You know when you are craving a slice of carrot cake but you don’t want to go through the trouble of making a whole cake? That is where these cookies come in. They have all the great flavors of a sweet spicy carrot cake transformed into a cookie. Now, I know that your thinking “ What about the cream cheese frosting “? If your like me, carrot cake would not be carrot cake without that delicious sweet cream cheese frosting. With these cookies the cream cheese frosting is on the inside. That’s right, they are stuffed with a sweet cream cheese filling, then cooked. Which also makes them convenient to eat, no sticky frosting on your fingers, although sometimes its quite satisfying to lick your fingers after a delicious dessert.
Now these cookies start out as a basic oatmeal raisin cookie but once the spices, carrots and that delicious sweet cream cheese center is added, there is noting basic about them.
So if you like Carrot Cake give these cookies a try. I’m sure your love them!!!
Start by making the cream cheese stuffing.
In a large mixing bowl, blend together your softened cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until smooth. Add your vanilla extract and powdered sugar and continue mixing until all the powdered sugar is incorporated and no lumps are visible. Scoop out a small amount of cream cheese filling using a small ice cream scoop. Place cream cheese balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until ready to use.
To the bowl of a stand mixer, add your softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix until combined, scraping the sided of the bowl with a rubber spatula and then mixing again.
Add the eggs and continue mixing until combined.
In a separate large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, old fashion oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix to combine.
Add your raisins, shredded coconut and grated carrots and mix once again until incorporated.
Preheat oven to 350º. Scoop out a small amount of dough using a medium size ice cream scoop and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten cookies slightly.
Remove cream cheese balls from freezer. Place one cream cheese ball on each flattened cookie. Wrap the dough around the cream cheese with your hands, making sure no cream cheese is visible and is completely sealed inside the cookie. Place in preheat oven and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly before removing from baking sheet, then cool completely on a cooling rack.
Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies
Cream Cheese Stuffing:
Ingredients:
- 8 Ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 Cups powdered sugar
Instructions:
- In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese and butter using a hand mixer until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and continue mixing until powdered sugar is incorporated and no more lumps are visible.
- Scoop out small amounts of cream cheese mixture using a small ice cream scoop and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place baking sheet with the cream cheese balls in the freezer until needed.
Carrot Cake Cookies:
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 Cup brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 2 Large eggs
- 1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
- 1 Cup old fashion oats
- 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 Teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 Teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 Cups grated carrots
- 1 Cup unsweetened coconut
- 1 Cup raisins
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar and blend until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until completely combined, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed.
- To a separate large mixing bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix to combine. Add grated carrots, unsweetened shredded coconut and raisins and mix until incorporated.
- Scoop out dough with a medium size ice cream scoop and place or prepared baking sheet. Flatten cookies slightly.
- Remove cream cheese balls from the freezer and place one ball on each flattened cookie. Using damp hands, wrap cookie dough around cream cheese to seal, making sure no cream cheese is visible. Place back on baking sheet and place in preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly before transporting cookies to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy.