Spice Up Your Carrot Cake By Turning It Into Cookies

Whether you buy it in a box or use your family's long-kept secret recipe, carrot cake is a delicacy for any occasion. It's rich like chocolate, classic like vanilla, dense like chantilly, and as aesthetically pleasing as red velvet. It's also the perfect way to welcome the new spring season. 

Many argue that carrot cake is a springtime dessert, while others claim that it's rooted (literally) in the fall. This is due to the added autumn spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, which give it its warm caramelized flavor. Additionally, the best time to harvest carrots is in the fall and winter. But what about spring? As it turns out, we have a German tale of an egg-loving bunny to thank for that. 

The Oschter Haws ("Easter Hare") is believed to have been conceptualized by German individuals in the 1700s. This traveling hare quickly symbolized the birth of spring and was said to have treated children to chocolates, toys, and a nest full of pastel eggs. To thank the Oschter Haws for his gifts, many would set carrots out as a snack to bring along. And like the Easter Hare, we, too, enjoy diving into a carroty dessert to celebrate. Still, carrot cake is something that should be enjoyed year-round, especially because its ingredients are never out of season. But you don't need to make an entire cake just to enjoy a bite of this dreamy treat. Instead, you can turn it into a batch of homemade cookies. 

If you have an hour to spare and the necessary ingredients within reach, carrot cake cookies are an aromatic and delicious way to spruce up your day. They're also pretty effortless to make. Start by combining your flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and nutmeg. Then, in a separate bowl, beat your brown sugar, salt, and softened butter until they become an evenly dispersed (and fluffy) blend. Add your shredded carrots, vanilla extract, and room-temperature eggs. Finish off your batter with the spiced flour and combine. Just be careful not to over-mix your dough — this can cause the cookies to collapse or crumble.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes (or longer) before baking to achieve a chewy, full-flavored, and well-structured cookie. This will essentially allow the cookies to retain their height and density and prevent them from thinning as they bake. Once the batter has solidified, scoop, shape, and bake cookies at 350 degrees F for 7 minutes. Prepare your frosting by softening your cream cheese and butter. After all, what would carrot cake cookies be if not for their signature pillowy topping? Once they have become spreadable, add powdered sugar, a dash of salt, and vanilla extract. Blend and scoop onto your cookies once they have cooled. One of the best parts of carrot cake cookies is that they continue to develop over time, so store your batch in the refrigerator and enjoy for the next three days. 

There's nothing better than having a slice of cake in the morning for breakfast. Or rather, the taste of cake in the morning for breakfast. Yes, overnight oats are one of the best meal hacks that perfectly replicate the taste of our most desired (but least healthy) treats, such as carrot cake. As delicious as it is, one slice of carrot cake can take up a good portion of our recommended daily sugar and fat intake. Luckily, there's a way to still enjoy this savory cinnamon and nutmeg treat while maintaining a well-balanced diet.

Instead of using flour and sugar as a base, overnight oats are constructed from — you guessed it — rolled oats. The fiber and protein contained within can make the consumer feel full without fear of overeating. And when combined with natural sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup, they can emulate that palatable, sugary taste often desired by our sweet tooth. To make carrot cake overnight oats, combine rolled oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, carrots, natural sweetener, almond milk, coconut, and walnuts. Add chia seeds to thicken the mixture and add an extra source of fiber. This mixture can also be baked in a dish and eaten as breakfast bars. TikTok user @that.veganbabe suggests adding almond butter and cranberries to heighten the flavor and texture of the baked oats. Frosting can be made from vanilla protein powder mixed with either greek yogurt, cream cheese, or a whipped topping.