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Lovers of carrot cake, behold: Your favorite cake is even better transformed into a cookie! While you typically have to wait until Easter to taste a slice of nutty carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, you can now get your fix any time of year with ease! And the best part is that these scrumptious cookies can be baked and frozen, so you can get your fill quickly any time a craving strikes!

Where did carrot cake come from?

Rich with natural sugars, carrots were often used in desserts and baked goods in England during World War II when sugar was rationed. American bakers soon caught on, and carrot cake became a super-popular wedding cake in the 1970s.

Can you use pre-shredded carrots in this recipe?

Although it can be tempting to reach for a bag of pre-shredded carrots, we recommend grating fresh carrots for these cookies! Grated fresh carrots have a higher water content and will yield cookies that are more moist and tender. To make grating carrots easy, use a food processor with the grating blade attached. Otherwise, grate the carrots on the small holes of your box grater.

Can you make carrot cake cookies ahead of time?

You bet! The cookies can be baked, cooled, and frozen in a Ziploc freezer bag up to a month, then thawed for two hours. Top them with the frosting and toasted walnuts or orange jimmy sprinkles just before serving.

large eggs, at room temperature

finely grated fresh carrots (from about 6 medium carrots)

Orange jimmy sprinkles or chopped toasted walnuts, for sprinkling

Unfrosted carrot cake cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Top with frosting and nuts or sprinkles just before serving.