Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
These cookies are great for an after-school treat or for dessert! The true carrot cake flavor of these beauties filled with a cream cheese filling positively taste like carrot cake in a sandwich. These cookies tend to be a tad soft, and the cream cheese in the filling make it best to store the delectable cookies in the refrigerator. Makes about 24 cookies
Cookies:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cups Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together the butter, sugars, salt and vanilla on low speed until light and fluffy, 5-6 minutes.
With the mixture on low, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl of the mixer after each addition.
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in the oats, coconut, carrots, raisins, and walnuts and toss until evenly incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients a little at a time to the creamed mixture until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides and turn the dough over a few times with the spatula, reaching down to the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly mixed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
While the dough firms up, preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat, or grease very well.
Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets using a #40 scoop. (I experimented with a larger one, but prefer the smaller size. A #40 scoop holds about 1 3/4 Tablespoons of dough.) Leave 2-inches between the cookies.
Bake until the cookies are golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. (Rotate the pans halfway through to insure even baking.)
Allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the pan, then transfer, using a spatula, to a cooking rack and allow to cool completely.
Use an offset spatula to spread a few tablespoons of frosting on the bottom of half of the cookies, then make sandwiches using the remaining cookies.
Store in a single layer in an airtight container.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
4 ounces (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and confectioner's sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.
Add the vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix to combine.
Fill the completely cooled cookies.
If not using right away, store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator until needed. Allow the frosting to come to room temperature and beat with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
