Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches

These Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches take the two best parts of carrot cake, the fluffy, tender carrot cake and sweet cream cheese frosting, and put them in cookie form. They're easy to make but are so fun and festive, especially for spring time.

You'll make the super simple carrot cake cookies first and then get started on the cream cheese frosting while those bake. This recipe makes about 5 cookie sandwiches, but can easily be scaled up to make more.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that your butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Cream Cheese: It's also important that the cream cheese you'll be using for the glaze is also softened. I recommend pulling it out to sit at room temperature at the very beginning.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture followed by the shredded carrots. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure it is fully incorporated. *See note.

Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, form cookies into balls and place them a few inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes until cookies are slightly firm around the edges but still a little soft in the middle.

Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add in spoonfuls of powdered sugar followed by the cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until light and fluffy.

Immediately transfer to a pastry bag with an Ateco 807 or similar piping tip. If you don't have that type of big round piping tip, cut the tip of the bag until you have a hole about the size of a dime.

Turn half of the cookies upside down. Starting on the outer rim of the bottom of the cookie, pipe a swirl, moving further into the center. Top with another cookie so that the tops of the cookies are facing outward. Repeat this process with the rest of the cookies. Enjoy!

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