Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cookies: Easy Spring Dessert

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If you need an easy spring dessert recipe, look no further! Carrot cookies with oatmeal, raisins and shredded carrots are like a delicious mini carrot cake.

Are oatmeal raisin cookies your all-time favorite? Or what about carrot cake? If you love both of these easy spring desserts, you’re in luck today. We’re taking them up a notch in an amazingly delicious combo: Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cookies. Once you try these tasty bite-size sandwich cookies with their cream cheese filling, you’ll never want to go back!

Title on Image: Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cake Cookies. An oatmeal raisin carrot cookies is standing vertically on end so you can see the chunks of minced shredded carrot. Next to it there are two carrot cake cookies stacked on top of one another in the background.

Something about springtime makes me think about carrot desserts. Maybe it’s the association of spring to rabbits and Easter? Meaghan Lamm from Cook. Craft. Love. created the perfect easy spring dessert for us this month – Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cookies.

Meaghan was already a big fan of homemade carrot cake but then she discovered they were even better in cookie form! When she sent the recipe to me to share with all of you, she said “Say hello to Carrot Cake Cookies! These are SO good and were born when I found some carrot cake cookies at Aldi on sale and then went back the next week and they were GONE. I’m addicted. They’re so amazing.”

Two carrot cookies with oatmeal, raisins and shredded carrots stacked on top of one another. These oatmeal raisin carrot cake cookies have cream cheese frosting in the center. The top cookie has a large bite out of the side of it.

A few weeks ago we shared the Ultimate Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe. But today’s recipe gives an entirely different spin on carrot cookies by adding heart-healthy oatmeal and raisins. Trust me — if you love oatmeal raisin cookies, these bite-sized carrot cookies are going to be your new favorite!

How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cookies

In this recipe, you’ll combine old fashioned oats and raisins with finely shredded carrots to create delicious soft carrot cake cookies.

Carrot cookies are stacked on top of one another. Each one of these easy spring desserts is a small sandwich with cream cheese frosting in the center.

What you need: 

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Kitchen Tools Needed:

Ingredients Needed

There are two parts to these cookies – the cookies and the filling.

These are the ingredients you’ll need. All the exact amounts are in the printable card at the bottom of this post.

For the Cookies

For the Frosting

An oatmeal raisin carrot cookies is standing vertically on end so you can see the chunks of minced shredded carrot. Next to it on the left there are two carrot cake cookies stacked on top of one another. Each cookie is actually cream cheese frosting layered between two oatmeal raisin cookies like a cookie sandwich.

Instructions

Here’s an overview of the recipe, along with some cooking notes. All of these steps are written concisely in the recipe card at the bottom.

After you preheat your oven, start making that yummy cookie batter.

You don’t need a stand mixer, you can do this by hand. But let me tell you, a stand mixer will save your arms and back! You need to cream the butter and sugars together until it begins to look like a paste.

After that, add the vanilla, eggs and the dry ingredients.

Do not overmix it. Just mix it will enough so that it is all combined.

2. Mince the shredded carrots.

In a food processor, pulse the shredded carrots until they are in tiny little chunks. If you don’t have a food processor you can also mince them with a knife. You do not want big shreds of carrots in these delicate little cookies so take the time and do not bypass this step!

*Meaghan specifically warns, “Don’t skip mincing the shredded carrots! No one wants to get a random carrot shred in their mouth when they’re expecting a sweet cookie.”

Gently fold in the carrots and raisins. If the dough is a little stiff you can loosen it up with 1 tsp of milk.

A large carrot cookie is front facing so you can see the raisins, minced carrots and hearty old fashioned oats. In the center of the cookie sandwich there is a layer of cream cheese to make this like a bite-sized carrot cake. In the background there are several other cookies in small stacks.

3. Bake the carrot cake cookies.

Scoop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoon onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Meaghan said, “I made these mini with a 1 tablespoon cookie scooper because I liked how bite-sized they are. You can, of course, make them bigger and have fewer sandwiches.”

With Meaghan’s 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, she was able to yield approximately 48 carrot cookies to make 24 sandwiches.

Bake the oatmeal raisin carrot cookies at 325 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. (You want them to still be slightly soft so they’re easy to bite into. Don’t overbake until they’re crunchy!)

Move the carrot cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

An oatmeal raisin carrot cookies is standing vertically on end so you can see the chunks of minced shredded carrot. There are more carrot cake cookies stacked on top of one another in the background.

4. Prepare the cream cheese frosting.

For the frosting, Meaghan says “You want the cream cheese to be out of the fridge COLD and the butter to be room temperature and very, very soft for the frosting. I learned this trick from YouTube a few years ago and it keeps the frosting from being too runny. Doing it this way makes it perfectly pipeable without needing to refrigerate or worry about it getting soft and wilting sitting out on the counter.”

Using your stand mixer again, put the vanilla and cold cream cheese into the mixing bowl and beat it on medium speed until it’s fluffy. Now add powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time mixing well after each addition.

Once the powdered sugar is completely incorporated, add the SOFT room temperature butter and beat the frosting until it’s well combined.

Three oatmeal raisin carrot cookies stacked in a pyramid. Cream cheese frosting in the center of each one so they taste like mini carrot cakes.

5. Frost the carrot cookies to make sandwiches.

Use a frosting knife to put cream cheese frosting across the bottom of one of the carrot cookies. Then place another cookie on top to form a little sandwich. Repeat until you’ve frosted all of your remaining cookies.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Serve the carrot cookies immediately with a tall glass of milk. Or you can keep them refrigerated in an air tight container until you’re ready to enjoy these tasty morsels.

Two oatmeal raisin carrot cookies stacked on top of one another. These carrot cake cookies have cream cheese frosting in the center. The top cookie has a large bite out of the side of it.
An oatmeal raisin carrot cookies is standing vertically on end so you can see the chunks of minced shredded carrot. Next to it on the left there are two carrot cake cookies stacked on top of one another. Each cookie is actually cream cheese frosting layered between two oatmeal raisin cookies like a cookie sandwich.
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4.25 from 4 votes

Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cookies

If you need an easy spring dessert recipe, look no further! Carrot cookies with oatmeal, raisins and shredded carrots are like a delicious mini carrot cake.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy snack, oatmeal cookies, raisin carrot
Servings: 24 sandwich cookies
Calories: 180kcal
Author: Meaghan Lamm

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cookies

  • 1/2 cup butter room temp
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 cup finely shredded carrots
  • 1/4 cup raisins

For the Frosting

  • 4 oz cream cheese cold
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temp
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together butter and sugars until a paste forms. Add in vanilla and egg and mix well.
  • Add the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix!
  • In a food processor, pulse the shredded carrots until they are in tiny little chunks. If you don’t have a food processor you can also mince them with a knife. You do not want big shreds of carrots in these delicate little cookies so take the time and don’t skip this step!
  • Gently fold in the carrots and raisins.
  • If the dough is a little stiff you can loosen it up with 1 tsp of milk.
  • Scoop cookies by rounded tablespoon onto a lined baking tray and bake at 325 for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. (You want them to still be slightly soft so they’re easy to bite into. Don’t over bake until crunchy!).
  • Move to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

  • Add vanilla and cold cream cheese into a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy.
  • Add powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time mixing well after each addition.
  • Once powdered sugar is completely incorporated add SOFT, room temperature butter and beat until well combined.

For the Sandwich Cookies

  • Frost the bottom of one of the carrot cookies, then place another cookie on top to make a sandwich. Repeat with all remaining cookies. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich cookie | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1142IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag us on Instagram at @kenarryideas or leave us a comment rating below.

What’s Next? 

Looking for a few more easy spring desserts? Be sure to check out Meaghan’s recipes for Soft Maple Cinnamon Sugar Cookies or her Easy Lemon Cupcakes.

You may also enjoy these easy dessert ideas on Kenarry:

If you enjoyed these carrot cookies, please share this recipe with your friends or pin it for later:

Title on Image: Carrot Cake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®. Carrot cookies are stacked on top of one another. Each one of these easy spring desserts is a small sandwich with cream cheese frosting in the center.

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6 Comments

  1. Easy to make, moist, and delicious! I used store bought cream cheese icing, however only used a small amount to ice the top of each cookie. Taste great without icing too!

    1. Fantastic! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies, Crystal. Thank you for taking the time to let us know.
      Best wishes,
      Carrie
      Ideas for the Home by Kenarry

  2. Is it suppose to be 1.5 cups flour and 1 cup oats? I did it as outlined and it does not look anything like the photo were it is more of a hard + light colored cookie. It came out more like an all oatmeal cookie. Thanks!

    1. Hi Rachel,
      Thank you for reaching out. I double checked Meaghan’s recipe that she sent us for this post and confirmed she did say 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats and 1 cup flour so those amounts are correct. Meaghan made the ones in the photos mini or bite sized using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop. Could that be why hers look different than yours? These are oatmeal cookies with raisins and carrots so they should look, feel and taste very similar to regular oatmeal cookies. Meaghan also said they should also be slightly soft so they’re easy to bite into. Hope that helps!

      Best wishes,
      Carrie
      Ideas for the Home by Kenarry

      1. Exactly, I’m pretty sure you have them reversed. I had the same issue. Definitely less oats and more flour. It also almost looks like you put the oats in a food processor judging from the photo. I am a baker and followed the recipe to a T and the cookies came out looking nothing like the ones photographed above. Thank you for the recipe regardless, I enjoy the sandwich idea.

        1. Hi there,
          Thank you for letting us know about your experience with the recipe. Next time try reversing the two ingredients like you suggested and let us know how your cookies turn out. We would love to hear back once you’ve tested it out.
          Have a great weekend!
          Best wishes,
          Carrie
          Ideas for the Home by Kenarry

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