Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Carrot cake in cookie form? Sign me up! These delicious vegan carrot cake cookies with cream cheese frosting are amazing as a decadent dessert, afternoon treat, or party food! Oh, and they're naturally gluten-free too.
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cup vegan cream cheese
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
Carrot Cake Cookies
- 1 flax egg 1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1½ cups shredded carrots
- ½ cup softened vegan butter or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup quick oats blended to flour consistency
- 1 cup walnuts or pecan nuts
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Start by making the frosting. Place the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar and vegan butter in a medium bowl and mix with an electric or hand mixer. Place the frosting in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden.¾ cup vegan cream cheese, ¼ cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C
- To make the flaxseed egg, mix the flaxseed meal with water and let it sit for approximately 5 minutes to thicken.1 flax egg
- Add flaxseed egg, vanilla extract, cinnamon, brown sugar, maple syrup, and softened butter to a medium bowl. Stir until combined.1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup softened vegan butter or coconut oil, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ cup maple syrup
- Add shredded carrot and stir to combine, then add baking powder, almond flour, and oat flour. Mix to combine.1½ cups shredded carrots, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup almond flour, 1 cup quick oats
- Fold in chopped walnuts and stir again.1 cup walnuts or pecan nuts
- Prepare a large baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop around 2 tbsp of the batter per cookie onto the tray and flatten a little with the back of your spoon. Place the cookies at least 1 inch from each other as they'll spread when cooking. This recipe should make around 20 cookies (for 10 sandwich cookies).
- Bake them for 15-18 minutes or until golden on the edges.
- Let them cool completely before transferring to a plate or rack.
- Once the cookies are at room temperature, prepare the ice cream cookies by adding 1-2 tbsp of the frosting to each cookie. You can consume them straight away, or freeze them for at least one hour, which will make the cookie sandwich harder like ice cream.
Notes
- Chilling is Key: The vegan cream cheese frosting needs at least 30 minutes in the fridge to firm up. This will make it easier to spread and pipe without ending up with a puddle on your cookies.
- Frosting Consistency: Not a fan of super sweet frosting? Start with ¾ cup of powdered sugar and gradually add more, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired sweetness and piping consistency.
- Flaxseed Egg Matters: Make sure your flaxseed egg thickens completely before using it in the batter. A runny flaxseed egg can make your cookies spread too thin and lose their shape.
- Bake Time for Texture: Craving chewy cookies? Bake for 15 minutes. Want them slightly crispier on the edges? Extend the baking time to 18 minutes. Keep an eye on them during the last few minutes to avoid over-baking.
- Nutty Options: This recipe is happy with chopped walnuts or pecans. Feel free to experiment with other chopped nuts like almonds or hazelnuts to add a different flavor twist.
- Spice it Up (or Down): Love a stronger cinnamon flavor? Add an extra ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Prefer a milder spice profile? Stick to the one teaspoon listed in the recipe.
- Ice Cream Cookie Craving? Freeze the frosted cookies for at least an hour! This will create a fun and delicious “ice cream cookie” texture – perfect for a cool summer treat.
- Leftover oat flour? Use it in smoothies, pancakes, or other baked goods to add a boost of fiber and healthy fats!
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 434kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 7gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 196mgFiber: 4gSugar: 23g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!