Brown Butter Carrot Cake Cookies

Carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts, and as much as I love the original, I think these cookies rival it. Just like carrot cake, they’re full of warm and cozy spices, walnuts for a nice texture contrast, and are topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. What takes them over the top, though, is the brown butter. It’s such a simple step that only takes a few minutes, but it adds such a nuttiness and depth of flavor that compliments the flavor profile so well. To finish, I like to top the cookies with more walnuts and carrots and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

The other unique thing about these cookies is the texture. I’m a firm believer that cookies should be thin with crisp edges and a chewy center, but that can be hard to achieve when baking with ingredients with high water content. By drying the shredded carrots before adding them to the batter, the cookies some out soft and chewy rather than thick and cakey. Quick moment for the texture shot:

I hope you try these out! The recipe below makes 6 cookies (I’m only baking for myself now) but feel free to double if needed.

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup finely shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 tbsp softened unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp softened cream cheese
• 3 heaping tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat a light-colored saucepan over medium-low heat (the pan color will help you see when the butter has browned). Add the butter and stir continuously with a spatula until the butter has melted.
2. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring continuously for about 3-4 minutes until the butter turns golden brown. You should see some brown bits at the bottom of the pan, and the butter will smell nutty.
3. Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the browned butter into a heatproof glass bowl (if you leave it in the pan, it will burn). Let cool in the bowl for 10 minutes before continuing with the next steps.
4. While the butter cools, shred the carrots and chop the walnuts. Using a paper towel, squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the shredded carrots. Discard the liquid and set the carrots aside for later.
5. To the cooled butter, add the brown and white sugars and whisk well. Then add in the egg yolk and mix one more time.
6. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well.
8. Add the shredded carrots and chopped walnuts to the dough and mix well. I found it easiest to do this with my hands.
9. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for an hour.
10. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using about 2 tbsp of dough per cookie, shape the dough into balls and then flatten into discs. I did this with my hands, but work fast to not soften the dough too much.
11. Transfer to oven and bake for 13 minutes; exact time will depend on your oven, so I’d start checking after about 10 minutes. The cookies will be done when the edges are set but the center is still gooey and soft to the touch.
12. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
13. For the cream cheese frosting, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
14. Frost the cooled cookies with a heaping teaspoon each of the cream cheese frosting. Top with more walnuts, carrots, and a sprinkle of cinnamon (the carrots are honestly more for color, but the walnuts and cinnamon are non-negotiable). Enjoy!

For a video tutorial, watch my TikTok here: