You can freeze these cookies in a single layer for an hour or until solid, then stack them in an air-tight container, making sure to separate each cookie with parchment paper or wax paper to keep them from sticking to each other.
Pull them out to thaw in the fridge overnight then get them back down to room temp to enjoy!
To make catering size Crumbl cookies you can make 16 cookies instead of the regular 8 large cookies. Instead of baking those in the oven for 12 minutes, you will have to bake them for 9 minutes instead. Frost and decorate the same way you would larger ones.
Crumbl carrot cake cookies
Ingredients
Cookie base
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup carrots shredded
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 yolk
- 3 tbsp heavy cream at room temperature
- 1 & 3/4 cup AP flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- pinch cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cream cheese frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 tbsp butter salted or unsalted, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- Pecans for topping
Instructions
Make the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F then line a baking sheet and set aside.
- Cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until smooth and creamy.1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar
- Mix in the shredded carrots, vanilla extract, egg yolk, and heavy cream until smooth.1/2 cup carrots, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 1 yolk, 3 tbsp heavy cream
- Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, and salt and mix just until the flour mixture disappears.1 & 3/4 cup AP flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp ginger, pinch cloves, 1/4 tsp salt
- Scoop out 8 equal cookie dough balls, place them on the prepared baking sheet, gently flatten to about 3/4-1 inch in thickness and bake for 12 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool down on the baking sheet for 20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Make the cream cheese frosting
- In a stand mixer cream the cream cheese and the butter with a whisk attachement until smooth and combined.4 oz cream cheese, 3 tbsp butter
- Mix in the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar and mix for 4-5 minutes or until light and creamy.1 tsp vanilla extract, 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- Frost the cookie with a round tip then top with the chopped-up pecans and enjoy!Pecans
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was looking for a carrot cake cookie recipe and came across yours with great reviews, and I know Crumbl makes great cookies so I thought I would try it. Something went wrong along the way, and I’m hoping you can give me some suggestions on what I did wrong. I followed your recipe and even used metric measurements to weigh out the sugars, flour, etc. I needed to make a large quantity for a work Easter party, so instead of putting frosting on top, I found Hershey’s Cream Cheese Chips and put them into the dough as the final step. I added one 8oz bag to each double batch. When I pulled them out of the oven, they were totally flat and after they cooled for 20 minutes, they still seemed raw. I tried to salvage the dough by adding 30g APF and another 1/2 tsp baking soda to each double batch, and increasing bake time to 19 minutes. The resulting cookies looked much better, but not sure they resemble the original cookie. Could the addition of the chips have messed these up?
Absolutely, the addition of anything that would add moisture to the cookie base itself will mess these cookies up especially since they have so much moisture from the shredded carrots already. To add those cream cheese chip you would have to adjust the dry ingredients to get the base cookie dough to not spread. Unfortunately, I can’t five you the exact changes of measurements since I haven’t tried them with these chips.
As a rule of thumb, never change the recipe to get the exact same result. Especially in baking!
great flavored cookie that is easy to make. I made this recipe twice in 1 day as my first batch seem to go flat once it cooled down. I tried it again and the same thing happened and I’m following the recipe.
any clues to help me get it to stay raised like the one in your photos?
still a great cookie, so it still gets a 5 star rating.
thanks, Connie
Thank you so much for the good rating 🙂 The cookies going flat can happen if the butter was too soft or the dough was slightly overmixed. You could try chilling the dough for 20–30 minutes before baking and making sure the butter is just softened, not melty. Also use a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups to weigh your ingredients.
Haven’t made yet but I will and post a follow up but I just have to say the lay out of the recipe with the amount below is so perfect, thank you. I usually have to write it down or keep scrolling back up. PS just had my first crumbl carrot cake cookie 2 days ago and wanted to try, really excited to come across your recipe😋
I’m glad you find the recipe layout helpful! I’m looking forward to hearing how your baking experience goes. It’s great that the craving for a Crumbl carrot cake cookie led you here—hoping this recipe brings that same delightful flavor to your kitchen. Enjoy the baking process, and I’m excited for your follow-up!
I think I should have baked for a couple minutes more but yummy!!!
Thank you!
Can dough be frozen and used at a later date?
Yes it can!
Hands down, BEST cookies EVER!! I’m a foodie that makes gourmet meals all the time. Always searching for the next great recipe. This one is a winner! I omitted allspice & clove (preference), so impressive.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you liked the recipe!😁
I made these gluten free and they are delicious! My husband loves carrots cake so I tried this recipe and he liked them. Mine are crumbly, not sure if it from the gluten free flour or if they are supposed to be this way? I know it’s a “crumble” copycat recipe but I can’t eat their cookies so I can’t compare to them.
It definitely sounds like it could be the gluten-free flour, they lack the structure gluten provides. Adding an extra yolk or a tablespoon of milk can help bind them together better.
okay I haven’t made these just yet, I am about to though. I just wanted to pop in and say THANK YOU for the layout of this recipe, the ingredients with measurements listed below each step. soooo helpful! Hope they are a hit tomorrow at our early Easter dinner!
OMG thank you so much! I hope everything went well for your Easter dinner!
Turned out amazing! The mild spices mixed with the cream cheese frosting were a hit! My batter was a tad moist so I ended up adding a little extra flour to get the perfect consistency💕
Can you freeze these already baked with the topping on it?
Yes you definitely can, but the cream cheese topping can become a bit watery once thawed. For best texture, I’d freeze the cookies and frosting separately, then frost after thawing.
Sweet and chewy. I loved the tart cream cheese frosting and the crunch of walnuts on top! Very good, though I wish there was an extra bite – maybe pineapple or raisins – I will add next time perhaps. Family liked it a lot.