This easy Carrot Cake Stuffed Cookies recipe turns your favorite spiced cake, complete with freshly grated carrots and cream cheese frosting, into soft and chewy carrot cake cookies. Each handheld bundle is baked bakery-sized, so it’s big enough to house the surprise filling that’s hidden inside.
Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe
Our simple Carrot Cake Stuffed Cookies may look like any ordinary cookie, complete with crisp edges and soft centers, but when you break them in half, you’ll find a frosting surprise stuffed inside.
This is by far the best carrot cake cookie recipe yet because I freeze my filling first to ensure you don’t risk a molten cream cheese mess during baking. Just like a slice of cake isn’t complete without the frosting on top, these cookies stuffed with creamy filling make them even more fun to eat!
If you haven’t yet discovered the stuffed cookie trend, it’s time to give it a try. My peanut butter stuffed cookies, Oreo stuffed cookies, and Caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookies are delicious.
Ingredients Notes
- Cream cheese: Make sure that your cream cheese is completely softened to room temperature to achieve a smooth texture in the filling. For best results, use full-fat, block-style cream cheese for the filling mixture.
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour: To make these cookies gluten-free, use a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds a warm, spicy flavor characteristic of carrot cake.
- Baking soda: Be sure to use baking soda and not baking powder.
- Salt: Just a pinch to balance the sweetness.
- Ground nutmeg: Adds a subtle, aromatic spiciness that complements the cinnamon and enhances the carrot cake flavor.
- Unsalted butter: You can use salted butter if that is all you have, but then you should eliminate the salt add in the recipe.
- Light brown sugar: You can substitute dark brown sugar, but it may slightly alter the taste.
- Egg
- Shredded carrots: Be sure to use the fine (or smallest opening) side of a standard box grater for shredding the carrots. Pre-shredded carrots are too thick and large to use in this cookie dough recipe. One large carrot should yield the ½ cup finely shredded carrots needed.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Carrot Cake Stuffed Cookies
- Form The Cream Cheese Filling: Mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Scoop out dollops of filling and place them onto a lined tray.
- Freeze The Filling: Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight, until frozen solid.
- Make The Dry Mixture: Stir together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Make The Wet Mixture: Beat together the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again until the mixture is smooth. Mix in the shredded carrots.
- Create The Carrot Cake Cookie Dough: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix until the dough comes together and is no longer crumbly.
- Scoop And Stuff: Scoop out the dough and create a well in the center while still in the cookie scoop. Place one frozen cream cheese dollop into the well of the cookie dough, then enclose it in the middle of the dough.
- Bake: Roll the filled dough into a smooth ball and place on the cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.
- Serve: Cool completely so the cream cheese filling can set up and firm before serving. Enjoy!
How To Soften Cream Cheese
To soften, simply remove the package cream cheese from the foil and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until softened.
You can also leave them on the kitchen counter for 1 to 2 hours to soften to room temperature. Don’t leave softened cream cheese at room temperature for longer than 2 hours or it could start to grow bacteria that could lead to food-borne illness.
Serving Suggestions
These cookies are best served once they have cooled completely to room temperature. This ensures that the cream cheese filling is not too soft when the cookie is broken in half or bitten into.
These carrot cake cookies are perfect for Easter holidays, spring celebrations, birthdays, or dessert trays.
Tips & Variations
- Measure and Remove Moisture: When measuring the shredded carrots, you should lightly pack them into the measuring cup. Then, squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible before adding them to the mixing bowl. This will ensure the dough doesn’t become too wet, which could affect the texture and spreading of the cookies.
- Create Some Crunch: You can add ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans to the cookie dough portion of this recipe for a similar texture and flavor to traditional carrot cakes. Keep in mind that the texture of the baked cookie will be slightly different than the recipe as written.
- Use A Cookie Scoop: This cookie dough is slightly sticky, so using a cookie scoop to scoop and create a well in the dough makes it much easier to stuff and roll in your hands.
- Decorate Your Dessert: If you want to decorate your carrot cake cookies with a cute little sugared candy carrot, you can carefully place the candy on top of the freshly baked cookie while still very warm. This will ensure that the candy sticks to the top of the cookies once they have cooled completely.
Carrots are a great source of vitamins and minerals, and promote a host of health benefits. Add a boost of nutrition by baking my carrot cake cookies, carrot cake cheesecake bites, and carrot cake cupcakes!
How To Prevent Sticky Dough
If your cookie dough is too sticky, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 30 minutes, but no longer than 1 hour, before stuffing and baking. The longer it is chilled, the less the cookies will spread when baked. They will still taste delicious, but may be a little taller than when baked without the dough being chilled.
Proper Storage
- To Store: These cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, you can refrigerate them for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: These cookies can be frozen in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, thaw them in the refrigerator. Please note that the texture of the cookie may be a little softer after being frozen and then thawed.
- To Make-Ahead: You can make the cream cheese filling up to 24 hours ahead of time and freeze the dollops up to overnight before stuffing them into the cookie dough. You will find it is so much easier to stuff the cookies with the frozen solid cream cheese dollops.
More Cookie Recipes
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Brownie Mix Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies
- Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
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Carrot Cake Stuffed Cookies
Serves — 12
Carrot Cake Stuffed Cookies taste just like the classic cake, but the frosting has been hidden inside each treat instead of spread on top!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Freeze Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 33 minutes
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Carrot Cake Cookie Dough
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup finely shredded carrots water squeezed well from the shredded carrots with a paper towel
Instructions
Cream Cheese Filling
- To a small mixing bowl add the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Use a small spoon, or rubber spatula, to combine the ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Be sure that your soft cream cheese is very soft in order to get a nice smooth texture to the filling.4 ounces cream cheese, 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Using a very small cookie scoop, or small spoon, scoop out 12 (approximately 2 teaspoon sized) dollops and place them onto a small parchment paper lined, freezer safe, tray. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and freeze the cream cheese dollops for at least 2 hours (or up to overnight) or until frozen solid.
Carrot Cake Cookie Dough
- Preheat oven to 350* F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- To a small bowl stir together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda, salt and ground nutmeg. Set aside.1¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- To a large mixing bowl add the room temperature unsalted butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed, using a handheld mixer, for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- To the beaten butter, add the large egg and vanilla extract. Beat again, for 30 seconds – 1 minute, until the mixture is smooth and the egg is fully incorporated. Add the shredded carrots and mix on low just until the shredded carrots are fully incorporated.1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ cup finely shredded carrots
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough comes together and is no longer crumbly. The dough will be very thick and slightly sticky to the touch. See tips about refrigerating the dough if too sticky to work with at this point.
- Using a 2 inch, or 2 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, and scoop out a leveled scoop of dough. Using your finger, carefully create a well in the center of the dough while still in the cookie scoop. You will now have dough that lifts taller than the edge of the scoop. This will make it easier to stuff and shape the slightly sticky cookie dough.
- Place one of the frozen cream cheese dollops into the well of the carrot cake cookie dough, then gently cover the cream cheese with the sides of the dough that have pushed up on the sides of the cookie scoop.
- Squeeze the cookie scoop handle to release the dough ball into the palm of your hand and gently roll the dough to create a smooth ball. Place onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat until all the cookies have been filled, and shaped, and have been placed onto the prepared baking sheets. You should fit 6 cookie dough balls, spaced about 2-3 inches apart, onto each of the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies (with the baking sheets evenly spaced) in the center of the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.
- Allow the baked cookies to cool on the baking sheet, on the counter, for at least 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, allowing the cream cheese filling to set up and firm, before serving.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: These cookies should be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, you can refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: These cookies can be frozen in an airtight container, in a single layer, for up to 2 months. You will need to thaw them in the refrigerator when ready to serve. Please note that the texture of the cookie may be a little softer after being frozen then thawed.
- To Make-Ahead: You can make the cream cheese filling up to 24 hours ahead of time and freeze the dollops up to overnight before stuffing them into the cookie dough. You will find it is so much easier to stuff the cookies with the frozen solid cream cheese dollops.
- When measuring the shredded carrots, you just want to lightly pack the carrots into the measuring cup. Then make sure to squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible before adding them to the mixing bowl. This will ensure the dough doesn’t become too wet, which could affect the texture and spreading of the cookies.
- Be sure to use the fine (or smallest opening) side of a standard box grater for shredding the carrots. Pre-shredded carrots are too thick and large to use in this cookie dough recipe. One large carrot should yield the ½ cup finely shredded carrots needed.
- You can add ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans to the cookie dough portion of this recipe for a similar texture and flavor to traditional carrot cakes. Keep in mind that the texture of the baked cookie will be slightly different than the recipe as written.
- This carrot cake cookie dough is slightly sticky, so using a cookie scoop to scoop and create a well in the dough makes it much easier to stuff and roll in your hands.
- If you want to decorate your carrot cake stuffed cookies with a cute little sugared candy carrot, you can carefully place the candy onto the top of the freshly baked cookie while still very warm. This will ensure that the candy sticks to the top of the cookies once cooled completely!
Nutrition Info
Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1153IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
